Google has announced a new update to its search algorithm to reduce spam results for users worldwide.
The October 2023 Spam Update targets cloaking, hacked, auto-generated, and scraped spam content in multiple languages, including Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi, Chinese, and others.
According to Google, the update was prompted by feedback from its community members who reported seeing increased spam results in their native languages.
Google hopes to provide more valuable and relevant search results by improving spam detection capabilities.
About Google’s Spam Updates
Google relies on a mix of automated spam-fighting systems and human review to identify and demote pages and sites that violate its policies.
One system, called SpamBrain, uses AI and machine learning to get better at spotting emerging spam tactics.
The company says it releases updates like this periodically to stay ahead of spam trends and keep results high quality.
Sites impacted by the new spam filters are encouraged to review Google’s policies and ensure they comply.
What Does Google Consider Spam?
In its spam policies documentation, Google outlines what it doesn’t allow.
Some key things Google considers spammy or misleading include:
- Hidden text or links that users don’t see but search engines do.
- Automatically generated content with little or no added value for users.
- Large-scale article scraping without permission
- Pages loaded with distracting ads that provide a poor user experience
- Affiliate pages with thin content focused heavily on monetization
Google may also tag sites as spam if they engage in practices like cloaking, sneaky redirects, or creating “doorway” pages. Any attempts to deliberately trick search engines will cause issues.
Additionally, Google’s guidelines advise against overly aggressive commercial tactics like false claims, and misrepresenting products or services.
Sites should focus on providing a good-faith, honest, and transparent user experience. Those that do should fare well even after spam updates.
Looking Ahead
The October 2023 Spam Update will take a few weeks to roll out fully across Google’s search index.
In the meantime, Google encourages searchers to continue sending feedback through its spam reporting tool.
Google’s war against spam is constantly evolving as techniques change. The company credits searchers who report spam with helping validate and prioritize where it focuses anti-spam efforts.
Featured Image: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock
