Alas, a new Google update has arrived. This is a time of both worry and elation for SEOs around the world, as they either scurry to recover from their malpractices or pop champagne corks to celebrate their sudden surge of organic traffic.
We’ve had two core upgrades in June and July, along with a link spam update, recently. Because Google has adopted a new updating model, this is the case. However, more on this later.
We will now guide you through the Link Spam Update. Then, we will discuss Google update more generally. Finally, the consequences of engaging in shady tactics and how to rehabilitate.
What Exactly Is It?
So, everyone knows that links are the lifeblood of SEO. Essentially, they serve the same purpose as a digital “like” or the web equivalent of an academic reference. It is one of the several ways Google determines which material deserves to be at the top and which does not.
However, due to the importance of links and the business significance of high rankings, a whole industry has developed around the provision of links to online material.
Affiliate links are hyperlinks that promote the products or services of a different company. Every time this link is clicked and the product is purchased, the affiliate will receive a commission.
Sponsored guest blogging refers to websites that accept compensation for allowing another organization to publish content on their website.
There is no inherent problem with this. It is how much many website owners earn. And many businesses may obtain quality traffic and brand recognition from it.
When it becomes part of manipulative link activities, it becomes problematic. This implies that if it is not correctly marked, Google will view it as an attempt to manipulate its ranking algorithms, since it will appear as if you are purchasing links.
Depending on your nation, it may also be a breach of marketing regulations.
Here, it is essential to observe the following:
- Google is becoming better at detecting these artificial connections.
- They will neutralize them, i.e. disregard them in their ranking algorithms.
Nonetheless, it is not that simple. In the same statement, they state that “algorithmic and manual measures may be taken when we notice sites producing or acquiring links with excessive sponsored and guest posts without suitable link tags.”
To avoid this, Google has revised its tagging criteria for bought links to make them more transparent.
What Does This Imply For Your Company?
After these statistics and explanations, I believe it is time to return to the most pressing issue: what should you do?
It depends mostly on two factors: Does your business rely on affiliate or paid guest posting to monetize links?
Or, does your organization currently participate in SEO-related practices?
The blog owner must begin properly marking links if they are put following a financial transaction.
How do you accomplish this? Well, several content management systems (CMS) allow you to accomplish so natively. Aside from that, there are plugins. We’re discussing “rel” elements in the HTML element a href> for a more manual perspective.
If you’ve previously marked links as “nofollow,” you don’t need to modify them to “sponsored.” However, try it in the future!
This puts you in a difficult position regarding the value of paid link placements. Some value is lost since these rel-tagged links do not pass link value to other sites. To advertise yourself more effectively, ensure that you have a deeper understanding of the brand recognition and direct traffic that you provide to websites.
For Companies Who Employ SEO
You undoubtedly already know that sponsored link placements are undesirable. Not just because they may result in future fines that are difficult to recover from, but also because they are frequently a waste of money.
Here are four suggestions on what to do following the update:
- If you’ve paid for link placements, request that they add the rel=”sponsored” tag to any links you’ve placed.
- Start broadening your link portfolio if your SEO strategy mainly depends on guest blogging. The finest links are earned, not purchased or created manually.
- Monitor the rankings and traffic of pages where you’ve purchased links. If they sink far into the depths of the SERPs, begin outreach to establish authoritative and trustworthy connections.
- Obtain advice and assistance from a qualified SEO agency.
Keep in mind, though, that Google has said that they are more inclined to remove spammy links than to penalize you for them. You probably don’t need to undertake a major clean-up as much as you’ll need to focus your future efforts elsewhere.
