What is Spam Score, and How to Fix this?
What is a spam score?
A spam score is a percentage that indicates how likely it is that a site shares characteristics with sites that have been penalized or banned by Google.
A low spam score (1-30%) means that it is unlikely the site shares characteristics with banned or penalized sites. However, a medium spam score (31-60%) indicates some potential for shared characteristics, while a high spam score (61-100%) means it is highly likely the site shares characteristics with banned or penalized sites.
However, it’s important to remember that a high spam score does not necessarily mean the site is actually spammy. Therefore, the score is only one factor to consider when evaluating a site.
When does a site get spam-score?
A site can get a spam score in a few different ways. One way is if Google detects that the site is trying to manipulate its search results. For example, this can happen if the site uses black hat SEO techniques like keyword stuffing or link schemes.
Another way a site can get a spam score is if it shares characteristics with sites that have been penalized or banned by Google. The spam score is based on machine learning, which analyzed millions of banned or penalized sites to identify 27 common features.
How is the spam score used?
The spam score is one factor that Google uses to determine whether or not to penalize a site. In addition to the spam score, Google also looks at things like the number of links pointing to a site, the quality of those links, and the site’s overall reputation.
If you’re concerned that your site may have a high spam score, you can do a few things to improve it. First, look at your website and ensure you’re not doing anything that could be considered manipulative, like keyword stuffing or link schemes. If you are, stop doing those things and see if your spam score decreases over time.
In addition, try to get high-quality links from reputable websites. This can help improve your site’s reputation and lead to a lower spam score.
How To Use Spam Score?
While a low or medium score on this metric may not mean your website is spammy, it’s still important to look at the bigger picture and judge the quality of inbound links to your site. This will help you determine which, if any, of those links need further attention.
If you have not received any penalties, there’s no need to worry about a low or medium score.
Effects of spam-score on SEO
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results. A high spam score can negatively impact a website’s SEO, as Google may rank the site lower or even ban it from their search results altogether. Some common reasons for a high spam score include uploading adult content, using copied content, and violating Google’s rules and regulations. If you want your website to rank well in search engine results, it’s important to avoid a high spam score.
Finally, remember that the spam score is just one factor that Google uses to determine whether or not to penalize a site. If your site has a high spam score but is otherwise healthy, you probably don’t need to worry too much about it. However, if your site has a low spam score and other red flags, it’s worth taking some steps to improve it.
The reasons why a website is getting spammed
There are many reasons why a website may be spammed. Here are some reasons that may be the reason behind your high spam score.
Low-quality content:
One of the main reasons why a website gets spammed is because it publishes low-quality content. This type of content is generally characterized by being thin, poorly written, or containing little to no useful information. Additionally, low-quality content is often stuffed with keywords to manipulate search engine rankings.
Broken links:
Another common reason websites get spammed is because they have broken links. For example, when a website has broken links, it means that there are link(s) on the site that lead to nowhere or to a “404” error page. This looks bad from a user standpoint and can also hurt your website’s search engine rankings.
Blackhat SEO tactics:
Using black hat SEO tactics is another common reason why websites get spammed. Blackhat SEO is a term used to describe certain unethical or illegal practices used to improve a website’s search engine rankings. Some common black hat SEO tactics include buying links, keyword stuffing, and cloaking.
Page Title:
Your page title should accurately reflect the subject matter contained within and use key phrases from the body text. It shouldn’t be too long or too short.
A number of pages:
Site ranking will improve if you create more pages with attention-grabbing content that are relevant to your site. The number of words on a page is also important for both scoring and ranking purposes.
Meta Description:
Your meta description is a summary of your page’s content. Keep it under 155 characters and use key phrases from the body text.
Font:
You should use a font that is easy to read and looks good on all devices. Try to avoid using more than two different fonts on your website.
Internal link:
The way to increase traffic on your site is by using an internal link. This means that you provide a link from the page the user is currently on, to another page that is also on your site.
External link:
External links that are trustworthy and informative will cause your site to rank higher in search engine results pages.
HTTPS:
During my research, I found that very few spam sites take the time to invest in SSL certificates; this means that HTTPS is usually a good trust signal.
Meta Keywords:
I also found that pages that use the meta keywords tag are more likely to be spam than those that don’t.
Visit Rank:
Websites with a high number of visits in clickstream panels are less likely to be spam than those with low numbers of visits.
Rel Canonical:
Utilizing a non-local rel=canonical tag is often associated with spam.
Length of Title Element:
Pages with very long or very short titles are more likely to be spam than those with an average length.
Length of Meta Description
Similarly, pages with very long or very short meta descriptions are more likely to be spam than those of average length.
Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is filling a web page with so many keywords that it becomes difficult to read. This is often done in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings. Not surprisingly, pages that engage in keyword stuffing are more likely to be spam.
What can be done to ensure the spam score is lowered on the website?
One of the best ways to lower your spam score is to be sure that your content is high quality and relevant. You can also improve your score by ensuring that your page titles are accurate and concise and by choosing a readable font type and size. Additionally, you should provide a generous amount of meta description, include valuable and relevant links, and create an attractive and user-friendly design. Lastly, you can encourage users to interact with your site.
Ways to reduce site spam score:
There are many ways that you can reduce your site’s spam score. Some of these ways include:
1) Ensuring that your content is high quality and relevant.
2) Make sure that your page titles are accurate and concise.
3) Choosing a readable font type and size.
4) Providing a generous amount of meta description.
5) Including links that are valuable and relevant.
6) Creating an attractive and user-friendly design.
7) Encourage users to interact with your site.
Following these simple tips can significantly reduce your site’s spam score and improve its overall performance.
Should you really worry if your site’s spam score is high?
Since this is based on correlation with penalization rather than causation, the solution isn’t necessarily to change these factors on your site. If you have not had any penalties, you shouldn’t be concerned about a Low or Medium score. Therefore, it is best to use this percentage figure to judge the quality of inbound links to your site, giving you a signal to help you determine which links need further investigation and cleanup.
Should you disavow spammy backlinks immediately?
Although it’s not always the case, usually sites or pages with high Spam Scores have been penalized by Google. This doesn’t mean you should automatically eliminate these links but use them as a foundation for future investigations. Always double-check a site’s content and its relevancy to your page before getting rid of any links.
If you have links from sites with high Spam Scores, disavow them is generally a good idea. This tells Google that you don’t want these links to be associated with your site and can help avoid any penalties that may come from having them.
Final Say on Spam Score
Google’s “Penguin”, is designed to reduce the rankings of websites that engage in spammy behavior. If your site has a high spam score, you may decrease traffic and find it more difficult to rank well in search engine results pages. However, there are many things you can do to improve your spam score and avoid being penalized by Google. Be sure to create high quality, relevant content, use accurate and concise page titles, include valuable and relevant links, and encourage user interaction. By following these simple tips, you can improve your spam score and avoid any penalties from Google.
