Google Tries To Snuff Out Spam, Content Farms With New Changes

Content farms take note: Google is trying to snuff out spam and "low-quality sites" in search results.

In a blog post, the search giant acknowledged that it had seen "a slight uptick of spam in recent months" and announced that it has launched new efforts to improve the quality of its search results.

Google's changes--which include a new document-level classifier, as well as better ways of detecting hacked websites and soliciting feedback from users--take aim at "webspam" as well as content farms--"sites with shallow or low-quality content," in Google's words.

"[W]e hear the feedback from the web loud and clear: people are asking for even stronger action on content farms and sites that consist primarily of spammy or low-quality content," wrote Google engineer Matt Cutts in a statement. "We take pride in Google search and strive to make each and every search perfect."

Google offered technical details on the tweaks:

We recently launched a redesigned document-level classifier that makes it harder for spammy on-page content to rank highly. The new classifier is better at detecting spam on individual web pages, e.g., repeated spammy words--the sort of phrases you tend to see in junky, automated, self-promoting blog comments. We've also radically improved our ability to detect hacked sites, which were a major source of spam in 2010. And we're evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others' content and sites with low levels of original content. We'll continue to explore ways to reduce spam, including new ways for users to give more explicit feedback about spammy and low-quality sites.

Have you noticed more spam in search results? What changes do you hope to see? Tell us below.

Comments

[Conk]

10:13 AM on 01/24/2011

If the industry wanted to reduce spam it would be reduced! There is just too much money to be had by all for them to stop.

Anyway, what kind of fool responds to an email with a subject like "VigRa for you bone machine" or sillier.

[twninja]

01:51 PM on 01/22/2011

oh man . . i love spam, i thought they were gonna take away my spam!

[LiberalScoop]

04:59 PM on 01/23/2011

I kid you, not--I think it's in Wisconsin, but there is a Spam cathedral. I saw a sign for it that says, "Come visit the Spam Cathedral! It's like the Vatican, only for Spam!" Not kidding.

[SuperBenFranklin]

07:25 AM on 01/22/2011

Sounds like they are building a rube Goldberg machine over there. If google worked as advertised it would just work, and not have to be jury rigged as they are doing. I always knew Google's "algorithm" was more slight of hand than real technology. And you can tell lately it is not working anymore. Time for a new set of kids in a garage to make it work for real this time.

[oomph]

02:47 AM on 01/22/2011

The problem is that there are legitimate uses for repurposed content, taken from say Wikipedia or any open (non-copyrighted) source. That Google brings the hammer down on such sites is like throwing out the baby with the bath water. It is stifling innovation. Please recognize that maybe there are limits to your current technology, and shutting down sites has a direct effect on livelihoods (er, "Do no evil" indeed.). Maybe, sometimes you need to spend more on human review and human contact.

[Samiiam]

12:40 AM on 01/22/2011

How do you even contact google when you have problem?

[Tom95134]

10:41 PM on 01/21/2011

Did you get permission to use the Spam Image & Logo?

[MrVee]

08:34 PM on 01/21/2011

It think it's a tie between Google and Inbox.com as to who does a better job at keeping crap from my email. I rarely see any where it isn't supposed to be in gmail or Inbox.com. If Google has a better plan, I'm all for it.

[noob1]

08:07 PM on 01/21/2011

google, there is no try, do or do not. yoda.

[EdinFL]

02:31 PM on 01/21/2011

Tweak they do; qwiki.com will give them a run for their money, methinks.