Google released the Penguin 3.0 update today.
The update was announced, in the usual fashion, with a Tweet from Matt Cutts reading:
Weather report: Penguin data refresh coming today. 0.3% of English queries noticeably affected. Details: http://goo.gl/AF5kt
While 0.3% sounds like a small number, it could just be the tip of the iceberg. Google often rolls out small refreshes as tests before rolling out much larger updates. This early on it’s really tough to tell what the impact of this update is going to be.
The original Penguin update back in May of 2012 impacted 3.1% of all search queries. In the affiliate marketing world, Penguin had a huge impact on page rankings that many sites have yet to recover from.
As bad as the first Penguin update was, SEOs seemed to think that something worse would be coming down the line. In August of this year, Cutts fueled their fears by saying that the next Penguin update would be jolting and jarring.
A Silver Lining
There is a potential silver lining that comes with Penguin 3.0. Sites that have removed bad links and worked to become more Penguin friendly could actually see a boost this weekend.
This story is still developing, so keep checking CAP for more updates as they become available.
Are you feeling any impact from Penguin 3.0? Share your experiences in the comments section below.