Say Goodbye to Shady Searches: Google Cracks Down on Spam and Low-Quality Content

Have you ever searched for something online, only to be bombarded with irrelevant or unhelpful results? Whether it’s wading through pages of outdated information, encountering websites riddled with ads, or stumbling upon content clearly designed to manipulate search engines rather than inform users, low-quality content can significantly hinder your online experience.

Understanding these frustrations, Google announced yesterday, March 5th, a series of significant updates aimed at tackling these very issues and enhancing the overall quality of search results. Let’s look into these changes and explore how they aim to empower you with a more efficient and informative search experience.

Key Changes

Improved quality ranking:

Algorithmic enhancements aim to prioritize helpful information and minimize unoriginal content in search results. This paves the way for a more informative and trustworthy search experience for everyone.

Updated spam policies:

New policies target specific tactics like “scaled content abuse,” “site reputation abuse,” and “expired domain abuse.” These efforts emphasize Google’s commitment to providing a search landscape free from manipulation and deceit.

Combating Low-Quality and Unoriginal Content

Building on 2022’s efforts, the March 2024 core update refines ranking systems to better identify unhelpful, user-experience-poor, or search-engine-optimized content. These updates aim for a 40% reduction in low-quality, unoriginal content in search results.

Addressing New and Evolving Spam Tactics

Google bolstered its spam-fighting systems and policies to tackle manipulative practices leading to low-quality content. Specific actions will be taken against various types of manipulative behaviors.

Specific Areas Targeted by the Update

Scaled content abuse:

The policy against using automation to create low-quality content at scale for search manipulation is strengthened. This applies regardless of whether automation, humans, or a combination are involved. This strengthens the foundation for a search environment where genuine, informative content thrives.

Site reputation abuse:

Low-value, third-party content hosted on reputable websites primarily for ranking purposes will be considered spam. This policy comes into effect on May 5th, 2024. This emphasizes Google’s commitment to fair and transparent search practices, ensuring that ranking is based on genuine merit and audience value.

Expired domain abuse:

Sites purchasing expired domains to boost search ranking of low-quality content will be considered spam. This action reinforces Google’s efforts to combat manipulative tactics and ensures that search results are relevant and trustworthy.

Effects of this Update

Google’s recent core update, launched in March 2024, has significantly changed its ranking algorithms and guidelines. As a result, the search presence and visibility of several popular websites, such as have been impacted. However, this update also presents an opportunity for website owners to reassess and refine their content and SEO strategies to improve their search performance and stay ahead of the competition. The following are the impact of these recent updates:

• Google has announced measures to decrease low-quality and unoriginal content.
• This involves identifying pages with poor user experiences or those tailored solely for specific search queries.
• Manual actions for guideline violations lead to rapid deindexation, removing affected sites entirely from search results.
• There has been a surge in notifications regarding such manual actions in the Google Search Console.
• This indicates stricter penalties for non-compliant websites.
• Please has seen the warning of “pure spam” and have been penalized.
• People have shared screenshots of their Google Search Console showing the drop on 9th of March, even though there was a jump next day itself.

Google’s Commitment

These updates demonstrate Google’s ongoing dedication to improving search quality and minimizing the presence of misleading or unhelpful content. They strive to connect users with valuable information and high-quality websites while acknowledging the need for continuous improvement. Google’s commitment to a healthy search ecosystem aligns perfectly with AdLift’s mission of empowering creators and fostering a space where informative and trustworthy content reigns supreme. With Google’s ongoing efforts to refine its search algorithms and tackle spam, users can expect a progressively more informative and trustworthy search experience.

How to Recover from Google’s March 2024 Core Update: Regain Your Rankings

Google’s core updates aim to deliver the most relevant and authoritative content to searchers. If your website traffic dipped after the March 2024 update, it’s time to revisit your content strategy.

Here are some quick pointers to get your website back on track:

Diagnose the Problem and Prevent Future Issues:

• Identify Underperforming Content: Leverage tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to pinpoint pages that lost rankings. These become your “problem pages.”
• Follow Google’s Content Policies: To avoid penalties, strictly follow Google’s content guidelines. High-quality, informative content that complies with these policies is non-negotiable.
• Regularly Audit for Spam: Conduct regular website audits to identify and eliminate any spammy practices. Maintaining Google’s trust is crucial.
• Stay Informed: Google’s guidelines are subject to change and can impact your site’s ranking. Stay updated to avoid future penalties.
• Beware Expired Domains: Consider the risks associated with using expired domains for SEO benefits, as the March update may penalize such practices.

Enhance Relevancy:

Refresh Your Content: Analyze search queries and ensure your problem pages directly address user needs. Update outdated information, delve deeper into topics, and write content that appeals to readers and search engines. Refer to Google’s content quality checklist for guidance.

Build Authority:

• Boost Backlinks: Secure high-quality backlinks to your problem pages through outreach and online PR efforts. Encourage brand mentions via guest blogging and social media engagement.
• Disavow Spammy Links (With Caution): Highly spammy links can hurt your website. However, disavowing links should be a last resort. Only do so if you suspect purchased links or a manual penalty.

Analyze the Competition:

Spy on Your Competitors: Conduct a deep dive into the content and backlink strategies of websites now outranking yours. Look for areas where you can surpass their quality and authority.

Refine Technical SEO:

• Optimize Your Foundation: Perform a technical SEO audit of your content to ensure a seamless user experience. This can indirectly improve your content’s perceived relevance and authority.

Bonus Tip: Consider Fresh Content:

Publish Strategically: Creating and publishing high-quality content can help offset traffic losses and boost topical authority. However, prioritize exceptional content that aligns with Google’s “relevance” and “authority” expectations.

Remember:

Recovery from a core update requires patience and adherence to Google’s best practices. Improvements may not be immediately visible until after the next update. By focusing on high-quality content, technical excellence, and staying informed, you can rebuild your rankings and sustain success in search.