Google Penguin and Natural Backlink Profiles: How to Build One in 2026
What does a natural backlink profile look like, and how do you build one without risking a Google penalty? Guest author Alan Medina wrote this guide in 2012, right after the Google Penguin update hit sites using spammy links. Penguin became part of Google’s core algorithm in 2016, and Google now also uses its SpamBrain system to ignore or penalise manipulative links. The safest strategy in 2026 is simple: earn links instead of engineering them.
Quick answer: A natural backlink profile has links from many different, relevant sites, with varied anchor text (mostly your brand name, URLs and natural phrases), a mix of followed and nofollow links, steady growth over time and links pointing to many pages, not just your homepage. You get one by publishing link-worthy content, building relationships and avoiding paid or exchanged links.
Table of Contents
What happened with Google Penguin?
In April 2012 Google released Penguin to target sites that built links through link networks, paid links and keyword-stuffed anchor text. Many sites lost rankings overnight. Since 2016 Penguin runs in real time as part of the core algorithm and mostly devalues spammy links rather than penalising whole sites, but manual actions for unnatural links still happen.
Signs of a natural backlink profile
- Varied anchor text: people link with your brand, your URL, “this guide” or the article title, rarely the exact keyword every time.
- Relevant sources: links from sites, blogs and forums related to your topic.
- Many referring domains: a few links from lots of sites beats hundreds from one site.
- Deep links: links to useful articles and tools, not only the homepage.
- Follow and nofollow mix: Alan’s point still stands; a nofollow link from Wikipedia or a major news site can bring traffic and trust. See our explainer on nofollow links.
- Steady growth: links arrive gradually as content gets discovered.
How to earn natural backlinks in 2026
- Create link-worthy content: original research, data, free tools, detailed guides and strong opinions.
- Promote it to the right people: share with bloggers, journalists and communities who’d genuinely find it useful.
- Answer journalist requests with expert quotes; see our press release tips.
- Write guest posts for respected sites in your niche, focused on readers, not anchor text.
- Fix broken links by suggesting your relevant page when a site links to a dead resource.
- Build relationships: collaborations, interviews and community participation lead to natural mentions.
What not to do
- Buying links or using private blog networks.
- Large-scale link exchanges or keyword-rich links in widget footers and guest posts.
- Manually forcing anchor text variety to “look natural”; Google looks at intent and patterns, not just percentages.
Check your own backlink profile
Use Google Search Console’s Links report, or tools like Ahrefs and Majestic, to see who links to you and with what anchors. If you find obviously spammy links you didn’t build, Google usually ignores them; use the disavow tool only for serious cases, such as after a manual action.
FAQ
Does Google Penguin still exist?
Yes, as part of Google’s core algorithm since 2016, working in real time alongside other spam systems.
Are nofollow links useless?
No. They can bring traffic and Google treats them as hints, and they’re a normal part of any natural profile.
Should I disavow bad links?
Usually not. Google ignores most spammy links. Disavow only if you have a manual action or know you built manipulative links in the past.
Originally written by guest author Alan Medina, owner of the tech blog BitsEverywhere. Updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips.
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Great ways! Google Penguin algorithm changes overtime , this updates are like thunderstorm in the mind of webmasters and SEO’s, this things are normal but you have to prepare yourself and take steps to protect your website or business from Penguin. Quality content is very important.
These are really good and effective ways to make backlinks. Many of these points are currently unknown to many bloggers especially new bloggers.
And what I think is we should use a mix of anchor text. It’s the most important aspect of link building. Using the same anchor text too many times can harm your reputation in search engines. One very important technique to choose relevant keywords in anchor text is to consider the level of competition of the terms you are trying to rank for.
Google penguin is updated very often, almost every day, so to keep up with him is almost impossible, and even more except for employees of Google who does not know penguin algorithms
A very good article, especially for those who do not have much experience like me
Nice stuff,Always will helpful for creating Quality of Backlinks For any Update,We will follow Google Updates ,Thanks for Sharing
A very good article, especially for those who do not have much experience in this, and we are learning.
Thanks!
can you explain deeper the gif image as a link?
thanks
There’s definately a great deal to find out about this subject. I like all of the points you have made.
nice one from you now a days guest blogging has emerged a new way to create backlinks along with instagrams and infographics.even neil patel of quicksprout mentiones about this infographs.your tips are too good and will help to create backlinks.thanks for sharing
The first two are my favorites! When it comes to blog commenting, I try my level best to leave only genuine and comments which add to the post unlike the usual thank you ones people post. I also post a lot of comments on CommentLuv enabled blogs. It helps me get better backlinks easily.
Nice post
This guide about Google penguin update is very help full for us in creating natural back link profiles. Thanks for sharing this helpful guide with us.
This is Simple and good understanding guest post ,but its not enough details for natural backlinks.
nice stuff. directory, submission is best way for building backlink as my opinion.
Like your article and the image link point is very useful it’s really give some more good results.
Nice post…Quality backlinks helps to get good results in SERP so keep on collecting quality backlinks
Alan, I have some questions. First, how many backlinks are too many for Google to be considered as spam? Second, we know that blog network, and paid link are considered as illegitimate ways to build backlinks. How about article marketing and forum comments?
Not any bond for backlink but nofollow and dofollow balance must be keep in mind .
I liked your point of mixing no follow and do follow links. As always, people ignore no follow links, but they do prove significant in building authority to the site.
I agree, in my case for google argentina for example all my competitos still rank well, but its a good chance to start building the correct way.
@S. Pradeep Kumar: You’re welcome :) When building links try to be as natural as possible. Put yourself in the shoes of a person who liked your site and for a moment, stop thinking like a SEO. Diversity and natural are the two keywords here :)
Thanks for sharing these Alan, I guess creating organic links will benefit us a lot. After these penguin and panda updates, I started to work on our Link Building Strategy for our blog.