Google has started rolling out its June 2024 Spam Update, which aims to improve search results by targeting websites that break its spam rules. The update began rolling out on June 20 and is expected to be fully implemented within a week.
This update aims to ensure that the search results you see are more relevant and less cluttered with spammy websites. This update is not related to the site reputation abuse algorithm that Google previously mentioned; That update is still pending and will be announced separately.
So, for now, if you’re seeing a change in your search results, it’s probably due to this new spam update. Google is constantly working to make search more useful and spam-free.
Table Of Contents
- Focus areas of Google’s spam update
- Recaps of Google’s Spam Updates
- Impact of Google Spam Update on Your Website
Google’s Background To Fight Spam
Google keeps updating its system frequently to remove low-quality and spammy websites from search result pages. Sites that break Google’s rules such as creating content just to increase search rankings, buying or selling links, containing poor quality or duplicate content, and deceiving users with hidden redirects are the targets of these spam updates.
The latest update to Google Spam in March dealt with many spam websites, but some AI-generated content still managed to rank well on search results.
According to Roger Monti of Search Engine Journal, some spam sites ranked for more than 217,000 queries, of which more than 14,900 made it into the top 10 search results. These sites deceive users by using tricks like rapidly producing content, using AI-generated images, and templated article structures to exploit loopholes to increase initial rankings.
Recaps of Google’s Spam Updates
The March 2024 Spam Update is the latest update from Google. Google recently completed its latest spam update in March 2024, which started on March 5 and ended on March 20. This is Google’s attempt to clean up search results and make them more useful for everyone.
A major achievement of this update is the significant reduction in inauthentic content appearing on search results. According to Google, this type of content has declined by 45% making it easier for users to find high-quality and relevant information.
This improvement is a reflection of Google’s dedication to providing a better search experience by cutting down on spammy and low-quality content. The goal is to make sure that when you search for something, you get the most accurate and useful results possible.
Focus areas of Google’s spam update
Google’s spam updates typically target a variety of tricky tactics that some websites use to trick the system. Based on previous updates and Google’s general rules, this new update probably focuses on:
Low-Quality Content
This includes thin content, doorway pages, and copied content that provides little or no value to users. Thin content means pages with very little useful information. Doorway pages are those created just to rank in search engines and then send users to another page.
Keyword stuffing
This happens when a web page uses the same keyword multiple times in an unnatural way in an attempt to manipulate search rankings.
Cloaking
This happens when a website shows one set of content to search engines but different content to users. This is a trick to get a better ranking on search results.
Hidden Text & Links
This involves hiding text or links on a page that are meant to influence rankings but are not visible to users. For example, this can be done by making the text the same color as the background.
Other Spammy Tips
These are mainly the purchasing links or participating in link schemes. Link schemes are attempts to obtain links to a site in ways that break Google’s rules.
These are well-known issues, but with the rise of AI-generated content, Google is now also focusing on spammy use of AI. AI can create a lot of content quickly, but if that content is not useful or original, it may be considered spam.
Impact of Google Spam Update on Your Website
In the past, when Google tightened its spam rules, some regular websites have seen their search rankings change. This update may cause similar changes. If your website follows Google’s spam rules, you may see better rankings because there will be less competition from spammy sites.
If your site uses tactics that Google considers spam, such as relying too heavily on AI-generated content, your search visibility may decrease. On the positive side, if your site plays by the rules, you may benefit from having less spam to compete with. While this update aims to improve search quality, it may cause a slight drop in rankings, especially for sites that do not strictly follow Google’s guidelines.
References :
Google Search Spam Updates | Google Search Central | What’s new | Google for Developers. (n.d.-b). Google for Developers. https://developers.google.com/search/updates/spam-updates
