Google is rolling out a new search ranking algorithm update. This update targets the more spammy side of the search results. The company is naming this update the “October 2022 spam update.” This update should take a few days to completely roll out and become visible in the search results. Google said this update is global and affects all languages.
Spam Update Announcement
Google announced about October 2022 spam update on Twitter. Here is a screenshot:
What are spam updates?
Google wrote:
While Google’s automated systems to detect search spam are constantly operating, we occasionally make notable improvements to how they work. When we do, we refer to this as a spam update and share when they happen on our list of Google Search ranking updates.
For example, SpamBrain is our AI-based spam-prevention system. From time-to-time, we improve that system to make it better at spotting spam and to help ensure it catches new types of spam.
Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those. Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all. Making changes may help a site improve if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies with our spam policies.
Google Previous Spam Update
Before this, the November 2021 spam update was the most recent one that Google had officially verified.
Also read: Google September 2022 Core Update
Final Note
Following the October 2022 spam update, you should check your site’s security and search for any indications of a potential attack if suddenly your website ranks decrease. A site’s content is either demoted in search results or removed from Google’s index when a website is affected by a spam update. Google says it could take months to regain from the harmful impact of a spam update, provided the site makes the required modifications to comply with Google’s spam policies.