On Tuesday, Google officially confirmed that they do not have exception lists, or “whitelists, for many search algorithms like Panda and Penguin. Unlike similar algorithms, there are apparently no exceptions that can save you from receiving penalties under these systems. During a Google+ Webmasters hangout, Trend Analysis John Mueller delves into Google’s whitelists saying:
“For the most part we do not have a whitelist where we can say this web site is okay and we can take it out of the algorithm. For some individual cases, we do do that. For a lot of the general search algorithms, we do not have that ability. But for others, we do have that ability, such as with the SafeSearch algorithm and false positives on adult content.”
He continues by discussing Google’s ability to take notice of issues with certain algorithms and take manual action by placing them on whitelists for a short period of time during the repair and update process. They simply don’t have that capability for others – it all depends on the particular system.
There’s no word of any updates in the works that will allow more manual manipulation of the Panda and Penguin algorithms so, continue to be cautious and follow our tips to avoid penalties on your website!