Google has a new update for all of us. It's called the ‘December 2022 Link Spam Update.’
This time Google search algorithms will focus on neutralizing the impact of “unnatural links” on search results. The update will leverage SpamBrain AI, Google’s spam-prevention system, to take a step ahead in spam detection.
What's new with the December 2022 Link Spam Update
The earlier link spam update was only focused on identifying spam links on websites, i.e., links that do not offer valuable information for the user. From where the content publisher bought these links was not investigated.
However, the December 2022 Link Spam Update will leverage SpamBrain to identify both sides of the transaction. It will detect websites that are buying these links and the sites that are used for publishing these links.
This update will improve the quality of search results by ranking web pages with genuine links higher than those with links published purely for hacking the search algorithm logic.
Why should you care?
As a marketer, content strategist, or SEO professional, you are constantly working on ranking higher in search engines’ results pages. And getting backlinks from high-authority websites is an important part of doing that.
It may seem hard to get these links, and brands might start considering taking the shortcut and buying them from content creators, websites, or black hat SEO service providers.
However, that is not the right way of getting backlinks, and the December 2022 Link Spam Update re-emphasizes the importance of getting backlinks properly. (The right way of getting backlinks, of course, is creating high-quality original content that adds value to other websites’ content pieces.)
The update will assist marketers who acknowledge the importance of earning backlinks instead of buying them to rank higher. Spammy websites with little to no value links will not help your competitors outrank you anymore.
What should you do?
We must keep creating helpful, insightful, and engaging content and getting backlinks based on the quality of information instead of buying them.
If you are genuinely earning backlinks and still see a drop in your website traffic, do not worry. The update will take two weeks to roll out, and Google’s algorithm will correct the error.
If your website traffic does not improve, you can post your problem in the Google community forum, and somebody from Google or fellow webmasters should help you.
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