By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

Google is all over the Internet—Their robots scan websites like modern-day body snatchers. Google’s search engine can send your website ranking to the grave with penalties, or it can have the power to resurrect your website from an untimely death.

Yes, we’re talking in Halloween terms, as Google updates can be scary. Google just announced their newest character in their core algorithm this fall season.

You may have heard of Penguin, which was first launched in 2012, and the newest update is now in real-time. What does this mean for you? If you haven’t resorted to SEO tricks, you’re safe from Google’s wrath. But if you don’t understand search engine optimization, you may be in for a frightful surprise in the way of Google penalties.

This real-time Penguin update means that your search engine rankings can change whenever Google updates info about your site, making any updates quickly noticeable. The trick: Google is now more focused on toxic links on your site. The treat: You can recover from Google penalties faster.

The hair-raising thing about real-time Penguin is that you won’t necessarily receive word that your site is penalized—You’ll only know by a sharp decline in website traffic and a downturn in rankings for your keywords.

If all this talk of Google’s Penguin Algorithm makes you go brain-dead, we’re here to save you from the Google zombies.

You can use the newest Penguin update to your favor:

• Follow organic SEO practices—Quality content that is relevant to your target audience is key in both your website design and your social media marketing strategy. Outgoing links to other pages must add value to your core audience. Incoming links from social networking profiles connect customers to pages embedded within your website, not just your home page. And always avoid duplicating content from other pages within your site or form other sources on the Internet. Visit our primer for avoiding Google penalties for more specifics.

• Incorporate smart website design practices—Consider revamping your page layout to optimize the placement of text, meta titles and descriptions, select great keywords, and develop a graphic and content niche to stand out from your competition. Redesigning your current site? Discover how tweaking your graphic design and text can make a difference. Launching a new website? Read our white paper to get it right the first time.

• Perform regular audits of your entire website—Monitor your ranking positions in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), and track keyword performance for all of your pages, not just your homepage. Audit the backlinks on all of your web pages, too. Learn the importance of Google Analytics to developing a Penguin-proof website.

If casting the cobwebs from your website still puts the fear into your soul, we have the magic potion. Here at Moore than SEO, we offer a complimentary, no-strings-attached website assessment, based on comparison with your online competition. We’ll flag any Google infringements, and we’ll recommend a customized strategy to meet your particular objectives. Contact us today at 559-978-4096 to rid your site of the warts that cause Google’s penguins to put an evil spell on your website.