Google launched the Penguin Update in April 2012 to better catch sites deemed to be spamming its search results, in particular those doing so by buying links or obtaining them through link networks designed primarily to boost Google rankings.
In January 2015, Google's John Mueller said that a Penguin penalty can be removed by simply building good links. The usual process is to remove bad links manually or by using Google's Disavow tool and then filing a reconsideration request.
Google launched the Penguin Update in April 2012 to better catch sites deemed to be spamming its search results, in particular those doing so by buying links or obtaining them through link networks designed primarily to boost Google rankings.
The Google Penguin update targets websites and SEO's who used blackhat or spammy backlinks that are in violation of their guidelines to game Google's results and achieve higher rankings. It is one of 200 signals that Google uses to determine rankings.
Google launched the penguin update in 2012 in the month of April to detect spamming links on the website which maybe acquire through buying or links networks.