Ok every site is reporting on the Google Penguin update and some excellent research has already been done, so instead of pretending to be SEOBook or SEOmoz SEOXY is going to tell you who gets the hit and who doesn't.

How you like us now?

For those of you just getting your SEO legs, the world goes into an uproar when Google releases a new change to their algorithm. Before I rip on the whole word and SEOers for freaking out every time Google announces a change, let me first make a disclaimer:

That said, let's get back to ripping. The truth of the matter is that Google is constantly making tweaks to the search engine algorithm. In fact at the rate of almost 2 a month.

That's like 499-599 changes to the way Google works every year.

Not all of them get fancy names like "Panda" and "Penguin" only when Google knows they are going to drop the hammer on a zillion people and thereby pissing them off royally. Although this latest update was not called officially Penguin until recently (it was called "webspam algorithm update" internally) it is still considered to be in the "rolling out" phase.

Enough with the background: Who gets hit?

Ok those that are receiving the pain who I lovingly refer to as the successful cheating assholes on the Net. Those that use Scrapebox and Xrumer and ALN to get enormous amounts of cheap and spammy backlinks to your site and you rocket to the top of the SERPS. Those dudes are hosed now.

But Wait SEOXY, I see terrible sites ranking number one now! And they SUCK !!

Yes, yes patience little one. Google rolls these puppies out by country usually and there are a ton of Google data centers in each country as well as a back up indexes, currently running processes, testing all that junk. This isn't a button switch, it's a fast phase in thingy. So as some sites get shuffled down, some get naturally elevated, some go some come, there is some precipitation that need sto occur, a "setting down" after big updates like this.

S'more details on Penguin Please

There are basically two kinds of SEO-minded people reading this right now. The black hatters and the white hatters. Oh there are plenty of people reading this that think they only "dabble" lightly in the black arts and are thus "grey hats" or stupid "blue hats" but these animals (panda and penguin) are both black and white for a reason.

There is no Grey Hat

I don't care what forum you hang out at, or how successful your enterprises are (retract, I do care that you are successful sorry) what matters is what Google thinks. Google thinks that really ALL SEO IS BLACK HAT haha. Thankfully, they threw the white hatters a bone recently in this quote from the Google web spam team:
We want people doing white hat search engine optimization (or even no search engine optimization at all) to be free to focus on creating amazing, compelling web sites.

Ok so basically, as I stated, Google would like you to forget about SEO. Once again, SEO is dead (long live SEO). For the most part this is great if people do take this bait.

The people that "give up" on SEO are the ones that were/are trying to "game the system" you know the totally worthless, junky, crap sites that sit at the top of the Google search results when you look for something and you click only to arrive at the stupidest, uncaring and uniformed site possible? Yes those sites are going bye bye (hooray Google) to make room for better gamers *wink*.

Hey SEOXY, Will I get penalized?

I dunno take a look at this list:

• Do you pay someone (like on Fiverr) to get you backlinks?
• Do you build all your backlinks using you main keyword only?
• Do all your backlinks point to your home page?
• Are your backlinks on unrelated websites?
• Did all your backlinks appear in a short time?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions you are going to get slapped down like a redheaded stepchild in the rankings. How far down is how much you violated these rules.

If you answered yes to more than one of these questions I am sure you are already penalized.

This is a Good day for web users

Google is interested in giving you the correct result to your search super fast. They deliver that, and that is why they are number one. All of the short-cut cheaters are now smacked down and since they have a skewed view of SEO they wont be coming back soon (unless they repent and sign up for this site or SEO University to learn some real stuff haha).

Beware of Rumors

A lot of self professed SEO gurus (I am not self nor otherwise professed haha) are (and will be) stating this and that about several recent and upcoming algorithm updates. All you need to know about the Penguin update is in that handy bullet list I provided up above. That's pretty much it.

May mistake this update for the "over optimization" update, it's not. Additionally, a few are touting that the over-opt penalty was a myth and never occurred, it did.

We have had 4 major algorithm updates this year (keeping up with Google's proposed "one major update a month in 2012") and we are right in stride.

But SEOXY, how can I protect myself?

Ok the first thing is cease ALL backlinking (unless your users are linking to you naturally. Now, have you been hit by Panda any time since late 2011?

Next, you have to "un-optimize" your website. I know I know you just learned how to optimize it and finally got it done or just payed someone to do it blah blah and boohoo. The game changes all the time, it has changed for us all equally. Now buck up and get that SEO under control!

Un-optimizing means:

• Taking out all the h1, h2, h3 tags with your keyword in them and putting in normal headers.
• Un-bolding your keyword in your content (and better yet changing the term).
• De-underlining your keyword in your content (and even better removing or changing the keyword.
• Remove image titles and/or captions (or at least change them to NOT include your keyword).

When I think of more I will add to this list. Basically it's all the SEO 101 basics that get you penalized nowadays. Too many people doing it really. That is why you will NOT find these tactics in your SEO University program. They do far more harm then good.

Here is Google's official take on how to make your site rank well in Google.

Ok, if you think you have all of your on page SEO chilled out, now you can KEEP NOT BACKLINKING hahaha tricked you! Yes backlinks are so 2011. Let them come from your users and you will make a million dollars on the Net. However, now you need to make your website "socially friendly", add links to bookmarking and social sites as well as any Web 2.0 properties that you have (Facebook and Google+).

Those are the new backlinks that are all the rage in 2012.

Hey I have to go because this post is dragging on too long, but please, hit one of the like or bookmark buttons below and give this post a little love.

Also, please leave a comment, I would love to hear what is on your mind.

800 Million Users Can’t Be Wrong

Facebook, the hugely popular social media platform on the brink of going public, has its fair share of detractors.

First, everyone’s news feed kept getting clogged by Mafia Wars and Farmville updates – annoying to those who just want to see Cousin Amy’s wedding pictures. Then they kept messing with members’ home pages and changing the news feed. And don’t even get people started on the forever-changing privacy settings, which constantly expose your inner life to strangers.

Despite these legitimate gripes, the site continues to grow. With hundreds of millions of users worldwide, the sheer mass of Facebook guarantees that it has at least a few years of shelf life left in it.

Unlike Friendster and MySpace, Facebook Adapts

Although critics complain the technology behind Facebook isn’t that special, who cares? Provided that it continues to offer fun and useful new features for its users – including businesses, who are rapidly adopting social media strategies as a means of increasing sales – the site will stay put.

It may not ever again see the rapid growth that it did during its early years – keeping in mind that Facebook as an invention isn’t even 10 years old – but provided it continues to offer modern value to its members then people won’t abandon it as a platform.

At least not until something better comes along. Just ask Friendster and MySpace what happened after complacency set in at their companies.

Do You Need More Than One Social Network?

The major competitor to Facebook so far is Google+, which so far has not been able to convince even its dedicated Gmail users to adopt it as their own exclusive media platform. Until they can, or another so-unbelievably-awesome-that-you-must-switch-now social networking site is announced, Facebook is really the only game in town.

Ironically, Google the search engine has now incorporated social media presence into its algorithm that ranks websites. If your business doesn’t have a Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest account and it doesn’t have a blog, then you should get one – now.

Adopting a Social Media Strategy

Local businesses find that using Facebook and Twitter to announce new products, special “friends-only” deals, and promotions increase revenue in an extremely cost effective way. Businesses that would otherwise be unable to afford print ads or catalogs can advertise their wares faster and cheaper and any savvy Internet marketer will tell you digital marketing is a wave that’s still growing bigger.

Finally, don’t discount the value of establishing personal relationships with your customers in a virtual environment. As an increasingly digital world allows people to live in an isolated fashion, Facebook lets you connect in a low stress, highly productive way.

Simply put, Facebook eases communication barriers. Just ask its 800 million friends.