Unconfirmed Google Algorithm Update – February 2017

Unconfirmed Google Algorithm Update – February 2017
Unconfirmed Google algorithm update may be better at discounting links and spam. Did Google update their Penguin algorithm? Did Google block private blog network links?

The online SEO blog, Search Engine Land are reporting that Google may have made some tweaks to their algorithms this past week on how they target link spam and other forms of spam. Google would not confirm or deny there was an algorithm change, but based on the signals, there appears to have been an algorithm update that has hit those who undergo more aggressive link building.

The update seems to have happened around February 1, 2017. It may have been a tweak to how Google Penguin detects and discounts spammy links, or it may be a totally new algorithm.

Many of the folks within the “black hat” SEO community seem to be noticing this and complaining that their tactics are not working as well. Some are saying that their PBNs, private blog networks, are not working as well. Some are saying Google is slower at picking up new links. Some think Google hit their sites with penalties.

The vast majority of the Google search results tracking tools, such as MozCast, Algoroo, RankRanger and many others, are showing significant turbulence around February 1.

This is all despite many of the more “white hat” SEO communities not really noticing or complaining about ranking changes in Google.