According to Google, link spam refers to backlinks created with the purpose of manipulating the rankings of a website in organic search results. Link spam typically originates from black hat SEO link-building activities.
Like any attempt to manipulate Google’s search results, link spam violates Google’s policies and can result in a penalty (manual action).
Here are some examples of link spam, as outlined in Google’s spam policy:
Considering that Google uses links as one of the main factors for determining the relevancy of a web page, it’s easy to see why link spamming is still such a common practice. However, with the introduction of the Penguin algorithm update and numerous link spam updates, link spam became much less effective.
Google has been fighting the battle against spam from day one.
The first version of the Penguin algorithm update, released in 2012, marked a new chapter in an ongoing fight against spammy websites that engage in manipulative link schemes. It became an integral part of Google’s core algorithm in 2016.
With spam and malicious content becoming major issues in recent years, Google began utilizing AI to identify sites that rely on manipulative link-building. SpamBrain - the AI-based spam-prevention system - was launched in 2018.
And, most recently, in December of 2022, Google also rolled out the new link spam update going another step further in neutralizing spammy, “unnatural” links.
It’s worth noting that the pages that make it to Google’s index are double-checked for spam:
The automated systems will detect and take care of 99% of spam. The remaining 1% is handled by Google’s webspam team manually.
If your website gets a manual action, this will show up in Google Search Console under Security and Manual actions. You will notice a significant drop in search rankings and organic traffic - and your site can even be completely removed from SERPs.
While Google has employed advanced anti-spam algorithms and continues to roll out link spam updates, the search engine is not immune to some manipulative tactics.
It is generally much harder to get away with it now than it was a few years ago - but link spam is still a relevant issue.
There are many “shady” niches that rely solely on black-hat methods and link spam in their SEO - since earning editorial links seems to be next to impossible. But there’s also plenty of evidence that some “legitimate” niches have had some success with using black-hat SEO.
But, again, link spam, like other black-hat SEO tactics, directly goes against Google’s guidelines - and engaging in such practices can lead to penalties and harm your site’s visibility in SERPs in the long term.
If you’re serious about properly and legitimately growing your website and have long-term goals, taking shortcuts is rarely - if ever - worth it.
The stronger your backlink profile grows, the more “authoritative” your website gets in Google’s eyes - and the better your chances of ranking higher in SERPs. In that sense, links are, simply put, the currency of the Internet.
If that weren’t true, black-hat SEO tactics - like link spam - wouldn’t exist.
But, as valuable as your backlink profile might be for your website’s ranking and traffic, resorting to link spam to get ahead is not the answer.
Considering that Google has systems in place designed to detect and fight link spam, employing this black-hat SEO tactic is always a risk - and it can harm your website in the long run.
Obviously, the best way to avoid link spam is to adhere to white-hat SEO methods and put effort into earning quality backlinks through link-worthy content.
On that note, there are link-building strategies that will give you the desired results and help you rank higher in search - without putting you at risk of a penalty. Here are some recommendations:
Buying links and using PBNs is something we do not recommend. While there are plenty of websites that do buy links and get away with it, the chances are you’ll waste money on low-quality links that will have little (if any) impact on your search rankings. You may even get a penalty from Google.
In theory, yes, link spam could be used as a so-called “negative SEO” tactic to sabotage another website. However, according to Google, there are specific systems in place that can recognize this and ignore such links.
This means that, generally, today websites are safe from negative SEO attacks involving spammy links. However, it’s better to monitor your website’s backlink profile: watch out for unusual spikes in the number of backlinks and disavow suspicious and unnatural links.
Ever since the release of Penguin 4.0 in 2016, Google has made significant efforts to detect and fight spam. The Link Spam Update, which rolled out in December of 2022, is the latest algorithm update developed specifically to deal with link spam.
SpamBrain - an AI-based spam-prevention system - can not only find and neutralize spam but can detect websites that are buying links and websites that are used solely for selling outgoing links, too.