What Are Search Engine Spam in SEO And Its Types - Search engine spam is also known as spamdexing. In digital marketing, it is done intentionally to manipulate the search engine indexes. When the search engine discovers the search engine spam, that site is penalized and can be removed from the search engine's index. So it is no longer appears in the search results.
It can be considered as part of SEO, there are many search engine optimization methods that improve the quality and appearance of the content on the web sites and serve content useful to many users. The search engine uses a variety of algorithms to determine the relevancy ranking. Some of these include determining where the text or URL of the web site is the same as the search term. Many search engines check the relevancy and will remove suspect pages from their indexes or quickly block it.
Classification of search engine spam:-
There are many types of spam which are listed below.
- Hidden text/links: - This is the most obvious way to spam a website by inserting hidden text and links in the content of the web page. Examples of using hidden text and links are:
- White text/links on a white background: - It is a common trick in which white texts and links are put into the white page so that the reader cannot read it easily. This can only be read by the right click of the mouse on the screen. Spammers can then insert keywords or hyperlinks that the spiders read and count as relevant.
- Text, links, or content that is hidden by covering with a layer so it is not visible: - This trick is used by people with CSS (cascading style sheet). In this, spammer hides the content under the page that can't be seen with the naked eye or highlighting the page.
- Links that are not clicked by the users: - people make the link in which there is nothing to click but the engine can still follow the link.
- Position content off the page's view with CSS: - This is another way that spammer uses.
- Doorway page: - Spammer uses the Doorway page system for cramming the relevant keyword and phrases so that it appears on top of the results. When the user clicks on that, on that time rather showing the relevant results, the page automatically redirects to another site.
- Deceptive redirection: - This is a type of coded command that redirects the user to a different location via the link that was clicked upon. Spammer creates a shadow page that has the content that on top ranking of the search query. When the user accesses that information then an irrelevant data is displayed which has no connects with the search one.
Cloaking
This is the technique in which a spider presents the data which is different from the searching one. If you see a different page then spider sees on the page. The spammer can do this by delivering content based on the IP address of the user's requested page. When a user is a search for the information in the search engine then the user displays the other pager which contains the different content. The purpose of cloaking is to deceive the search engine so they display the page when it would not otherwise be displayed.
- Unrelated keywords: - Unrelated keywords are the keywords that are not related to the related search of the video, image or any other query. They are just made to driving up traffic.
- Keyword stuffing: -Keyword stuffing occurs when people overuse the keywords to make a relevant page for the term using higher keyword density.
- Links farms: - Link farm is any group of web sites that hyperlink to all the other sites in the group. Most link farms are created through automated programs and sites.
- Meta-tags stuffing: - this involves repeating keywords in the meta-tags. This traffic has been ineffective. The content is irrelevant.
Conclusion: -
It is a smart trick used by the spammer to misguide the search engine and also creates confusion for the user. The spammer can confuse the user in many ways. It is done intentionally. Users cannot get any relevant information for their search queries.
