We’ve all been victims of spam. It’s annoying, clutters up space where real information should be, can be dangerous, and generally leaves users with a negative experience. That is why Google continuously works to reduce the amount of spam, and general abuse, seen on its search engine.
Update Alert:
December 2022: Google releases the December 2022 link spam update. The rollout was complete around Christmas time.
Google Link Spam Update December 2022: What’s New?
Google is upgrading its spam detection system! It will now have the ability to find purchased links and detect domains used primarily to pass links to other sites. Google’s goal is “leveraging the power of SpamBrain to neutralize the impact of unnatural links on search results”. In essence, they will be removing these types of links, so they do not appear in the search.
This rollout will take a few weeks to complete and will be completed for all languages.
What is SpamBrain?
Google’s SpamBrain is an automatic AI-based spam-prevention system that combs through, spots, and removes detected spam links. Not only that, but it has also been built to detect and remove signs of abuse and threatening content. Some of the types of spam/abuse it detects and prevents includes:
- Spam Links
- Malware
- Harassment
- Blackhat SEO Practices
- & More
Google is constantly working to improve their algorithms to fight back against those who use these practices. This is why their link spam updates are so important to keep track of.
Avoid Impacts
Google is fairly transparent when it comes to their guidelines, including their policies on spam. Basically, don’t do it. If you haven’t yet familiarized yourself with Google’s spam policies, it might be a good time to do so. Research. Know what to stay away from. Don’t feel the impact from an update. If you follow their guidelines and best practices from the start, you should not have anything to worry about.
Have you taken a hit from an update? If that is the case, then you will likely never fully recover. Google directly states:
In the case of a link spam update (an update that specifically deals with link spam), making changes might not generate an improvement. This is because when our systems remove the effects spammy links may have, any ranking benefit the links may have previously generated for your site is lost. Any potential ranking benefits generated by those links cannot be regained.
Our best advice is to really focus on your SEO strategy and practices. Most importantly, stay away from unscrupulous techniques. If you are in a bind or even just want expert help, reach out to our Cyberlicious® experts! Our SEO guy is in a class of his own.