What exactly is web spam?
We receive emails and see posts claiming to help us earn money quickly. It is tempting to click on such emails or social media posts. These messages look attractive. They can also land you in trouble.
Some methods can rank your pages on top of search engines. These methods sound tempting to businesses. Some of these methods may also land you in trouble. They are considered a bad practice. They are collectively known as web spam.
Some common examples of web spam include content spam, link spam, and cloaking.
- Content spam is the overuse of popular and highly monetizable search terms in your content.
- Link spam is paying other sites to backlink to yours.
- Cloaking is to showcase a different page version to search engine crawlers than to human visitors.
Google launched its Penguin-codenamed “Webspam Algorithm Update” in 2012 to combat the practice. This algorithm is more efficient at identifying websites that use aggressive webspam tactics.
Is webspam relevant to SEO?
It is vital to understand what webspam is if you’re investing in an SEO strategy. SEO focuses on earning a higher search engine ranking for your website. Specific black hat SEO practices can improve your website’s ranking. There is also a flipside. These practices can increase your chances of getting caught by Google.
The search engine can levy a penalty on the website. It can reduce your website’s rankings drastically or remove it from the search engine results pages completely.
Google has also set certain quality guidelines. Learning about them is crucial to avoid violating them.
Best SEO practices to avoid web spam
1. Prevent user-generated spam on your website
Do you often receive user comments on your website? Are these user comments positive or negative?
Spammers like to use open content forms and leave spam content on your website. This content is user-generated spam. It is in the form of forum threads and blog comments. It violates Google’s spam policies and adds little to no value to the web.
You must take measures to prevent user-generated spam on your website. Google suggests the following:
- Use reCAPTCHAs to block automated account creation
- Update your website software frequently
- Do not permit comments on older posts
- Block suspicious behavior by setting time limits between comments
2. Avoid using automatically created content
Many feel that Google cannot differentiate between content generated by tools and by humans. Google can take action if its webspam team happens to find out. It can lead to a manual penalty.
Google’s Webmaster Guidelines consider automatically created content spam. AI tools make generating content quickly easier, but the result doesn’t offer users any real value. Moreover, the content doesn’t fulfill Google’s quality requirements.
Do not add auto-generated content to your website. This includes the article Spinners of 2003 and the AI tools of 2023.
3. Stay away from link schemes and purchased links
Links are a vital ranking factor. Google uses links to assess a site’s reputation. Search rankings are also somewhat based on the value of those links. Does that mean you can buy links and enjoy ranking benefits?
No.
Many people are offering link schemes online. These schemes help you get links to manipulate search results. But Google’s Webmaster Guidelines are against paid links. The search engine does not want their influence on search rankings.
Nevertheless, do not avoid guest-posting. Some guest posts aren’t excessive. It is a safe practice; you can use them to build quality links.
4. Prioritise quality
Google needs human reviewers to identify web spam. Algorithms alone cannot block all of it. That’s why many SEO agencies and specialists rely on black hat SEO techniques. They help to deliver quick results.
However, avoid using black hat SEO tactics on your website. There are better ways for optimization. Instead, you must invest in white hat SEO practices to ensure that Google does not penalise your website.
One of the topmost white hat SEO practices is generating quality content. If you have resourceful content with the right keywords, user experience improves. It leads to boosting website authority.
Conclusion
Web spam aims to trick Google’s search algorithm and achieve a higher search engine ranking. Generally, the goal is to increase traffic using black hat SEO techniques and generate inflated profits. Some examples of web spam are keyword stuffing, excessive links, cloaking, thin content, etc. The strategy was once prolific. However, Google actively updates its algorithms to fight spam.
If you don’t want Google to penalize your website, always rely on the best SEO practices. Keep user-generated spam, paid links, and link schemes away from your website. Do not use automatically-generated content; focus on quality instead. White hat SEO practices are safer and help you sustain higher search engine rankings.
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