June 2024 Spam Update from Google Everything You Need to Know

Google always wants to deliver the most relevant and reliable results for your searches. To gain this, they create a constant war against spammy websites arising in your search results. What these spammy websites do is that, by adopting unethical SEO practices, they try to manipulate their ranking search results. One of the solid techniques that Google uses in its battle against spammy websites is “Spam Updates.” As the number of spam is increasing and the spammers are devising innovative methods to surpass Google filters, Google is coming up with strong measures to eliminate them.

These kinds of measures that Google takes, is definitely a benefit for such SEO professionals who adopt On-page optimization best practices and techniques to gain better search rankings. However, if your website faces a drop after any Google update, it is certainly a wake-up call for you to use ethical SEO practices to grow your website. The June 2024 Spam Update, which was launched by Google, is one such update. A per Google Search Central conveys that when the rollout is done, it will be posted on the Google Search Status Dashboard. Furthermore, it is almost certain that the targets will be websites violating the spam policies set by Google.

The June 2024 Spam Update, which was launched by Google, is one such update. According to Google Search Central the targets will be websites violating the spam policies set by Google. Let’s have a detailed view on the update. 

Google Completes June 2024 Spam Update Rollout

• • What it is: The update aimed to clean up search results by targeting websites that violate Google’s spam policies.
  • Timeline: Launched on June 20th, 2024 and fully rolled out by June 27th.
  • Focus: It addressed various spam techniques, but not specifically link spam or site reputation abuse.
  • Impact: Global, affecting websites in all regions and languages. Google didn’t disclose the exact percentage of searches impacted.
  • Recovery: Websites affected should review Google’s spam policies and ensure compliance to regain good standing.
  • Updates: Google will continue to refine the spam filter with periodic refreshes. Recovering from a penalty can take months.
  • Who it benefits: This update benefits users by providing them with more relevant and trustworthy search results.
  • Stay informed: Keep an eye on industry news for future updates on Google’s search algorithms.

Now, let’s have a quick glance at the Spam updates from Google on March:

In this spam update, Google targeted three elements: expired domain abuse, site reputation abuse, and scaled content abuse. Expired domain abuse involves using expired websites with established authority and filling those websites with poor-quality content. Another is that, site reputation abuse, it is all about including low-quality content on first party websites by third party. To be in detail, this poor-value content that is filled without the close analysis of the website owner is defined as spam by Google. Scaled content abuse refers to the practice of including websites with low-quality content. That is, the content in such websites will be repetitive and will not provide any kind of value to the users. Examples of scaled content abuse according to Google Search Console are as follows:

• Using AI tools to mass-produce low-quality content, often relying on paraphrasing or synonymizing existing material.

• Scraping and re-purposing content from other websites without attribution or meaningful additions.

• Creating multiple websites with identical or near-identical content to artificially boost search engine rankings.

• Filling pages with keyword-stuffed text that is difficult to read and understand, prioritising search engine visibility over user experience.

In a nutshell, these three:

• Expired Domain Abuse
• Site Reputation Abuse
• Scaled Content Abuse

are considered spam by Google as per its March 2024 Spam Update.

History of Google Spam Updates

• Multiple Updates in June 2021: Google implemented two separate spam updates in June 2021, each taking just a day to roll out (June 23rd and June 28th).

• July 2021 Link Spam Update: This update focused specifically on link spam and took place over a longer period, starting on July 26th, 2021 and concluding on August 24th, 2021 (29 days).

• November 2021 Spam Update: A more targeted update addressing general spam, this one rolled out quickly, starting on November 3rd and finishing on November 11th, 2021 (8 days).

• October 2022 Spam Update: This update addressed spam and was implemented swiftly, taking just two days (October 19th-21st).

• December 2022 Link Spam Update: Focusing on link spam, this update took longer, starting on December 14th, 2022 and concluding on January 12th, 2023 (19 days).

• October 2023 Spam Update: Another update aimed at improving overall search quality through combating spam, this one rolled out over 15 days, starting on October 4th and finishing on October 20th, 2023.

• March 2024 Spam Update: The most recent update occurred in March 2024, taking place over 15 days (March 5th-20th).

• June 2024 Spam Update: Just concluded in June 2024, this update addressed spam and rolled out over a week (June 20th-27th).

Bottom line

From these Google updates, it is clear that only websites with quality content can survive. That is, if you are able to create original content, you are not only serving your audience with the best results, but there is also a high chance that your website can take a top position in the Google search rankings. And with the necessary additions and eliminations in the content when needed, you can maintain your position in the Google ranking. Also, there will be only less chance of being negatively affected by future Google updates. If you are an SEO professional, you can definitely make use of Google Search Console and make necessary changes in SEO practices as per the Google search ranking updates to place your website in the best position.