We’ve all experienced the frustration of what is commonly referred to as “website spam”. You know, the kind of scenario that involves you typing in a search query on Google and clicking on the result, only to find that the answer you were looking for is non-existent, or worse, useless… It’s for this reason that Google despises spammy websites, almost as much as we do.
But as a website owner, how do you know if your visitors or Google considers your website spam? And, what can you do to ensure against it?
If you have any suspicions about your website being spammy, here are some helpful insights to take into consideration when reviewing your website for any spam-related markers.
7 key markers of web spam
Google’s main goal is to assist people with finding content that is helpful, relevant and useful, with them experiencing as few roadblocks as possible. As a result, they have strict content and spam policies in place that support that goal.
As a website owner, you might, unknowingly, with no malicious intent whatsoever, do something that alerts Google to investigate your site as possible spam. In this case, it’s worth being aware of what is considered spam by Google in order to avoid being marked as such, and being placed in potentially lower search results or, even worse, not showing up at all.
Below are some examples of what Google considers spam.
1. Your business rarely uses social media
You don’t dedicate enough time to posting content on social media in order to build relationships with your followers, and thus, are rarely discovered on social media networks. To fix this and help distinguish your website from the spammy ones, dedicate more time to social media and begin building relationships with your prospects and customers.
2. You over-optimise your content
When creating content for your website, you repetitively use the same keyword over and over, to the point where it sounds unnatural when you read it out loud. This is what’s known as keyword stuffing, or more innocently, over-optimisation.
Either way, it’s best to steer clear of this type of practice. Repetitive keywords are most commonly used in:
- Page titles
- On page copy
- Domain names/URLS
To prevent keyword stuffing and avoid being penalised by Google, aim to write content as naturally as you would speak.
3. You don’t focus on creating quality content
When you don’t take care to create content that is considered top-notch, Google tends to consider this behaviour as spammy. In fact, spammy websites will often consist of stolen content, overly repetitive content, or content that just gets pulled directly from RSS feeds that belong to other websites.
To avoid this, ensure that all the content that you produce is high quality, compelling and unique.
Pro tip: If you want to go a step further to ensure that your content is unique and isn’t plagiarised, make sure you use a plagiarism checker for peace of mind. The one we’ve linked is free to use and is just an extra step to ensuring your website doesn’t end up on Google’s dreaded spam list.
4. You have too many ads on your website
If your website consists of more than 50% ads compared to content on any given page, you will be flagged as a spammy site. So don’t risk it. Don’t waste valuable website real estate on third-party advertisements that add zero value to your business or your users. Rather dedicate the top half (at least) of all your web pages to quality content and calls to action.
5. Your site has lots of broken links and pages
Maintaining your website’s links and pages is of the utmost importance if you want to remain in good standing with Google. So don’t let the thought of it requiring too much upkeep deter you. There are tools like Semrush that you can easily use to scan your website for expired pages and broken links. Neglecting to make the necessary updates and changes is what will hurt your reputation in the long run. So do some housekeeping and don’t let the spiderwebs build up.
6. Your site attracts low-quality backlinks
Unfortunately, there is such a thing as “low-quality backlinks”. To avoid this, create high-quality content that attracts high-quality backlinks. A large number of quality backlinks on your website will naturally entice more quality websites to link back to yours. If you have attracted subpar backlinks in the past, consider using Google’s disavow tool to assist you in cleaning up your online reputation.
7. You own lots of domains or one-page websites
If you purchase lots of domains and repeatedly set up site after site that consists of only one page and never gets updated then you’re likely to be flagged by Google’s radar, and not in a good way… Of course, there are some exceptions, but best practice dictates that you keep all your content in one place, preferably on an authoritative domain/website.
Conclusion
In the end, it all comes down to what your users care about. So if you focus on creating quality content that keeps your users in mind, the rest will follow.
Do whatever is best for your audience and write as though you are having a conversation with the reader. In doing that, you’ll effectively engage and build trust and authority within your industry. And that’s all that Google really expects of you.
Need help with producing high-quality content to remain in good standing with Google? Give us a shout and we’d be happy to assist!
