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Google's Spam Update Is Now Complete

Written on . Posted in Blog.

Google's Spam Update Is Now Complete

A few weeks ago, Google released a new search ranking algorithm update that will target the more spammy side of search results.

This update is dubbed the "October 2022 spam update," and it should take about a week to fully roll out and be visible in search results.

According to Google, this update is global and affects all languages.

“While Google’s automated systems to detect search spam are constantly operating, we occasionally make notable improvements to how they work. When we do, we refer to this as a spam update and share when they happen on our list of Google Search ranking updates. For example, SpamBrain is our AI-based spam-prevention system. From time-to-time, we improve that system to make it better at spotting spam and to help ensure it catches new types of spam. Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those. Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all. Making changes may help a site improve if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies with our spam policies.”

The declaration. Google stated on Twitter, "Today we released the October 2022 spam update."

Previous revisions. Prior to this, the most recent confirmed Google spam update was in November 2021. Google also released a two-part Spam Update in 2021, on June 23 and June 28, as well as a link spam update in July 2021.

According to the page about ranking updates here. This update was fully implemented on October 21, 2022. The spam update was supposed to affect all languages and regions equally.

Because the update took so little time to deploy, we can conclude that the algorithm changes were actually minor. This conclusion is based on the fact that an update typically takes several weeks and is implemented in multiple GEOs first (most often in English-language issuance). For example, a helpful content update took place from August 25 to September 9 and only affected the English version.

Google releases a spam update every now and then to ensure that the search results aren't clogged with spam.

Because if a user clicks on a spammy result repeatedly, it creates a bad experience and causes people to abandon Google.

They don't provide much information on their website about the spam update, but luckily for you, we have things that help us determine what the changes were.

The Update's Goal

Google's primary goal, as implied by the name, is to reduce spam. They now have a variety of spam updates, such as a link spam update in July 2021.

This update did not specify whether it was linked spam or general spam.

Search Volatility After October Spam Update

Another indication that the update was insignificant is the actual outcome of the issue volatility. Serp volatility demonstrates changes in search results for various niches or as an average. And here's what's interesting: from October 19 to 21 (from the date of the October spam update's announcement to the date of its full implementation), no significant fluctuations in search results were recorded by various services.

Recommendations For Google Search Spam Updates

I'll reiterate: no new information about the spam fight was announced in this update. Google refers to previous articles about their policy regarding various web search spam sites. And everything remains the same - the following methods of promotion are punished:

  • Cloaking (using different content for the user and the bot);
  • Doorways (low-quality sites for redirecting traffic);
  • Links/redirects from hacked sites;
  • Hidden text/links;
  • Key spam;
  • Link spam (inbound and outbound);
  • Bot traffic;
  • Malicious software on the site;
  • Misleading functionality (promotion under keys associated with a certain action that cannot be performed on the site);
  • Non-unique content of little use (for example, reprinting news about Google Search spam updates in October 2022 without adding additional useful content).
  • User redirects;
  • Automatically generated content;
  • Affiliate pages with no original content ("Affiliate product link pages where product descriptions and reviews are copied directly from the original seller without any original content or added value.")
  • User spam.
  • Direct fraud - impersonating the official website of another company and the like.

The SpamBrain system is in charge of automatically detecting various spam sites. It debuted in 2018 and is powered by artificial intelligence. Because the system is constantly being improved, the number of identified spammy sites grows year after year, and as a result, the search results are cleansed of such results. The link will take you to a more detailed SpamBrain article.

Conclusion

According to our observations, the majority of this update concentrated on content, meta tags, and keyword stuffing. This is not to say that Google did not consider other factors such as links or duplicate content, but we saw the most significant patterns related to the factors mentioned above and AI-generated content.

Focus on the user if you want to succeed in the long run; it is the only way to win. You may not be ahead in the short run, but you will be in the long run.

Simply ask yourself, "Is this piece of content going to be useful to users?", "Is it beneficial to use the same meta tags on all pages?", " Is my website valuable enough for people to want to link to it?"

In essence, you are simply double-checking yourself and doing what is best for the users.