Understanding the Spam report: definition and implications for SEO

Through our SEO Agency Optimize 360

Spam report

---

In the world of referencing and digital marketing, it's essential to understand the different techniques used by experts to improve the visibility of a website. website.

One of the least appreciated practices, but unfortunately still present, is spamdexing.

This practice consists of manipulating the indexing of a website in search engines in order to artificially increase its position.

This is where spam reporting really comes into its own:

What is a spam report?

A spam reportA "whistleblower report" is a report made by a user to a search engine about a website suspected of using abusive practices.

These practices, also known as "spamdexing", can affect different areas of natural referencing (SEO) and digital marketing. Search engines ban them because they go against their recommendations and harm theuser experience.

The different spamdexing techniques

To better understand the usefulness of a spam report, we need to look at the main spamdexing methods:

• Le keyword stuffing This technique consists of inserting a large number of keywords into a web page, not necessarily linked to the content, in order to mislead search engines and improve the page's ranking in the results;
  
  
• Le cloaking This involves presenting different content to search engines and web users. The indexing robots In this way, visitors "see" content that is optimised for SEO, while human visitors see other content that is often less relevant and of poor quality;
  
  
• Misleading redirects This technique involves redirecting Internet users to another page or website without their consent. This can be achieved in particular through "doorway pages", i.e. pages designed solely to attract traffic by being well positioned on certain websites. key wordsbut which are devoid of useful content.

How can I report spamdexing using the spam report?

When a user comes across a website that uses spamdexing techniques to manipulate its ranking in search results, it is important to report it to the major search engines so that they can take appropriate action.

To achieve this specific forms have been developed by these companies:

• Google Google: you can report a suspicious site directly via Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools). Simply follow the instructions provided to complete the reporting form. You can also use this link to submit a Spam Report: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreport;
• Bing Bing: the search engine Bing, developed by Microsoft, provides its own reporting form at the following address: https://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster and by clicking on "Report abuse".

Why report a suspicious website?

By submitting a spam report, Internet users are actively participating in improving the quality of search engine results. It also promotes a better user experience by eliminating sites that seek to deceive their visitors and use methods that are contrary to the ethics of natural referencing.

Consequences for websites subject to a spam report

Over the years and with the regular updates of the algorithms search engines have strengthened their ability to detect and punish spamdexing practices. As a result, when these companies receive a spam report concerning a website :

1. They will be carrying out a more detailed examination of the site in question;
2. If they confirm that the site is indeed using spamdexing techniques, they can apply different penalties depending on the seriousness of the situation:
   • Penalisation: this may involve a drop in search rankings, or even temporary or permanent removal of the offending site;
   • The application of filters: certain algorithms, such as Google Panda or Penguin, are specially designed to detect and penalise sites that break the rules of natural referencing. It can be difficult to avoid these filters once they have been applied to a website.

These sanctions can have a major impact on a website's visibility, traffic and revenue. That's why it's so important for website publishers to follow good practice in terms of SEO and ethics.

Tips for avoiding spam reports

Here are a few tips to prevent your website from being the subject of a spam report:

• Comply with search engine recommendations Knowing and following the guidelines provided by Google, Bing and other search engines means that you can put in place an effective search engine. referencing strategy sustainable and ethical;
• Promoting quality content Taking care to offer content that is unique, relevant and interesting to Internet users is the best way to protect yourself against any abusive practices;
• Set up regular monitoring Analysing your website's performance and statistics on a regular basis will enable you to quickly detect any anomalies that could be linked to spamdexing practices.