The Penguin update in early 2012 adjusted Google’s algorithm to consider a site’s overall number of links instead of the relevancy of each link.

The Penguin update, launched in April 2012, specifically targeted and penalized websites engaging in manipulative link schemes and unnatural linking practices. Its primary goal was to devalue low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant backlinks, thereby improving the quality of search results. The statement is false because Penguin did not adjust the algorithm to consider only the overall number of links; rather, it focused on the quality and relevancy of those links, penalizing sites with a high volume of poor-quality links. Before Penguin, some SEO strategies focused on quantity over quality, but this update shifted the emphasis firmly to relevant, authoritative links.