Understanding Google’s Spam Updates
By Dr. Marie Haynes
Understand why your site was affected and how to recover
Google's October 2022 spam update was catastrophic to many websites. It might seem strange for me to write a guide to help spammers! I wrote this because I found that most sites that were hit by this update were run by well meaning folks, many of whom did not realize they were doing SEO in ways that broke Google's guidelines.
This book is free to paid subscribers of Search News You Can Use (my weekly newsletter to help you stay on the forefront of what Google is doing with their search algorithms). To get it, be sure you are logged in and click this link:
Download the spam workbook for free (for paid newsletter subscribers)
Topics covered in this workbook
Chapter 1: Was it the spam update?
- Detailed instructions on how to determine whether the spam update hit you or whether there is another likely cause. There were a few updates in late 2022 and it can be difficult to determine which is to blame for a site’s losses.
Chapter 2: SpamBrain - Why did Google’s spam update affect so many sites?
- Google’s ability to detect spam has improved dramatically. It is important for SEO’s to understand how Google uses machine learning algorithms to find patterns consistent with breaking their guidelines.
Chapter 3: Google’s spam policies
- You’ll learn to critically assess your site in the eyes of each of the spam policies. For each issue I’ll share what steps I would take to attempt recovery.
Chapter 4: Link spam
- What exactly is link spam? Is all link building against Google’s guidelines? In this chapter we discuss what is and isn’t acceptable to Google.
Chapter 5: Should you use the disavow tool?
- Recovery is likely possible, but will be difficult. In this section we discuss what it will take to recover and what timeline to expect. I’ll also help you decide whether you should start over with a new site.
Chapter 6: Creating great content and getting good links
- Google has given us so much guidance when it comes to creating the type of content they want to rank. While building your own links to this content is frowned upon, getting good, truly authoritative links can still be very helpful.
Chapter 7: Recovery
- Is recovery possible? I’ll help you decide. If so, should you continue on this domain or start over on a new site? How long will it take to recover?
Conclusions and Additional Resources
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Download the spam workbook for free (for paid newsletter subscribers)
About Dr. Marie Haynes
Hi! I’m Dr. Marie Haynes. I’ve been learning about Google’s search algorithms obsessively for a long time.
I used to be a veterinarian. In 2008 Google’s search algorithms captivated my attention, leading me to learn how to create my own website and promote it online. I was very successful doing this and in 2012 I left my veterinary career to do SEO full time.
Since then I’ve been honoured to speak on Google’s search algorithms at events like the RD Summit in Brazil, Brighton SEO, Pubcon, Mozcon and SMX. I’m known for learning and teaching on E-A-T in Google’s algorithms, links and link quality, Google penalties and overall site quality. I created and ran a successful SEO agency and for many years we helped hundreds of businesses succeed online.
I shifted my focus in 2022 to once again return to solo consulting, publishing my newsletter and podcast and helping the amazing community of SEOs and website owners do well in the eyes of Google’s search algorithms.
Google has changed so much in the last 15 years. It is so exciting helping site owners navigate these changes!
