Google’s 2022 Spam Update: 10 Secrets For Avoiding Website Spam

HELLO there!

Google is always changing its search algorithms, and the latest change is set to take effect in October 2022.

This change will specifically target websites that are considered spammy by Google.

If you want to ensure your website doesn’t get penalized, you must start taking steps now to avoid being labeled as spam.

This blog post will discuss 10 secrets for avoiding website spam.

Let’s get to it!

As always, some basics first:

Google Spam

Google Spam is defined as any content that is deceptive, misleading, or otherwise violates Google’s guidelines for quality and relevancy.

It can take many different forms, from keyword stuffing and low-quality backlinks to plagiarized content and unnatural links.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is defined as the process of adding keywords to a piece of content unnaturally and excessively.

Spammers use this primary strategy to manipulate search engines and boost their rankings, but it can also cause your website to get penalized by Google.

Low-quality backlinks

Low-quality backlinks are links from websites that are not relevant or authoritative and may even be considered spammy by Google.

Plagiarized content

Plagiarized content is defined as any content that has been copied from another source without proper attribution or citation.

While it may seem like a shortcut to get more traffic to your website, plagiarized content can hurt your SEO efforts and lead to being penalized by Google.

Unnatural links

An unnatural link is a link that has been built through shady or unethical practices, such as link farms or paid links.

To avoid being penalized by Google, it’s crucial to ensure that your website only has natural and relevant backlinks from authoritative and reputable websites.

Strategy 1: Create Quality And Unique Content

The first and most important strategy to avoid website spam is to create quality and unique content.

This means writing high-quality blog posts and useful and engaging articles for your audience.

Make sure to create content using high-quality images and videos and be as up-to-date as possible.

It also means avoiding plagiarism, including copying or scraping content from other websites.

Website plagiarism can be defined as a form of copyright infringement and is one of the most common red flags used by Google to identify spammy websites.

Scraping content happens when a piece of content is copied or republished without the original author’s permission. Always properly cite and link back to your sources whenever you use someone else’s content.

Here at SAAI Consulting, we use Grammarly. It helps us avoid grammatical errors while writing thousands of words weekly.

Grammatical errors are something to keep an eye on as it is pivotal to avoid, so your website has great On-page SEO.

Here are some steps to create unique content:

Search for “Top + niche + blogs + year” in Google or “Top advertising blogs in 2022“

Go into the top 10 of those blogs and pull them up on different tabs on your browser.

Now, glance over each blog’s first page and look for common topics that are being talked about right now.

Normally, once a hot topic is picked up by one high-ranking blog, another will also talk about the same topic.

It is how I came up with this blog post on Google’s spam update.

Strategy 2: Audit Your Backlink Profile Regularly

Another key strategy for avoiding website spam is regularly auditing your backlink profile.

To do this, you can use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find any links that may be hurting your SEO efforts.

Here are the steps for performing a backlink audit using Semrush:

• 1. Go to the SEMrush dashboard and enter your website URL into the search bar.
• 2. Next, click on the “Backlinks” tab and then select “Lost & Found”.
• 3. This will show you a list of all the websites that are linking back to your site and any links that may be considered low-quality or spammy.
• 4. If you see any links that are potentially harmful to your website’s reputation, you can use the “Disavow” tool to have them removed from Google’s index.

Here are the steps for performing a backlink audit using Google Search Console:

• 1. Go to your Google Search Console account and click “Google Index,” then click on “Links to Your Site.”
• 2. This will show you a list of all the websites linking to your site and any links that may be considered low-quality or spammy.
• 3. Next, click “More” in the top right corner and choose “Download more sample links”.
• 4. This will download a list of all the websites that Google has identified as linking back to your site, including any links that may be considered spammy or harmful.
• 5. If you see any links that are potentially harmful to your website’s reputation, you can use the “Disavow” tool to have them removed from Google’s index.

Here are the steps to determine if a backlink is good to link to:

• 1. Firstly, review the backlink in question and look for any signs of spammy or harmful content.
• 2. Next, check if the website linking to you has a high domain authority score according to MOZ or Ahrefs.
• 3. You can also use tools like SEMrush to see if the backlink comes from a high-quality website in your niche.
• 4. Finally, consider the number of links linking to the same site and whether or not those links are relevant to yours. If everything checks out, then the link may be worth pursuing.

Strategy 3: Be Selective About Guest Posts And Sponsored Content

A third effective strategy for avoiding website spam is to be selective about the guest posts and sponsored content you accept on your website.

This means only partnering with reputable websites and reading any guidelines or requirements carefully before accepting.

Here is a list of things to ask of someone wanting to guest post on your site:

• 1. Ask for a short bio and link to the contributor’s website or social media profile.
• 2. Check if they have any guest posting experience or an established following on their blog, social media, or other channels.
• 3. Make sure all content is high-quality, original, and relevant to your niche.
• 4. Determine if the post will be promotional or provide value to your audience.
• 5. Ask for any additional information you need to feel comfortable about accepting the guest post, such as a topic outline or sample of the content itself.
• 6. As for a minimum of 1200 words per post.
• 7. Make sure that the post being submitted has not been submitted anywhere else. There are many free tools you can use for this, like Grammarly or PrepostSeo

Strategy 4: Avoid Spammy Keywords

Another important strategy to avoid website spam is to avoid using any spammier keywords in your content.

This includes keywords that are saturated, overly promotional, or too generic to be of much use to users.

A saturated keyword is defined as a keyword that is being used by many other websites in your niche.

One way to find out if a keyword is saturated or not is to use tools like Moz or SEMrush to see how many other sites are using it.

If the keyword has a high search volume and a high level of competition, then it may be a good idea to avoid using it or use it sparingly in your content.

An example of a long tail keyword could be “how to drive organic traffic using keyword research”.

This would be a good keyword for your content because it is specific to your niche and relevant to your audience yet still has search volume.

Always try to use more targeted and relevant keywords to help you create high-quality content for your audience.

Strategy 5: Build Relationships With Reputable Publishers And Influencers

To further avoid website spam, building relationships with reputable publishers and influencers is important.

One effective way to do this is by guest blogging or creating sponsored content for these publishers and influencers, as they are more likely to be targeted and relevant to your audience.

As your domain authority increases due to you adding high-quality content to your website, reputable websites will immediately know of you. Anything you post will rank high on SERP.

Strategy 6: Be Selective About Your Email Outreach

Another effective strategy for avoiding website spam is to be selective about your email outreach.

This means being sure to only reach out to relevant publishers and influencers and not sending any overly promotional or spammy emails.

One way to know if you are emailing a relevant influencer is by checking out their domain score/backlink profile in Semrush.

If their DA(Domain Authority) is higher than 40, there is a good chance they have put their work in and can be trusted.

Strategy 7: Use Spam Detection Tools

To avoid website spam, you can use spam detection tools to help identify and filter out any spammy or potentially dangerous links or content.

Some popular spam detection tools include MxToolbox and SpamCop, which are free and easy to use.

Here is how to run a spam report on a website using MxToolbox:

• 1. Navigate to the Spam Check tab at the top of the page, and then input the URL you want to check into the box.
• 2. Click on Spam Report, and then wait for your report to be generated.
• 3. Review any potential warnings or alerts that appear in your report, which can help you determine if the website is safe to visit or not.
• 4. Repeat this process for any other websites you are concerned about, and take action to address any issues identified in your report.

Here is how to run a spam report on a website using SpamCop:

• 1. Navigate to SpamCop, and then enter the website you want to check into the URL field.
• 2. Click on Check Spam, which will start running a scan of the website.
• 3. Review any potential warnings or alerts that appear in your report, which can help you determine if the website is safe to visit or not.
• 4. Take action to address any issues identified in your report, such as removing any spammy or potentially dangerous links from the site.

Strategy 8: Set up Web Master Accounts With Google and Bing

Another key strategy for avoiding website spam is to set up webmaster accounts with Google and Bing.

This will allow you to monitor your website’s ranking, backlinks, and other performance metrics on these search engines, helping you stay ahead of any potential issues or problems.

Here is how to set up a Web Master Account With Google:

• 1. Navigate to Google’s Web Master Tools section, and then click on the Get Started button.
• 2. Select your domain from the drop-down menu and enter your website URL into the text field provided.
• 3. Click on Continue, and then follow any additional prompts or instructions on the screen.
• 4. Repeat this process for any other domains you are managing, and check back regularly to monitor your website’s performance on Google.

Here is how to set up a Web Master Account With Bing:

• 1. Navigate to Microsoft’s Bing Webmaster Tools section and click the Sign-Up button.
• 2. Enter your domain into the text field, and click Create Account.
• 3. Follow any additional prompts or instructions on the screen, such as verifying your website ownership by adding a meta tag to your site’s header.
• 4. Repeat this process for any other sites you would like to monitor on Bing, and check back regularly to track your website’s performance on this search engine.

Strategy 9: Monitor Your Website Traffic Constantly

Finally, it’s important to constantly monitor your website traffic to ensure your website remains free from spam.

This can be done through tools like Google Analytics or Moosend, which will help you identify any sudden changes in site visitors or engagement levels indicative of a potential SEO issue.

Strategy 10: Read over Google Spambrain Data

To stay up-to-date on the latest spam trends and strategies, it’s important to read over Google Spambrain data frequently.

This can be done by visiting the Spambrain website or signing up for their newsletter to stay informed about new updates and changes.

Frequently asked questions about Google Spam

Why is my website getting spammed?

The main 3 reasons Google can spam a website:

1- Copying or scraping content from other websites

2- Having a backlink profile that includes low-quality or spammy links

3- Using spammy keywords in your content.

How to stop spam bots on my website?

1- Use spam detection tools

2-Monitor your website traffic closely

3-Be selective about the guest posts and sponsored content that you accept.

How do I know if my website has been penalized?

If your website is being penalized by Google, you may notice a sudden drop in traffic or engagement levels and changes in your rankings on search engine results pages.

To determine if this is the case, you can use tools like Google Analytics or Moosend to monitor these metrics and spot any potential issues.

You can use Google Search Console to find out if there are any penalties because of spammy behavior. First, go into your Google Search Console account, then click Security & Manual Actions / Manual Actions.

How do I restore a penalized website?

There is no definitive answer to this question, as the process of restoring a penalized website will vary depending on the exact causes and factors that led to its spam status.

How can I fix a link penalty?

One practical approach to fixing a link penalty is performing a comprehensive backlink audit, identifying and removing any low-quality or spammy links that may negatively impact your website’s ranking.

You can also use Semrush to identify which links are toxic by running a backlink profile report and looking for any spammy or irrelevant links.

Well, that’s it for this one guy! If you found this helpful post, please don’t forget to comment below and share it on your social media!

Till next time!