GOOGLE

Google Offers Advice on Top Ranked Spammy Competitors

Published

3 years ago

July 7, 2021

Google Offers Advice on Top Ranked Spammy Competitors

A Google Search Off the Record podcast involving a member of Google’s search quality team addressed the question of what to do when competitors are seemingly ranking well because of spammy tactics.

Google’s John Mueller in conversation with Duy Nguyen of Google’s Search Quality team mentioned how he’s often asked about what to do when sites that obey Google’s webmaster guidelines are outranked by sites that violate those guidelines.

There is an element of unfairness that can cause a publisher to consider joining in the spammy tactics.

What to Do When Spammy Competitors Keep Winning

Google’s Duy Nguyen answered what’s really going on when spammy competitors seem to be doing well because of those low quality tactics.

[00:22:30] John Mueller:

“One question I always get, where maybe you have some insights or some tips as well, is what if a competitor of mine were doing something spammy or maybe they’re just keyword stuffing on their pages or they’re creating some a doorway page, and I know that this is spammy because I read the web master guidelines.

And my competitor is getting away with it. They’re ranking right above me.

What could I do there?

Is that something where I can report them to, I don’t know, the spam police and they’ll take care of it for me?

What are the options? Is it even something where I can do anything about it?”

[00:23:10] Duy Nguyen:

“Yeah, I would say that a lot of times, maybe the competitor is not necessarily ranking well because they do spam.

But there are so many factors when it comes to ranking. I’m sure Gary will touch on them. But if you’re really concerned about that, you can report them to us. We have a spam report that we review pretty frequently.

So yeah, please send us a spam report. You can also seek help in the Support Forum, the Web Master Help Forum. And then, yeah, we would also be able to take a look.”

Don’t Follow Competitor’s Spammy Tactics

Mueller expressed sympathy for publishers who see competitors seemingly benefiting from spammy tactics.

Duy Nguyen answers with a reminder that just because a competitor is doing something doesn’t mean that’s the reason they are ranking.

[00:23:42] John Mueller:

“…I don’t know, I always feel a bit sorry for people who’re seeing that kind of thing, where they’re almost stuck in a situation where they’re thinking, “Well, maybe I should be spamming as well so that I can rank above my competitor who is spamming.”

But that always feels like a bad idea. “

[00:24:03] Duy Nguyen:

“Yeah, if everyone was doing that, then where does that leave the users? Will they have good user experience and good content to consume?

I really don’t think that’s a solution. I think everyone should be focusing on doing what’s right and doing what’s best for, not just your website, but for your users.

If you focus too much on a single metric or something that you think that would, for some reason, propel your sites, most of the time it would lead to a pretty negative outcome.”

[00:24:35] John Mueller:

“I think it’s also, like you said, one of those things where you don’t even know if it will actually help your site.

And potentially, it’ll just harm your site and then you’re just digging a bigger hole for yourself rather than working on something positive for your website to improve things for the long run.”

Spam Not Likely the Reason for Competitor Rankings

A common mistake in competitor analysis is to assume that a competitor’s spammy tactics are the reason for their high rankings. It’s important to remember that Google’s algorithm is a closed box, which means we cannot accurately say why Google ranks any site.

Is a site ranking because of the links? There are some algorithms that re-rank the top ten search results and promote sites with low ranking factor scores to the top of the search results because the content is relevant.

In that kind of situation it’s the content and not the spammy tactics that are the reason.

The best a publisher can do is to report a spammy competitor to Google and evaluate what kinds of things can be done to better promote the website.

Citation

Tackling Web Spam, Search Quality, and More!

Searchenginejournal.com

GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Published

2 months ago

June 30, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

AI

Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

Published

7 months ago

February 26, 2024

Max

A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.

In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.

However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.

The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.

In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.

For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.

The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.

In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.

Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator

GOOGLE

Google Implements Stricter Guidelines for Mass Email Senders to Gmail Users

Published

7 months ago

February 13, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Beginning in April, Gmail senders bombarding users with unwanted mass emails will encounter a surge in message rejections unless they comply with the freshly minted Gmail email sender protocols, Google cautions.

Fresh Guidelines for Dispatching Mass Emails to Gmail Inboxes In an elucidative piece featured on Forbes, it was highlighted that novel regulations are being ushered in to shield Gmail users from the deluge of unsolicited mass emails. Initially, there were reports surfacing about certain marketers receiving error notifications pertaining to messages dispatched to Gmail accounts. Nonetheless, a Google representative clarified that these specific errors, denoted as 550-5.7.56, weren’t novel but rather stemmed from existing authentication prerequisites.

Moreover, Google has verified that commencing from April, they will initiate “the rejection of a portion of non-compliant email traffic, progressively escalating the rejection rate over time.” Google elaborates that, for instance, if 75% of the traffic adheres to the new email sender authentication criteria, then a portion of the remaining non-conforming 25% will face rejection. The exact proportion remains undisclosed. Google does assert that the implementation of the new regulations will be executed in a “step-by-step fashion.”

This cautious and methodical strategy seems to have already kicked off, with transient errors affecting a “fraction of their non-compliant email traffic” coming into play this month. Additionally, Google stipulates that bulk senders will be granted until June 1 to integrate “one-click unsubscribe” in all commercial or promotional correspondence.

Exclusively Personal Gmail Accounts Subject to Rejection These alterations exclusively affect bulk emails dispatched to personal Gmail accounts. Entities sending out mass emails, specifically those transmitting a minimum of 5,000 messages daily to Gmail accounts, will be mandated to authenticate outgoing emails and “refrain from dispatching unsolicited emails.” The 5,000 message threshold is tabulated based on emails transmitted from the same principal domain, irrespective of the employment of subdomains. Once the threshold is met, the domain is categorized as a permanent bulk sender.

These guidelines do not extend to communications directed at Google Workspace accounts, although all senders, including those utilizing Google Workspace, are required to adhere to the updated criteria.

Augmented Security and Enhanced Oversight for Gmail Users A Google spokesperson emphasized that these requisites are being rolled out to “fortify sender-side security and augment user control over inbox contents even further.” For the recipient, this translates to heightened trust in the authenticity of the email sender, thus mitigating the risk of falling prey to phishing attempts, a tactic frequently exploited by malevolent entities capitalizing on authentication vulnerabilities. “If anything,” the spokesperson concludes, “meeting these stipulations should facilitate senders in reaching their intended recipients more efficiently, with reduced risks of spoofing and hijacking by malicious actors.”