Google launched the Link Spam and Helpful Content Update is always finding new ways to improve its search engine results. After all, they want to make sure that the websites and content they are showing their users are of the highest quality. In December 2022, Google launched two updates that are intended to do just that: the Link Spam Update and the Helpful Content Update.
As a web developer, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest algorithm updates from Google. Not only will this help you keep your website ranking high in search results, but it will also help you avoid any penalties that may be associated with outdated practices.
The Link Spam Update was launched in December of 2020 and targeted websites that were using spammy link building tactics. If your website was using any of these tactics, it’s important to clean up your link profile as soon as possible. Google has stated that this update will continue to be rolled out over the next few months, so it’s important to stay on top of it.
The Helpful Content Update was launched in March 2021 and is designed to promote websites that provide helpful and informative content. This update will likely have a positive impact on websites that offer helpful resources, such as blog posts, infographics, and how-to guides. If your website offers helpful content, make sure to promote it through your social media channels and other online platforms.
As a web developer, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest algorithm updates from Google. By doing so, you can ensure that your website is ranking high in search results and avoid any penalties that may be associated with outdated practices.
How Backlinks Affect SEO and Google Rankings for Link Spam and Helpful Content Update
In December 2022, Google launched the Link Spam Update and Helpful Content Update to help improve the quality of backlinks and the overall user experience. As part of these updates, Google announced that it would be devaluing links from sites that engage in link spam. This means that if your site has a lot of links from these types of sites, your rankings could be negatively affected.
Link spam is defined as any link that is not relevant to the content on the linking site, or is from a site that is not trustworthy. This can include things like link farms, paid links, and link directories. Google has always been clear that these types of links are not helpful to users, and now they will also be devalued in the ranking algorithm.
The Helpful Content Update is designed to improve the quality of backlinks by giving more weight to links that are from helpful, informative, and trustworthy sources. This update will help Google to better identify which links are truly useful to users, and which ones are not.
If you want your site to rank well in Google, it is important to focus on creating high-quality backlinks from trustworthy and relevant sites. This has always been the case, but now more than ever, it is important to make sure that your backlinks are from sites that Google trusts.
What effect does the update have on my website?
The Link Spam Update is designed to reduce the amount of link spam in search results. This update will have a small impact on most websites, with the exception of those that have a large number of links pointing to spammy content.
The Helpful Content Update is meant to improve the quality of search results by giving more attention to content that is useful and relevant. This update will impact all websites, but those with high-quality, helpful content will see the biggest improvement in their search rankings.
If the content on your website does not meet Google’s guidelines, you may experience a drop in rankings and traffic.
How has this affected my website so far?
This utilizes what Google refers to as “SpamBrain“; Google mentioned it in its 2018 spam report, notably in the section on spam trends where it discusses its “machine learning algorithms” to increase search spam detection.
Google said that “we have developed a spam-prevention system based on artificial intelligence called SpamBrain.” The tool is not just capable of detecting spam directly but also of detecting sites that buy links, as well as sites that pass links out from them.
If you’ve noticed a drop in traffic or keyword rankings since December 12th, your website might have been impacted by the Helpful Content Update or Link Spam Update.
What sites are affected by the update?
The Link Spam Update is a broad core algorithm update that targets sites with low-quality links. The update will affect sites across the board, but sites that have been engaging in link spamming or have low-quality links are likely to see the biggest impacts.
The Helpful Content Update is a separate update that specifically targets sites with helpful, high-quality content. This update will mostly affect how Google ranks individual pages, rather than whole sites.
What we should avoid:
Ensure your content is valuable
Google’s latest Link Spam Update and Helpful Content Update target two different, but important, aspects of SEO: link spam and content quality
Link spam has been a long-standing issue in SEO, and Google’s latest update is designed to crack down on sites that are using manipulative or artificial links to improve their ranking. This update will result in a reduction of Rankings for sites that are guilty of link spam, so it’s important to make sure your site is clean if you want to avoid any penalties.
Content quality is also an important factor in SEO, and the Helpful Content Update is designed to promote content that is truly helpful to users. This includes content that is well-written, informative, and relevant to the user’s query. If your content meets these criteria, it will be more likely to rank highly in search results.
