Learn the causes and solutions for site hits in Google's spam update
Today in this post we are going to know why your site has been downgraded in this spam update. So if your site is already hit then today's post is for you.
Those who do not have any problem with the site can also see this post. Because if you stick to the contents of the discussed checklists, you will not be likely to make mistakes in the future.
So let's see those checklists
1. Link Spam
2. Keyword Stuffing
3. Cloaking
4. Doorway pages
5. Hacked Content
6. Hidden Content
7. Scraping other
8. Artificial Content
9. Malware
10. Misleading Functionality
11. Sneaky Redirects
12. Lazy Affiliate Pages
13. User generated spam
14. Real Scam
1. Link Spam
Link Spam is when you create links or backlinks by cheating Google. For example:
Purchased Links: When you buy backlinks from other sites in exchange for money.
Exchanged Links: When you exchange backlinks with other sites, i.e. your site's link on their site, their site's link on your site. This is called link exchange which is outside of Google's policy.
Automated Links: Taking backlinks through various online tools is called automatic links.
Forum Signature Links: When you mention your website link in the profile of a forum site it is called forum signature link.
You can mention your site name in the profile but refrain from mentioning links.
Footer Links: Many people import their site links in different blog themes hoping to get backlinks. Which can seriously affect your site's ranking.
Low Quality Bookmarking Links: There are various sites available on the internet where anyone can publish links to any site. These links are called bookmarking or directory links.
If you are getting links for your site in 6 ways given above. Then these can be one of the reasons for your site ranking down.
Now the question is how to remove these links easily?
Google has disavow tools to remove these links. Through which the spam links of your site will be removed very easily.
Remove will not remove the link but Google will no longer prioritize these links.
Link Disavow Rules
Step 1: Collect your spam links.
Step 2: Save the spam links to a file in .txt format.
Step 3: Go to Google Disavow Tool and select your domain name by clicking on Select Property.
Step 4: Upload the .txt file of your spam link list by clicking the Upload Disavow List button.
2. Keyword Stuffing
If you forcibly use the same keyword in your site content, then this is called keyword stuffing.
And keyword stuffing is outside of Google's policy. So if you are keyword stuffing in any content of your site. Then fix it immediately.
3. Cloaking
When you show one content to Google bot on a page and another content to visitors it is called cloaking content.
So if you have content on your site where visitor and Google bot are showing different content then remove that page immediately.
4. Doorway pages
assume you or a writer wrote a 1,000 word post. The post is like “Top 10 Mobile Shops in Dhaka”.
Now if you copy this content multiple times. That means using the same content like "Chittagong", "Rajshahi", "Khulna" only instead of Dhaka.
More simply…
Top 10 Mobile Shops in Dhaka Top 10 Mobile Shops
in Chittagong Top 10 Mobile Shops
in Rajshahi.
If you publish the same content again and again by changing the name of the content, it will enter the Doorway Page and the ranking power of your site will decrease.
5. Hacked Content
If your site has hacking related content then remove that content immediately. Because hacking content is also outside of Google's policy.
So if your site has any post about hacking then delete that post.
6. Hidden Content
When some part of a particular page is hidden from the visitors it is called hidden content.
Because your content visitors see in the form of text, images. But the same content is seen by Google bot in code form. So naturally Google can catch the hidden content.
Hidden content usually looks like this:
setting the font size to zero.
Use the site's background color to match the font color.
Making fonts transparent via CSS
Using images above text.
Note: Hidden content also violates Google's policies. So don't hide any content on the site. If you have already hidden it, fix it immediately.
7. Scraping other Scraping other
means publishing other's content directly on your site, changing other's content and publishing it on your own site or rewriting other's content with the help of spin or tools.
If you do this, this is one of the reasons why your site is getting hit with spam updates.
8. Artificial Content
If your site has artificial content (AI) then it must be removed. This is one of the reasons why sites get hit with spam updates.
Because currently (as of 2022) Google does not look favorably on content created with AI or artificial intelligence.
9. Malware
Malware means that someone hacks your site by coding it in such a way that forces the visitor's device to click on various malware software, files, links.
If this happens on your site or you are giving different malware software, files, links content then remove it immediately.
Special Note: Different crack themes or plugins do something like this. So check your site immediately for malware.
10. Misleading Functionality
When you promise to give a certain thing to the visitor in your content but do not give it in the content then it will fall under misleading functionality web spam.
Simply…
suppose you wrote a post on your site today about “Cow Essay Pdf Download”.
But in the entire content, you have not given the PDF file anywhere to the visitor.
Then to Google it will be considered as misleading functionality and will be marked as a spam site and your site will lose rank.
11. Sneaky Redirects
When you send visitors and bots to different URLs on the page, it is considered a sneaky redirect.
However, if the same page is redirected to a different URL for mobile visitors and a different URL for desktop visitors, then it is also called a sneaky redirect.
So make sure your site page URL is same for google bot, mobile visitors and desktop visitors. Avoid redirecting to different URLs for two devices.
12. Lazy Affiliate Pages
If you copy the text, images from various e-commerce or brand product review sites and publish them on your affiliate site, you will get hit with spam updates.
So write your own, avoid copying, make your affiliate site's text, images unique.
13. User generated spam
Many site visitors are spammed with links in their comments. This is called user generated spam. So you need to moderate your site regularly. Spam comments cannot be approved.
Also if the user can edit the post on your site and if everyone gives a link, or if many sites have a guest posting feature. If most of the users link more then that will also fall under these rules.
So moderate your site regularly to save it from user generated spam. Remove spamming links from sites.
14. Real Scam
Copying other websites is called real scam. Copying of content is not intended here. Here is the meaning…
If a brand website fakes exactly like that i.e. if the user is fooled into thinking your site is that brand website then it will be a real scam. So if you copy the design, color, name of any big website then it will come under real scam. So design your site as you like. Refrain from copying.
Lastly,
if your site is already getting hit by spam updates, modify your site by keeping the above 14 points in mind.
Those whose sites are not ranked down, avoid doing these things.
