GOOGLE

John Mueller Surprises with Answer to a Negative SEO Question

Published

5 years ago

December 9, 2019

Google’s John Mueller was asked if a site was being penalized because of receiving thousands of adult links. John Mueller suggested the problem was not the links but the domain itself. John’s response surprised the publisher by pointing out a deeper issue that was the likelier cause of the ranking issue.

Finding Solutions to Ranking Problems

It’s not uncommon for sites to receive low quality links, including adult themed links. Low quality spam links are easy to blame as the reason why a site is underperforming.

Many publishers who believe their sites are victims of low quality spam links will disavow those links yet continue to experience poor rankings.

From an outside perspective it is easy to understand that if a solution doesn’t solve the problem then perhaps the diagnosis in incorrect.

An incorrect diagnosis is like taking an aspirin for a headache when the problem is a broken arm.

Yet for many reasons, some publishers will continue insisting the problem must be the spammy links, ignoring that no amount of link disavows provides relief.

Don’t be one of those publishers who settle on a diagnosis and refuse to consider that the problem might be something else. In almost every case, ranking problems are not due to random spammy links.

If the “pain” does not respond to disavows, then the likelihood is high that the problem is something else.

This is what John Mueller advised:

“These kinds of links from spammy sites are really common. I wouldn’t necessarily worry about that.”

I want to pause to point out that Mueller was saying that the thousands of adult links pointing at a website were not something to worry about and that those kinds of links are common. What Mueller means by advising to not worry about those links is that Google is stopping them from negatively influencing a sites ranking.

Mueller continued:

“One thing I did notice looking at your website is that it’s built on an expired domain. So there used to be completely different content there. And that I think is probably the bigger effect that you’d be seeing and not so much …the links from adult content sites.

But really it’s like …your website is not what it used to be. There’s like a really big change there, with regards to the way that the content used to be and what you have there now.

So, on the one had I wouldn’t expect that your current website ranks the way that the old domain used to rank. I would expect that things are slightly different.

On the other hand if you’re building on an expired domain then obviously all of the things that this domain has collected over the years, they’re still around there too.”

A publisher who keeps an open mind and is able to accept that Google is discounting these kinds of spammy links will be able to look deeper and spot the likelier explanation for ranking issues.

In this case the problem was the fact that the site was built on an expired domain. It’s easy to point at the obvious culprit. But when it comes to spam links that a publisher has nothing to do with, look elsewhere for the real reason why a site is having difficulty.

Mueller ended his response by saying:

“So it’s not that you can just say …they’re some random adult content links linking to my website and I don’t know what the effect is.

But rather, you’re building on a very shaky foundation already and whether or not those particular links are the problem or like the whole shaky foundation that’s kind of the question.”

Diagnosing Why a Site No Longer Ranks

An important takeaway is that spam links that you have nothing to do with are unlikely to be the reason why a site is having ranking difficulties.

Look elsewhere for a reason why a site may not be underperforming. In taking a second look you may discover several more reasons, any one of which may be a more likelier explanation.

Searchenginejournal.com

GOOGLE

Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

Published

1 month ago

September 12, 2024

Max

Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.

Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:

“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”

This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.

What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.

But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.

Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.

How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:

Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.

Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.

GOOGLE

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

Published

4 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

8 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