Google Link Spam Update December 2022
Google Link Spam Update December 2022
Christoph C. Cemper | 14 Dec, 2022 | 12 Jan, 2023 | 4 Mins Read
Auch verfügbar in Deutsch: Google Link Spam Update Dezember 2022
December 2022 link spam update
Google has announced on December 14, 2022 the link spam update as one of the few official link spam updates we recall for years. It uses SpamBrain.
UPDATE: Google has announced the LinkSpam Update finished on January 12, 2023
This quite new, as Google has labeled everything happening around link penalties as “Core update” for years now. And Penguin-based Link Spam updates moved to the Google Core end of 2016.
Google say, that they are using their SpamBrain system to detect spam directly.
Google also say that SpamBrain can now detect both:
- sites buying links, and
- sites used for the purpose of passing outgoing links.
Of course, that was the claim of all the prior link-based penalty filters, even before [Google Penguin](/content/kb/penguin-faq/index.md#google-penguin "Google Penguin was a major algorithm update that was first released in April 2012."/index.html), and we’ve been around for… cough…long enough to have heard them all.
It also just shows and confirms once again, how dependent Google is on links.
Gary Illyes said it in 2016 already, Ranking without links is really, really hard. Yes, the external links.
Have you been hit?
If yes, sorry to hear that. Would you be interested in helping our research, to gain some insights? We would like to include you in my research, of course using our Link Detox®, part of the LRT Suite. We are currently just working in fine-tuning and recalibrating again, so that’s a great timing for us. If yes, just let us know via the contact form. We’ll get back with some questions.
FAQ about the Link Spam Update December 2022
Is the Link Spam Update December 2022 a Manual Action?
@johnmu confirmed that this it is not a [Manual Action](/content/kb/google-penalty/index.md#what-are-google-penalties "Google Penalties are also called Manual Action by Google."/index.html).
No, it’s not a manual action.
Was SpamBrain used by Google for Link Spam before?
@searchliaison confirmed that this is the first time Google uses SpamBrain for link spam.
It’s possible we’ve used it in some edge / minor situations, but this is the first real implementation of it for link spam.
Some feedback on the Link Spam Update December 2022
90% of the websites this SEO manages have changed.
More resources
Link Spam Update December 2022 FAQ Summary
Is the Link Spam Update December 2022 a [Manual Action](/content/kb/google-penalty/index.md#what-are-google-penalties "Google Penalties are also called Manual Action by Google."/index.html)?
No. John Muller of Google confirmed that the Link Spam Update December 2022 it is not a [Manual Action](/content/kb/google-penalty/index.md#what-are-google-penalties "Google Penalties are also called Manual Action by Google."/index.html).
Was SpamBrain used by Google for Link Spam before?
No. Searchliaison (Danny Sullivan) confirmed that this is the first time Google uses SpamBrain for link spam.