Google’s search engine results have been targeted by a major spam attack in the past few days. A considerable number of domains are ranking for hundreds of thousands of keywords. It indicates that the magnitude of this attack could reach millions of additional keyword phrases.
Quick Take
- Spammers are currently capitalizing on the differences between local and non-local search algorithms.
- The spam attack involves several interconnected domains.
- The ease of ranking in local searches with minimal backlinks is being exploited.
- Resolving the issue as a whole is a challenge for Google.
Analytics have shown that most of the new domains were registered within the previous 24-48 hours. An image of the link graph was recently shared, and it exposed the link networks of countless spam sites.
The link graph highlighted the scores of the websites tightly interlinking with one another, which is a common trait in spam link networks. This is a major development within the Google search engine, disrupting the global SEO space.
Google Spam Attack Goes Out of Control
Despite initial claims, it became understandable that the backlink network was not responsible for the higher rankings. Multiple websites are ranking for longtail phrases along with a local search component. Both of these are easier to rank.
Longtail phrases are keyword phrases that are rarely used by people. Spammers can target these phrases as there is little to no competition. At the same time, these are also quite easy to rank.
Apart from spammers exploiting the ease of ranking longtail phrases, they are also exploiting the loophole that is inherent in the Local Search. The algorithm for local search is not the same as the algorithm for ranking non-local keywords.
One Domain Ranks 300,000+ Keywords
Following the spam attack, a domain was discovered that ranked over 300,000 keyword phrases. Many of these longtail keywords contained a local search element in one way or another.
Considering how easy it is to rank longtail and local search phrases, combining them and ranking them together becomes easy.
Why Does the Spam Technique Work?
Local search uses a different algorithm in comparison to a non-local algorithm. A local site would not need a considerable number of links to rank for a query. All these pages only require the right kind of keywords to trigger a local search algorithm and rank them for a certain geographic area.
This has been an ongoing problem for several years. Google has known about the problem since December 19 and has acknowledged it as well. People cannot help but wonder whether or not Google will be able to resolve the issue for good.
The dilemma directly impacts SEO geeks and digital marketers around the world. They are awaiting a response from the search engine giant to tackle the issue.
