Matt Cutts, Head of Webspam at Google officially announced on his site that the latest version of Penguin 2.0 is out. Supposedly about 2.3% of English-US queries are affected, which is relatively huge. What’s interesting to note is that several of us in the forum noticed some movement at the end of April even before Matt highlighted a Penguin update was imminent. It certainly looks like Google rolls out their algorithms before making an official announcement. Did you notice any changes in your search traffic at the end of April?

Perhaps it’s too soon to tell, but I’ve heard relatively minimal complaints about the latest Penguin roll-out. Since the Exact Domain update in Fall 2012, I’ve observed a huge improvement in new content across the web. Freelance SEO writers have upped their game to write longer content that better matches a site’s style. Bloggers have also increased the length of their average content with more in-depth material as initiatives such as the Yakezie 5,000+ Words A Week Challenge materialized in November 2012.

BULLISH ON BLOGGING

As we head into the long, glorious days of summer, I encourage everyone to up their game while others fulfill the temptation to play. Nobody says you can’t work while relaxing over some sangria on the beach in Mallorca! This is the internet after all. Perhaps experiment with different media or a new writing style. Maybe increase the frequency of your posting schedule. Leverage your brand. Whatever the case, we’ve all got our blogging optimum to achieve.

I’m more bullish on blogging than I’ve ever been before. With the stock markets going ballistic, we should expect lots of mergers and acquisitions over the next year. Yahoo! buying Tumblr for $1.1 billion on 80X trailing revenue is a prime example of hallelujah money in the online publishing space!

Consider delaying the sale of your web property for as long as possible. Think about how much wealth our grandparents made buying property and holding on for decades. Think about stock titans like Buffett who do the same thing. Significant wealth is created through long durations of holding and not by punting stock like a madman this month. You’ve got to be in it to win it. Burnout be damned!

Overall, I think the latest Google algorithm updates are a win for everybody, including Google, whose stock recently breached an all-time high of $900+. The bottom line is that better content is being produced on the web. What are your thoughts on the latest Penguin update and the state of the blogosphere?

Photo: A sea of change is upon us. There’s actually a whale tail in the picture, but it’s too small to tell. North Shore, Oahu, 2013.

Looking to learn how to start your own profitable website? Check out my step-by-step guide on how to start a blog. It’s one of the best things I did in 2009 to help earn extra money and break free from Corporate America!

Updated for 2017 and beyond. 

Regards,

Sam