SEARCHENGINES
Google December 2022 Link Spam Update Unleashed Using SpamBrain AI
Google began rolling out a revised link spam update on December 14, 2022, named the December 2022 link spam update. This update is new in that it uses SpamBrain AI to “detect both sites buying links, and sites used for the purpose of passing outgoing links,” and not just “detect spam directly,” Google said.
The update will take up to two weeks to roll out and started rolling out a week after Google started the December 2022 helpful content update, which is not yet done rolling out. The previous link spam update was in July 2021, as an FYI.
December 2022 Google Link Spam Update Quick Facts
Here are the most important things that we know right now in short form:
- Name: Google December 2022 Link Spam Update
- Launch Date: It began to roll out on December 14th
- Rollout: It will take up to two weeks to fully roll out
- Targets: It targets both sites buying links, and sites used for the purpose of passing outgoing links.
- Penalty: This will “neutralize” links that it detects as being spam and thus links that are detected won’t be counted and may show a decline in rankings.
- Not a manual action: This is not a manual action, so you won’t be notified in Search Console if you are hit.
- Global and all languages: This is a global launch and affects all languages.
- SpamBrain: This is the first time Google is using its AI-based spam detection, i.e., SpamBrain, for link spam purposes.
SpamBrain Link Spam Detection Upgrade
So what is new here is that this is not just a spam update but how SpamBrain uses AI to detect link spam. Google wrote, like I said above, “SpamBrain is our AI-based spam-prevention system. Besides using it to detect spam directly, it can now detect both sites buying links, and sites used for the purpose of passing outgoing links.”
Google added, “As we have always emphasized, links obtained primarily for artificial manipulation of Search rankings are link spam. Our algorithms and manual actions aim to nullify these unnatural links at scale, and we will continue to improve our coverage.”
Google later clarified that this is the first time Google is using SpamBrain for link spam detection:
“it can now detect both sites buying links” fro m our post covers this. It’s possible we’ve used it in some edge / minor situations, but this is the first real implementation of it for link spam (hence why we did a post about it) https://t.co/LLngrATiLV
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 14, 2022
Google also added to the Spam updated help page a section on links that reads:
In the case of a link spam update (an update that specifically deals with link spam), making changes might not generate an improvement. This is because when our systems nullify spammy links, the link credit that was previously generated is lost. If this credit was helping to generate rankings, it cannot be regained.
No Notice – No Manual Action
Like with any algorithmic update, there is no way to be notified that this update hit you. This is not a manual action where you would be notified. Of course, if you see big drops in your Google visibility and traffic in the next couple of days – and you do any sort of link tactics – then you probably were hit by this.
Here is John Mueller of Google saying this is not a manual action, if you don’t believe me:
No, it’s not a manual action.
— John Mueller is mostly not here 🐀 (@JohnMu) December 14, 2022
Spammy Links & Negative SEO
Google has been saying you don’t have to worry about negative SEO or spammy links pointing to your site as long as you did not build them yourself. Many SEOs miss the point that Google is “neutralizing” the link, which means they are not counting the link. So the link won’t hurt you; more importantly, it won’t help you. If the link was helping you prior to this or other updates, and now it no longer is helping you rank, then that might feel like a penalty. Got it?
You don’t need to disavow random spammy links like that.
— John Mueller is mostly not here 🐀 (@JohnMu) December 15, 2022
Timing Not Great?
Being that it is right before the holiday season, some SEOs are not happy with the timing of this release. Plus, with the December 2022 helpful content update also rolling out a week earlier and it not being done, you have two different but overlapping updates happening at the same time.
Both updates are a couple of weeks before the holidays (Chanukah is Sunday night), and Christmas is the week after. So timing is not great, and if your customers are hit, you might be super busy over the holidays.
Pretty much.
— Brian Harnish (@BrianHarnish) December 14, 2022
They couldn’t wait until January?! 😭
— Shaun 😎 (@ShaunEls) December 14, 2022
Just go through the responses on the Google tweet; some are pretty funny.
SEO Chatter On Ranking Impact
Although this started to roll out less than 24 days ago, I am seeing some chatter about ranking changes as well on WebmasterWorld and Black Hat World. The chatter so far is pretty limited, which is a bit surprising to me for a spam update but the previous link spam update was not massive either.
Here are some quotes from those threads:
My search traffic is up 31% so far today, it would be great to see that continue, but the first day of these updates tends to be an anomaly. I’m not sure, but I don’t think purchasing links from link farms, etc., is a huge problem in my niche. I do suspect one major competitor site may be doing this. It will be interesting to see how they fare now….
Already dropped a LOT OF rankings in the past 24 hours. Not sure if an update could roll out that quickly but yea… getting hit hard, and I bought a lot of links…
and today we are -50% again. Not buying any links or exchanging any links.
Just a little swing. pic.twitter.com/hbW3Zl1uma
— Arielle Phoenix (@ArielleCPX) December 15, 2022
Yes, in Google Israel, a ton of movement.
— Shay Ohayon (@SchemaMarkups) December 15, 2022
Looks like it:
But we cannot be sure if it’s results from Link Spam Update, or Helpful Content Update, as they are running in parallel now till the 19th. pic.twitter.com/OGMvfaJUfT
— Max Peters (@maxjpeters) December 15, 2022
Absolutely yes with 90% of the websites I’ve managed. 😑
— Carchesio Luca (@SearchWebCoach) December 15, 2022
Yes, one of my client was in 0th position (Featured snippet) for around 10 targeted countries for our targeted primary keyword. But, today he is at 2nd / 3rd position
😣😣😣😣
— SEO Enthusiast & Digital Marketer (@MentallyThai) December 15, 2022
@rustybrick I have noticed in Semrush is showing me it seems like one small swing. pic.twitter.com/U9KKXBSBBJ
— Anuj thaker (@Anuj_Thaker03) December 15, 2022
Google Tracking Tools
Here is what the automated tracking tools are showing and many are not showing big changes – but I think RankRanger is showing early signs of something big.
So what are you all seeing so far?
Forum discussion at Twitter, WebmasterWorld and Black Hat World.
Source: www.seroundtable.com
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 18, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google Ads notified advertisers that some ad customizers will stop working soon. Google discontinued the limited use video carousel markup. Google Maps has new directions and travel features, plus a bunch of new EV features. Google Notes on Search might not end in May 2024 despite what people suggest. Google Business Profiles asked businesses to register their defibrillators, their AEDs.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Notes On Search Won’t Necessarily Go Away In May
There have been some people noticing that the Google Notes On Search labs experiment has an end date of May 2024 and thus they are expecting Notes on Search to be turned off by then. Just because it has that end date listed, it does not mean the labs experiment will end on that date. -
Google Maps Releases New Directions, Travel & EV Features
Google has announced a number of new travel features with Google Maps and Travel around driving alternatives, trains and buses, travel impact mode and then some new EV driving direction features. Google says these features are to give you more “sustainable choices.” -
Google Ads Reminds Advertisers Some Ad Customizers Will Go Away May 31st
On August 31, 2021, Google notified advertisers it would drop support for expanded text ads for responsive search ads. Google is now reminding advertisers that Ad customizers for text ads, expanded text ads and Dynamic Search Ads will stop serving after May 31, 2024. -
Google Drops Video Carousel Markup
Google has discontinued its support for video carousel markup and has thus removed it from its video structured data help documentation. Initially, Google tested video carousel on a limited number of sites and is now saying that it “ultimately found that it wasn’t useful for the ecosystem at scale.” -
Google Business Profiles Register Your Defibrillator (AED)
Google sent out emails a couple of days ago to businesses asking them to register their Automated External Defibrillator (AED) with Google Business Profiles. Google said, “you could save lives” if you do it. -
Google NYC Earthquake Reaction Video
A couple of weeks ago we had an earthquake in the New York region and I finally found a video from the Google NYC office of the reaction of some Googlers while the earthquake happened. These Googlers were recording a video and felt it but were unsure if that was a real earthquake.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 17, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
The Google March core update still is causing volatility and it is deepening. Google may make changes to the crawl stats report in Search Console. Google Search Console now shows unused ownership tokens. Google Maps will drop the review drafts. Google Add added generative AI for image generate for Demand Gen campaigns. Google Search is testing more sitelinks designs.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Deepening Google Core Ranking Volatility Hits Yesterday & Today
I know we just reported on more volatility this Monday, possibly related to the Google March 2024 core update, but we are seeing even more volatility over the past 24 hours related to this update. This volatility shows deepening movement for those who were hit, which is incredibly sad in many cases. -
Google Search Console Adds Unused Ownership Tokens
Google Search Console has a new security feature under user and permission management to help you manage your unused ownership tokens. Basically, it helps you manage who has permissions to your Search Console profiles and who should not, maybe some legacy verifications. -
Google: Should We Explain The Crawl Stats Report in Search Console
Martin Splitt from Google posted a one-line question asking, “Should we do something to explain the crawl stats report in GSC?” This was posted on Mastodon, which has a small audience, but the responses were pretty good. -
New Google Ads AI Generated Image Tool For Demand Gen Campaigns
Google Ads announced that Demand Gen campaigns are getting generative AI tools to create image assets. This is rolling out to advertisers around the world in English with more languages to come later this year, Google said. -
Google Tests Horizontal Lines For Sitelinks & People Also Ask
Google Search is testing horizontal lines under the sitelinks and the people also ask elements in the search results. This is a long horizontal line that goes across the while search result snippet. -
Google Maps No Longer Will Support Draft Reviews
Google Maps will soon stop supporting drafting reviews for local business listings and Google Business Profiles. Google said that starting July 16, 2024, review drafts will no longer be supported. -
Doogler In Google Play Area
Some of you love photos of dogs, so here is another one of a Doogler, a Google dog, in a play area, at the Google office. This was shared by the Life at Google Twitter account.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 16, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google will fight the site reputation abuse spam both algorithmically and with manual actions. Google is testing thumbs-up and down in product carousels. Google Ads similar product carousel is being tested. Google Search updated its image documentation. Google AdSense has a new ad format named ad intents.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Will Fight Site Reputation Abuse Spam Both With Manual Actions & Algorithms
Google’s new spam algorithm update also introduced new spam policies including the upcoming site reputation abuse policy that won’t go into effect until May 2024. Google has confirmed it will fight site reputation abuse spam using both manual actions (humans) and algorithms (machines). -
Google Search Tests Thumbs Up/Down Buttons In Product Grid Results
Google launched the style recommendations with thumbs up and down buttons not long ago after testing it in January. Now Google is showing this thumbs up and down buttons in the product grid search results, so Google can see what you like or dislike and then show you more products that you do like. -
Google Ads “Similar Product” Carousel
Google has a similar products section and carousel for Google Ads sponsored listings. We have seen similar products and similar shopping related results from the organic / free listings but now I am seeing examples of a search ad carousel for “similar products.” -
Clarification: Google Search Supports Images Referenced From src Attribute
Google has clarified in its image search help documentation that images are only extracted from the src attribute of img tags in Google Search. This is not new, but Google decided to update its documentation based on some questions it received about the topic. -
Google AdSense New Ad Intents Formats – Links & Anchors In Content
Google AdSense announced a new auto ads format named “Ad intents.” Ad intents places links and anchors showing organic search results with ads into existing text and pages on your site related to your content. Yea, it takes your content, and hyperlinks it to the Google search results. -
3-Wheel Tricycle At Google
Google’s Ann Arbor office has this 3-wheel tricycle that some Googlers have used over the years to get around the office. This one looks like the hot pink Huffy brand. I spotted this recently on Instagram but the photo is from 2016.
Other Great Search Threads:
- I don’t have an update to share at this time, but you should continue to use classic GMC for rules and supplemental feed support. Here’s how to switch back if needed, AdsLiaison on X
- In this case, I’ve been introducing a new metric; “likelihood to get search traffic” to see what we should add to XML sitemaps. Some pages might do incredibly well on other metrics, but simply, Joost de Valk on X
- It does have a title, and it loads a HTML page – so this seems normal. The JavaScript doesn’t seem to be loading well, so if you’re the site owner, I’d suggest reading ou, John Mueller on X
- News! Google Ads removed in some accounts the possibility to hover over a daily budget to edit it. You need to hover now and then click on “Edit budget”. Why changing things to less user-friendly ones, Thomas Eccel on X
- The time has come! Registration for the Zürich Product Experts Summit has now opened for eligible PEs in Europe. Virtual registration will follow in May. Check your inboxes and the KB for more details., Google’s Product Experts Program on X
- When I want to add positive search terms as exact match, I first add them quickly as broad, then bulk switch them over to exact match. lately I’ve been getting this error and the only way I can switch the keywords is by using Ads Editor., Greg on X
- Yeah, quantity says nothing about quality and even less about user value or business value. Sometimes the solution to a “crawl budget problem” is not to make the server faster & search engines, John Mueller on X
- Which the best method to link to the alternative language of a website, WebmasterWorld
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
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