Google
October 2023 Spam Update
In brief
Anti-spam update targeting notably cloaking, hacked content and automated spam, in several languages.
Key points
- Anti-spam update targeting cloaking, hacked content and automated spam.
- Coverage extended to several languages previously less monitored.
- Cleanup of SERPs in various language markets.
- Sanctions for abusive practices via SpamBrain.
Analysis
This spam update focused on languages (Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi and others) where spam was particularly present, while strengthening the detection of cloaking, hacked content and automatically generated spam. The goal is to clean up SERPs that were previously less covered.
It came just before the October core update, which created an overlap of effects. A decline tied to this spam update generally signals a concrete compliance problem, distinct from a simple relevance reshuffle.
What to do
- Check for the absence of cloaking, hacked pages and low-quality automated content.
- Monitor site security to prevent any compromise generating spam without the publisher's knowledge.
- Distinguish a spam update impact (compliance) from a simultaneous core update impact (relevance) via the dates.
Impact
Cleanup of the SERPs in languages previously less covered. Penalties for abusive practices.