Google’s Link Spam Update & Its Effects

Link spam was the focus of a recent algorithmic change by Google.
If you’re wondering what it is, link spam is when you sell or purchase links in order to falsely improve the website’s popularity and make it more likely to get clicks.
By removing websites that use these sorts of black hat, or unethical SEO techniques, Google updates aim to better the quality of search results.

If you want to know more about this update and what it can mean for you, read on.

What Does This Mean For SEO?

Any website that has been utilising bad link tactics to unnaturally boost search engine rankings will end up losing their search engine ranking positions as a result of this update. This means most people don’t have a reason to worry about the update. All you have to do is make sure your links are of high quality, so eliminating low quality or spammy links is usually enough.
The bonus is, in general when you improve your backlink quality your search engine ranking should improve over time as well.

Are There Any Long-Term Effects?

One of the most immediate things users have noticed is a rise in 404 errors. This is because Google has begun to remove links from low quality websites, so keep an eye on this and reroute any broken links to better pages.

Another long term effect is an increased competition for quality links, so it’s time to look for link possibilities if you haven’t already done this.

Another long-term effect you may see is that your ranking changes. This is an obvious one, but it’s not the end of the world, you can always increase your ranking organically.

How Do You Recover from The Update?

You may panic if you start to notice any changes in your search engine ranking, but it’s really not something to stress about. You can recover if you get hit by Google’s new update to link spam.

Here’s what you should do to recover from a Google link spam penalty.

• Find out which of your links within your link portfolio are regarded as spam.

• Any links that Google has considered as spam, and are low quality should be removed or disavowed as soon as possible.

• Send Google a request to reconsider your ranking and outline the actions you took to fix your link profile.

• Continually create new content and adhere to Google’s best practice outlines and guidelines.

By doing all of the above you may recover from a link penalty, but keep in mind, this process takes time, expertise and patience. It may take weeks or months to see a difference.

Don’t Panic!

It can be daunting to hear of constant new updates that Google is rolling out, and most business owners or marketers panic, but there’s no reason to be concerned. You can always improve your search engine ranking, but it does take a certain amount of expert knowledge, so always consider partnering with good marketing partners to help your link campaign remain the best it can be at all times.