Google started rolling out yet another algorithm update at the beginning of last week, this time focused on reducing the impact of spammy links. SEO agencies expect the update to impact rankings for websites in all industries.

“In our continued efforts to improve the quality of the search results, we’re launching a new link spam fighting change today – which we call the “link spam update,” reads a Google Search Central post from July 26. “This algorithm update, which will rollout across the next two weeks, is even more effective at identifying and nullifying link spam more broadly, across multiple languages. Sites taking part in link spam will see changes in Search as those links are re-assessed by our algorithms.”

The update won’t technically punish websites that leverage low-quality or spammy links; instead, it will simply stop rewarding those sites for links that the algorithm sees as subpar. As usual, Google has stated that SEO agencies won’t have quick fixes to sudden ranking declines. It is pushing site owners to follow best practices – avoiding link schemes; qualifying outbound links; etc. – on both incoming and outgoing links.

The link spam update is the latest in a series of substantial algorithm changes that Google has launched over the past three months. Other updates included the product reviews update, the June Core Update, the Page Experience Update, a two-part spam update, and the July Core Update. You can learn more about each of these changes in our recent blog post.

While we don’t expect the new spam link update to significantly impact our clients’ performance, every Google algorithm update comes with a certain amount of search ranking fluctuation. If you would like to know more about how SEO agencies are approaching the link spam update, or if you would like to discuss your SEO or SEM campaign more broadly, feel free to reach out to us today.

Image: Shutterstock