Google Algorithm Update Backfires as Scammers Game Search Results
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Google updated its algorithm to surface more "hidden gems" from real people, but it backfired as scammers took advantage to spam results.
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"SEO parasites" are leeching off legitimate sites by paying to insert pages with affiliate links, hurting search quality.
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Researchers found higher ranked pages tended to have lower quality content and more affiliate links.
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AI-enabled generative content allows scammers to produce low quality pages at scale to try ranking them.
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Google acknowledges issues and is working on updates, but fixing search results is an ongoing fight as scammers adapt.