What Google Treats As Spam
Things to avoid when building or optimising a web site, this list covers what Google identifies as the types of spam, along with tips on how to identify them. The following topics will be covered in this article:
- PPC Pages
- Parked Domains
- Thin Affiliates
- Hidden text & links
- Javascript Redirects
- Keyword stuffing
- 100% Frame
- Sneaky Redirects
PPC Pages – These pages contain no or very little content of any value and are often full of PPC (pay per click) advertisements. These can also look very similar to a search engine, blog or forum.
Parked Domains - Defined as a parked or expired domain these may include; a list of sponsored links or maybe a list of categories that relate to popular search terms. Usually all links are paid and there is no original content present.
Thin Affiliates – These pages or sites are designed to become affiliates of other sites. They work by attracting users to a specific page and re-direct the users to a different page or site owned by a real merchant.
Hidden text & links – The text may be hidde, therefore invisible to the human eye. This could also be that the text colour is very close to the background color and therefore intentionally not easy to spot by the human eye. Small font sizes, that can’t be seen by a user and any information that is hidden by the use of javascript or CSS.
Javascript Redirects - This is where Javascript is used to display a different web site for the user than that the search engine indexes.
Keyword stuffing – Excessive amount of keywords on a single site or page in the form of word repeats, related words and misspelling. Just be user friendly, natural wording is the best way to achieve search engine friendliness.
100% Frame - Allows a search engine to index 2 frames of content, where as the user only sees 1 frame.
Sneaky Redirects – This is where the user is directed to a different domain or URL, but the search engine indexes the original domain, which may have different more user friendly content. Often used for pornographic content.
