Why does Google have spam updates every once in a while? Google’s John Mueller answers that question and explains the reason why Google doesn’t just get rid of spam on a regular basis with existing algorithms.
Spam Algorithms And Updates
There are many kinds of search spam, and Google’s systems handle them with different algorithms. They have something called SpamBrain that’s an AI for figuring out what pages are spam. There are quality factors that weed out spammy sites, and there are link algorithms that can identify inauthentic link activities.
Why Does Google Have Spam Updates?
So why does Google have periodic spam updates? That’s what SEO Eli Schwartz asked on LinkedIn.
His question:
“Why after 26 years does there need to be an update to get rid of spam instead of it just happening on its own with existing algorithms?”
Google’s John Mueller answered:
“We have lots of systems that update continuously (most of them update automatically), but when we make bigger / broader changes to the systems, we try to announce them so that it’s easier for folks if they see a big jump in their metrics.
That said, it’s sometimes hard to find a good balance between giving some transparency & causing unnecessary worries.”
Unnecessary Update Worries
Mueller’s answer seems to imply that there are some changes to Google’s algorithms that are not announced because they may not affect the average SEO or site publisher. It’s quite likely those are changes meant to catch the obvious scaled spam and programmatic content with little value.
But if Google makes a significant change, then it makes sense for SEOs to know that something new or different is happening.
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