In a recent discussion, Gary Illyes from Google exposed how the tech giant safeguards websites from hostile Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics. Usually, these tactics involve cluttering a competitor’s site with low-quality links to deceive Google’s algorithms, aiming to penalize the site for spam-related actions. Google has dependable systems to handle such strategies, successfully differentiating between organic low-quality links and harmful ones created deliberately.
Illyes noted that these negative SEO strategies have been especially popular in the online gambling industry, where securing a high rank can be a significant advantage. Grotesquely, rival businesses shower their competition with poor-quality links, often associated with spam sites or malicious software, leading to a potential drop in their website’s credibility and ranking on the search engine results page (SERPs).
The process of cleaning these harmful links is complex and time-consuming.
Defending against harmful SEO strategies
It involves a thorough backlink analysis and flagging each malicious link for removal – a strategy known as link disavowing. This highlights the importance of regularly monitoring the backlink profile of your website and employing robust SEO defensive tactics.
While some website operators have expressed fear due to recent changes in Google’s algorithm, Illyes maintains that the impacts of such negative SEO tactics are typically marginal thanks to Google’s continuous algorithm updates designed to counter such harmful tactics.
However, he emphasized the critical need for website operators to remain alert and employ efficient SEO strategies to safeguard their online visibility. Even though Google’s algorithms are progressing, the potential influence of negative SEO practices may reduce with time.
While there has been an increase in complaints about negative SEO following their Penguin update, Illyes stated that only one potential case had been found amid hundreds investigated. He suggested that rather than worrying about negative SEO, website operators should concentrate on generating high-quality content that naturally attracts worthwhile inbound links. According to Illyes, while Google is striving to enhance its defenses against negative SEO, operators can, in part, help themselves by optimizing their sites for search engine rankings.
