October 2022 Google Spam Update Is Released

Google has finally released its spam update for October 2022. The global update took a number of days to roll out fully, but the new algorithm to decide search rankings was created to update how the spammy elements of search results are targeted. The global update affected every language, and the results began to be noticed within a week of the update being rolled out worldwide. 

Google’s Automated Systems 

Google has automated systems in place that are designed to detect search-related spam. These systems operate constantly, but from time to time, Google makes improvements to the ways in which these automated systems work. Whenever Google does this, they call the improvements “spam updates” and share the date when they occur on their list of updates to the Google Search engine rankings. 

Google’s artificial intelligence-based system for preventing spam is known as SpamBrain. Occasionally, Google improves this system so it can become better at identifying spam and ensure that it can catch any new kinds of spam that appear online. 

Google also points out that any site that notices a change following one of its spam updates should take another look at Google’s spam policies as they may need to make changes to remain in compliance with them.

Any website that violates Google’s policies will rank in a lower position in the search engine results, and may even fail to appear at all in the results which, of course, is devastating for any business that relies on internet traffic to earn its revenue. 

Sites that have experienced a negative change after a spam update should make changes as quickly as possible so that they can comply with the relevant policies. Over a few months, Google’s automated systems will begin to learn that the sites are now compliant and may improve their rankings accordingly. 

Previous Google Spam Updates

Before October 2022’s spam update, Google’s previous update of this nature took place in November 2021. On 23^rd June and 28^th June 2021, Google released a 2-part update to identify spam, and in July 2021, it released its link spam update. October 2022’s update takes the AI algorithm to a new level to eliminate even more spam from the system. 

No Details In Advance

Unlike when Google released its July 2021 link spam update, no precise details were released by Google about what the October 2022 update would involve. There was no information from Google about whether the October 2022 spam update would target content, links, or any other form of spam. 

Rather, they only said that the update would be generally spam related and would enhance the detection methods that Google have already put in place to spot spam on websites. However, after the rollout had been completed, it appeared that some websites noticed significant changes in their website traffic or their search engine rankings due to being hit by the changes in this most recent spam update. 

The Benefits Of The October 2022 Spam Update

Google regularly releases updates to improve its search result quality, and spam updates are regularly released as part of this attempt to ensure that searchers receive only the highest quality, most relevant results from their inputted search terms. 

The October 2022 spam update, like all other Google spam updates, is designed to enhance the automated systems that Google has put in place, which work continuously in the background in order to spot and weed out spam from the search results. 

Furthermore, this spam update, like all other previous spam updates, target sites that try to rank highly in the search engine results by masquerading as extremely relevant pages. 

What Action Should I Take If My Site Got Hit By The Spam Update?

If you have observed a significant drop in your website’s search engine ranking, or you have noticed considerably less traffic being driven to your website from the organic search engine results, it’s likely that you have been impacted by the latest spam update. However, the October 2022 spam update, like all other spam updates, will only be targeted specific violations of Google’s guidelines. 

Although Google has not said whether this update is targeting any specific element of spam identification, it’s best to evaluate your website from all perspectives to eliminate the issues that are causing your site to be negatively affected. You should take the time to check Google’s policies regarding spam very carefully and evaluate your website against those policies so that you can determine whether or not your site is in breach of one or more of the conditions. 

If you spot an area where your website is clearly breaching Google’s conditions, you should take steps straight away to rectify the problem and put your website back into compliance. Bear in mind that you won’t see any improvements in your website’s received organic traffic or your search engine ranking straight away after implementing these changes. 

It takes time for the Google algorithm to recognise that you have implemented changes and that your website is now compliant with Google’s spam policies. You should, therefore, be patient, and wait for a few weeks to determine whether there has been a positive effect on your ranking and traffic arising from the changes that you have put in place. 

I Haven’t Noticed Any Changes Yet, Does That Mean That My Site Is Compliant?

As the rollout should have taken full effect by now, having first been announced on 19^th October 2022, if no changes have been noticed in terms of your website’s search engine ranking or your level of received organic traffic then your site is probably compliant with Google’s spam conditions. 

Nevertheless, it’s important to keep checking for the next few days and weeks to make sure that no sudden negative impact is noticed. It’s unlikely, but still possible, that you may still see a drop in your ranking or in your website’s organic search engine traffic over the days and weeks to come, so you should be observant.