After the Penguin 2.0 update, climbing back up the rankings seems like a near impossible task for many websites. Excel in hand, KPI marketing executives were tasked to cleanse and purify the backlink profiles of various companies across the web. What better way to prepare for climbing this metaphorical mountain than to send a KPI expedition to the summit of the very-real Mount Snowdon?
Conquering the climb
The only peaks that marketing executive Tom Bryant was used to seeing are in the neatly organized traffic data graphs he reported on daily. An upward trend is generally positive in his line of work, but 1000 meters above sea level, surrounded by thick cloud, you look forward to downward sloping data plots. Tom managed to reach the summit in less than three hours, the last 200 meters taking half that time. This final stretch, across a thin mountain pass with sheer drops either side, took its toll on Bryant both physically and mentally. “I was plagued by visions of Penguin 2.0,” he later revealed, “I knew one wrong step would send me plummeting to the bottom of Snowdon, just as one poor linkbuilding choice can send a company crashing down the search engine rankings”.
Against all odds, at 12:37pm, Saturday 16th of June 2013, the battered and exhausted KPI executive made it to the peak, claiming the vicious, unforgiving mountain in the name of SEO. “I think I’ve learned a lot,” Bryant explained, “not just about myself, and my own spirituality as an online marketing executive, but I’ve found that no matter the odds, no matter how big Google is, with sensible SEO guidance and the right knowhow your company can overcome any online marketing challenge”.
During his descent, Tom spotted a group of fundraisers donning jumpers and t-shirts that showed their support for one of our long standing SEO clients – UK charity Help For Heroes.
Back to business
We’re really proud of Tom’s achievement and we’re just as proud of the work he and the rest of the KPI online marketing team have been doing to resolve the toxic backlink profiles of various companies in the wake of Google’s latest and most severe Penguin update. Lots of businesses have recently seen a drop in traffic to their site caused by a fall in their ranking position in Google’s search results. The reason for this is an algorithmic change by Google which is specifically aimed at punishing sites that have been taking part in what they deem as unethical link building tactics. Even if these links were created years ago, when Google’s rules might have allowed some of these linking schemes, you may still be vulnerable to the wrath of Penguin, so it’s worth getting your backlink profile checked out by SEO professionals. We have a wealth of experience at identifying undesirable links, then removing or disassociating them from your site using Google’s disavow tool.
And what of Tom?
After conquering Snowdon and cleansing the virulent, toxic backlink landscape of the internet, Tom Bryant faded into legend. Some say he’ll return when we need him the most (after the next Penguin update). Others believe that he’s become one with the mountain that consumed his imagination and helped him defeat Penguin 2.0. Regardless of what you choose to believe, one thing is certain, as long as KPI exists, toxic backlinks’ days are numbered.
If you’ve noticed a drop in traffic to your site recently, your company may have been hit by Penguin 2.0. If you need help removing dodgy links, get in touch with our dedicated team today.