
Google, please, stop playing with our hearts.
After releasing a major update on Black Friday and another unexpected one just before Christmas, Google was not ready to close the year without rolling out a new algorithm update. This time, it’s a spam update, designed to tackle spam in search results by updating the ranking algorithm. The company stated that it will take about a week to fully implement.
This update comes soon after the shortest core update since 2020, which lasted only six days and was noted for its strong impact and volatility.
This marks the second spam update of the year, following one in June. In previous updates, Google explained they introduced significant changes to reduce spam and improve search result quality: to better understand if web pages are useless, offer a poor user experience, or appear crafted for search engines rather than people.
This effort extended to other core updates of the year, such as the one in March 2024, where Google included measures typical of a spam update, addressing mass production of low-quality content aimed at improving search rankings through automation or human intervention. Additionally, it announced steps against the misuse of site reputation, where third parties post low-quality content on reputable sites, and the improper use of expired domains to boost low-quality content rankings.
Previous spam updates by Google took place in October 2023 and December 2022. During those times, the company focused on link-related spam primarily used for artificially manipulating search rankings. “Our algorithms and manual actions aim to nullify these unnatural links at scale, and we will continue to enhance our coverage,” Google explained back then.
Although Google’s automated systems to detect spam in searches operate continuously, significant updates are rolled out periodically. “When that happens, we refer to these updates as spam updates and share them in our list of Google Search ranking updates. For example, SpamBrain is our AI-based spam prevention system. From time to time, we enhance that system to improve its effectiveness in detecting spam and ensure it can recognize new types of spam.”
Moreover, Google also advises publishers to adhere to their webmaster guidelines to enhance their site indexing.
Google’s documentation offers examples of what is considered web spam, focusing on maintaining the quality and relevance of the content Google provides to its users:
It’s important for website managers and content creators to follow these guidelines to ensure a great user experience and uphold the trustworthiness of Google’s search outcomes.
Image Credit: Flux Schnell
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