March Spam Update
The recent Google algorithm updates have sent shockwaves through the SEO community. Many are feeling the impact, with AI content seemingly wiped out and honest livelihoods destroyed. However, the real fear isn't the algorithm updates themselves, but Google's new spam policy.
A Fundamental Change in Spam Policy
Google announced a fundamental change in their approach to combating spam, which essentially means all limits are off. It's a never-ending game of cat and mouse, with Google constantly evolving its strategies to maintain its image of success.
The Three-Part Impact
The impact of these changes can be broken down into three parts:
- Influencers have been hit with manual penalties based on internal research Google has done.
- Average SEO practitioners have been hit by manual penalties validated from classifier research.
- The algorithm has affected a small number of sites, almost exclusively English, and mostly very low-quality mass page, AI sites.
The Influence of Reinforcement Learning
Google's use of reinforcement learning, a technique that made AI so good in the first place, has had a significant impact. Google is using this technique in marketing via proxies, targeting top voices within specific sub-sectors of SEO. This means that a chosen few control the vast majority of messaging, amplifying Google's narrative.
Media Manipulation and Misinformation
Google knows that large search engine news websites will quote their documentation verbatim, often taking quotes out of context and stirring up the SEO community for clicks and profit. This bias towards Google's documentation perpetuates misinformation, especially when AI bots learn from and spread this incorrect information.
The Impact on Average SEO Practitioners
Unfortunately, we don't have enough correlated data yet to understand why certain sites have been hit by the spam updates. It's likely going to take a couple of months to gain enough insight. However, if your site is of low quality, that's probably the reason for the penalty.
Algorithm Update Advice
My advice for dealing with algorithm updates has always been the same: don't react immediately. Wait and see where your site settles, as there have been numerous reports of sites recovering their traffic by the end of the update. Collect and analyze as much data as you can and try to form networks with other site owners or SEOs in the same or related niches.