Google Continues in the Fight Against Spam With Its Latest Update

Fuel Web Marketing | Google Updates | November 24, 2021
google on search

Just last week, Google announced their fourth spam update this year, as follows:

“As part of our regular work to improve results, we’ve released a spam update to our systems. This November 2021 spam update should be fully rolled out within a week. We encourage sites to follow our best practices for Search.”

Google Vs. Spam

Google vs. spam has been an ongoing battle played out on a daily basis. These spam updates specifically target a website’s content that does not follow their guidelines for content.

Google is very clear that they want website owners to play by the rules, but we all know this is not always done in the digital landscape, just like the business landscape. While the majority of pages Google indexes use good practices and provide useful information, there are those sites designed specifically to rank by deception.

Google’s main objective is quality user experience, so these unreliable websites are always a problem. In the past, however, spam has proliferated, often right under Google’s very noses. Consequently, algorithm updates are constantly rolled out to keep step with deceptive practices.

Some algorithm updates are effective, and some not so much. In some cases, website owners who play entirely by the rules can see a slight downtick in their performance after an algorithm update, which can take a few days to iron out. That said, the real long-term consequences should be seen by the websites that continue to practice what Google refers to as “deceptive or manipulative behavior” and look for loopholes and other measures that they can exploit.

Google’s Best Practices

Google is clear about what it considers best practices to help site owners and web administrators get the most out of a website. But these require diligent hard work and a consistent, fine-tuned approach.

While old-school spam tactics were adept at tricking search engines in the past, Google is becoming far more sophisticated. One of its foundational guidelines is to optimize for human experience and not for search engines. As they continue implementing more AI designed to more closely understand and replicate human behavior in how people search and use the internet, spammers will have a more difficult time skewing rankings in their favor by using deceitful practices.

White Hat SEO

“White hat” or ethical SEO requires knowledge, skill, and a continually updated understanding of a constantly-changing digital landscape. This is how a good, solid SEO team provides the most value for their clients and keeps them viable in their long-term growth and competitiveness. Rely on the wrong moves, and your website can disappear in the blink of an algorithm update.

At Fuel Web Marketing, we use Google best practices to build and support the best website possible for our clients. We do this by using focused keyword and competition analysis, creating original and valuable content, and utilizing quality link building. Professional, high-quality website organization and optimization is critical in today’s digital world. Don’t leave your website rankings to chance. Contact us today to learn how we can improve your website reach so you can do what you do best.