Introduction to the Spam Update

The October 2023 update is a critical enhancement in Google’s ongoing efforts to combat spam. Released on October 4, 2023, this update is designed to support the integrity of search results by targeting and reducing visible spam, especially in non-English search queries.

Key Focus: Multilingual Spam Reduction

One of the primary objectives of this update is to address spam content in multiple languages. Community feedback played a significant role in this aspect, with reports of spam trends in various languages like Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi, and Chinese helping Google prioritize and validate their anti-spam solutions.

Types of Spam Addressed

The update aims to clean up several categories of spam, including:

• Cloaking
• Hacked spam
• Auto-generated content
• Scraped content

These types of spam are common and can significantly degrade the user search experience.

Expected Changes for Websites

Websites that notice changes in their search performance following this spam update are advised to review Google’s spam policies. Understanding these policies can help website owners ensure they comply with Google’s guidelines and avoid potential penalties.

Community Involvement and Feedback

Google acknowledges the crucial role of community feedback in shaping this update. The search giant expresses gratitude towards users who reported spam trends, contributing to the enhancement of the search experience. Google encourages continued participation and the use of its improved spam report form.

Ongoing Efforts and Future Updates

Google affirms its commitment to continuous improvement, indicating that work is already underway for subsequent updates. The goal remains to safeguard the user search experience from various spam threats.

The October 2023 Spam Update represents Google’s steadfast commitment to maintaining the quality and reliability of search results. By addressing multilingual spam and responding to community feedback, Google continues to enhance the integrity of information available through its search engine.

For further details, readers can refer to the original article posted by Duy Nguyen, a Search Quality Analyst at Google, on the Google Search Central Blog. The content of the original page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and any code samples are under the Apache 2.0 License, as per the Google Developers Site Policies.

References:

Nguyen, D. (2023, October 4). October 2023 Spam Update. Google Search Central Blog. https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/10/october-2023-spam-update?hl=en