{"id":1212,"slug":"penguin-apr-24-2012-link-spam-3-1pct-queries","title":"Penguin update launched April 24, 2012 — targeted manipulative link schemes (paid links, link farms, over-optimised anchors); affected ~3.1% of English queries","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["algorithm-updates","link-spam"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** **Penguin** launched **April 24, 2012**, targeting manipulative link schemes (paid links, link farms, over-optimised anchor text). Affected **~3.1% of English queries**. Penguin 4.0 (2016) went real-time and was folded into the core algorithm.\n\n**Source:** Google Webmaster Central announcement, April 24, 2012; long-form survey in [[webhistory-06-seo-link-spam-arms-race-research-notes]].\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Made link-buying actively dangerous, not just ineffective. Reinforced the \"earn, don't buy, links\" rule that still holds.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-businesses-found-on-web-google-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: How businesses got found on the web — a then→now timeline (Google-focused, SMB lens, June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"recurring-pattern-google-shifts-early-adopters-win-laggards-lose","title":"The recurring pattern: every major Google shift changed what got surfaced; early adapters captured the new surface, laggards lost the old one — and the pattern is repeating now with AI answers","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-18T00:10:55.819Z","updated_at":"2026-06-18T00:10:55.819Z"}