As I write this, we’re in the first week of the March 2024 core and spam updates, and the fallout has been wild.
Sites with spam policy violations were hit with manual actions. Many SEOs are in a state of fear.
This is just the beginning.
SpamBrain is just getting started and it’s coming through your links.
There are only so many ways to build links
Links have been called the currency of the web for as long as I can remember and no matter what anyone tries to say, they still matter.
Here’s a screenshot showing site-wide visibility after we just got a single high-authority digital PR link for a client:
The red mark is the day the link was earned and is the visibility tracker for the entire site on Semrush.
This client also seems to have done well with the Google update.
The ways to build links are wide and varied, but essentially it boils down to:
Earnings through content/PR. By adding them to places like directories. Naturally, by reaching them through brand marketing. By buying them through guest posts or embeds. Private Block Networks (PBNs). Link exchanges. sponsorships
There are other ways, but you get the idea. There are only so many ways to do it.
And then comes the economics of backlink building.
It is very long, challenging and indeed full of disappointments.
For the SEO industry, this is not good at all.
And so the link marketers appeared – an entire 7-figure industry designed to deal with the link problem.
Link selling essentially replaced the need for agencies and site owners to build links, which is the hard part of SEO.
Google has been transparent about their views on buying links for a while:
But unless you’ve been living under a naive SEO rock, you’ll know that’s not the case.
Take this DR 52 site that sells guest post links for $40 per post:
Or this DR 75 site that sells guest posts for $75.
I could list hundreds of websites that sell links. Like many in SEO, we get lists of links all the time.
And this is the modern state of link building.
Buy niche edits or guest post links for a fee, charge the agencies more money, and then the agencies charge the clients.
This upward value chain has existed in the industry for as long as I can remember.
And it’s a big problem for Google. Since paid links manipulate search rankings and reward websites with rankings, they shouldn’t have won.
But they have a solution.
Enter the Terminator of black hat SEO.
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Enter SpamBrain: the nemesis of black hat SEO
SpamBrain was launched in 2018 to address today’s spam problems on the web.
But other than that, Google has been clear about the AI tool’s capabilities.
However, it was so powerful that in 2018, it was reduced spam with tiered levels.
It was 2018 and SEOs need to realize that SpamBrain is a machine learning platform that will only get stronger.
And we saw SpamBrain flex its muscles again in 2022 with Google’s Spam Link Update.
As links became devalued, many sites went from having page 1 rankings all over the site to being on page 2.
I personally consulted with brands who were left scratching their heads.
The reason was that Google released their helpful content update at the same time and this has resulted in SEOs blaming content writers and content writers blaming links.
We have ended up with a serious problem in the sector.
But it is a situation created by the sector itself.
March 2024 Core and Spam Updates = The Apocalypse Update?
As I write this, an SEO has just been contacted.
Your client’s site has been removed from the rankings.
It’s not de-indexed, just all the rankings are gone.
They have been buying links.
But how does SpamBrain do it? How about we ask Gemini (known for explaining quite a few pork pies)?
There are a number of articles, discussions and opinions online that SpamBrain has been working hard to identify spam behavior in search consoles.
Its main goal was to detect spam that could lead to fraud.
The link spamming side has only been a recent addition.
What gets interesting is how Gemini describes how SpamBrains works to detect unnatural links:
If all of the above is true, you can see why the March “Apocalypse update” is so powerful.
Repetitive anchor text, low quality link source, sudden influx of links, link network analysis, irrelevant content for links.
This is how humans can tell if a link is paid or good or bad.
Except this is machine learning. Never sleep, never rest, never give up.
Is this the end of black hat SEO?
If you follow me on Linkedin, you’ll know that I’ve been saying the same thing for years.
stop buying links
And while it’s true that the latest update is based on a number of things, abuse of the site’s reputation is one of them.
SEOs have jumped to the assumption that this update is aimed at this pop-up phrase called SEO Parasite. The act of trying to manipulate rankings by posting on a third-party site.
Yes, that is part of it, but so is the content of the sites and their link networks.
We know that guest blogging sites are now marking it with AI. Add that to the already unwanted content and you have millions of websites that only exist to manipulate search.
And here comes the kicker: SpamBrain has access to all Search Consoles.
It knows each and every site you own, and yes, it can quickly remove and devalue them.
This means we could see the end of the era of black hat SEO.
Unmarked AI content and scaling, as well as selling links via guest posting, will be gone.
So what does the future look like?
Link costs just exploded
In a world with fewer ways to get links, the value of links just goes through the roof. This is a simple market economy.
It also means that white hat link building will be back in fashion.
I work for a digital SEO and PR agency. I see every day how a few quality earned media links can skyrocket rankings.
The question? They are getting harder and harder to come by.
Fewer journalists and more spam mean you have to have the best story to stand out.
Digital PR will likely increase in price and value in this era.
Google has come out and said it Digital PR is no junk mail.
Editorial content, syndicated content from news sites, press releases, and editorial content where there is a close review by the host site is fine. And that’s what you should focus on.
If SpamBrain can devalue your links, this will result in a loss of ranking.
So you can no longer afford to buy links. It’s a recipe for long-term disaster.
SpamBrain will only get stronger and black hat SEOs should be sleeping with an eye open to their analytics.
Because just when you think you’re beating Google, it’s really beating you.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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