Ok BHW time to get back to work post Penguin 2.1

A lotta mass hysteria going on these days regarding Penguin 2.1. Look I get it, sites got smashed and incomes lost. However to be honest there is no point in over-analyzing what happened etc. because you already know more or less what was the cause was etc., but the theories that come up are only speculation at best.

So lets move forward.

As someone that manages/tracks thousands of keywords across hundreds of sites/niches etc this is what I can tell you from the data.

- Some high quality websites that were 100% white hat got hit (zero linkbuilding)
- Some sites that are purely propped up on spam remain on top
- Some sites with tons of original content got hit
- Some sites with crappy content remain on top

etc. etc.

The point is people are trying to "make sense" out of an algorithm that is flawed. You're trying to make a rational argument out of something that is imperfect. It is pretty clear that Google is a clusterfuck. I mean why do things like the disavow tool and spam report forms even exist? Because the algorithm is flawed.

Everyone here (or at least should) know how to get a website to the top of Google. The only question is how long will it stay there.

Sure some methods are more "stable" than others, however nobody can definitively say with 100% certainty that a method is "update proof". What is "white hat" today may be deemed "black hat" tomorrow. What provides stable rankings today, may not do so tomorrow.

Think about what happened on the latest updates:

- Some sites with paid links / blog network links etc. tanked
- "White Hat" web 2.0 tiered linkbuilding schemes were hit
- Some sites with pure automated spam are on top

etc. etc.

These updates should tell you that the only things that are guaranteed are:

1. Nothing is guaranteed for sure
2. Google doesn't give a f$@# about you


If you build a 100% high quality content site and only focus on building "great content", that doesn't mean your site won't tank in a future update. Likewise just because you build a "spammy" site doesn't mean it will be penalized in the future. Sure some "methods" are more "stable" than others, but remember nothing is 100% guaranteed.

I read a lot of people talking about "white hat" and how they are going to go 100% "white hat", and that would be a great solution if it wasn't for the following reasons:

1. Just because you do everything "white hat" doesn't guarantee you will never get hit
2. Doing something white hat isn't necessarily the most "profitable" route


Remember at the end of the day whether you do something black/gray/white etc. the only thing that matters is PROFITS.

A lot of Warrior Forum nuthuggers are parading around in their mom's basement about how "white hat" is great and all the black hatters got trashed (wrong of course), however I just laugh because I live in the real world.

In the real world, time and resources are not without limit. You know how stupid you sound when you go to a business talking about your "white hat" methods, but oh wait, it'll cost them $5,000/mo for you to manage their site? At the end of the day it all comes down to the numbers.

To be honest I could give a F#*% if I stayed on top of Google forever if the costs of doing so is more than the profits it brings in. Remember at the end of the day it is all about "profitability".

I am not saying that you should go black, gray, white or whatever hat, I am just saying that too often people lose site of the main objective, which is to profit.

Of course Matt Cutts and his Google circle jerk buddies are gonna say "spammy links are bad" and focus on great content blah blah blah and Google will reward you. If only that were true.

If building something 100% white hat made a site bulletproof, the argument would be valid. However these updates show that this may only be correct "most of the time".

I mean would save save save everything and never spend anything and put all your money in a bank that was uninsured and could possibly get robbed tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not. If you do this I mean are you really more intelligent than the guy who takes all his money and blows everything and saves nothing? Maybe, maybe not. SEO is a gamble, what risk you take only you can decide.

Moving forward you know what works, you know how to rank a site, the only question really is "how long will it last?" And to be honest nobody can answer that.

If your site was hit, rebuild. Shit happens.

Whether you choose to do it white, gray, or black hat is a matter of personal preference, and no method is necessarily better than the other.

Just do what at the end of the day is the most profitable for you and your business, and never forget that at the end of the day it's not how you get there, but whether or not you get there.

So BHW seriously, just get back to work, everything will be fine.

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Although this is a good post, nobody will listen. Those that have been complaining will continue to complain, and those that're working hard and still banking, will still be working hard and banking.

I happen to agree with your statement a lot. I'm done dicking around with authority this, color of some Hat, pr updates, google updates, or even quality content.

Its all about the bottom line from this day forward.

OP, I am sure you are an alone drunk girl who has just watched a nice romantic flick. Lol, you are making drama. there is so much time for academy awards...

Tell the brick and mortar company owners that got affected to move on, they'll have good laugh.

By the way, were you granted access to these white hat sites that claim haven't been building any links ? I myself contacted several members at the original thread who were affected and say that there websites were white hat , some of them were spammed exactly the same I'd do to a churn and burn website. Several Other were heavily money keyword anchored. More than 30%.

ficfroc said:

Tell the brick and mortar company owners that got affected to move on, they'll have good laugh.

By the way, were you granted access to these white hat sites that claim haven't been building any links ? I myself contacted several members at the original thread who were affected and say that there websites were white hat , some of them were spammed exactly the same I'd do to a churn and burn website. Several Other were heavily money keyword anchored. More than 30%.

Click to expand...

For white hat sites I know of several that took major traffic hits. And these are pure "hobbyists" sites.

For example I have a friend who has a blog about his kid, and he literally writes about his kid every few days or so for the past few years, as well as offers parenting advice for new parents. Sort of like a documentary for his kid when she gets older.

This site has no monetization and plenty of high quality content with zero linkbuilding (doesn't know how). A pure "hobbyist" site, and it took some big traffic hits when 2.1 rolled out.

So yeah these are "true" white hat sites, not the definition that gets kicked around loosely around IM forums.

everybody knows this day will come, just that it is hard for people to stop whining about it.

By the time everybody finished bitching around, i already set up my new site, with over 3k content, and ready for another spam.

Anyway, let's f google

yeah, all link building is black hat...

black hat is defined as building links to manipulate your rankings...

tell me a white hat strategy that doesn't fit this definition...

The fact is, spam just plain and simply still works. Having sites knocked down is nothing new, unless it's your first site. That's why it's important to keep the momentum going after you've done one site, go to the next, the next and the next. So called "white hat" or "black hat" it does not matter, if G does not like something about it, it will decrease in ranking. G does not look at a site and say, "oh it's white hat, we should leave it alone." It really fucking does not matter at all what you call the site. Just keep building and ranking.