Earlier this month, Google, the web's monopoly landlord, slash organizer, slash feudal overlord, announced major reforms to its spam policies.
Algorithmic search updates are often very boring and don't necessarily make a huge media splash. However, these updates were largely interpreted as a response to the rise of mass-produced AI-generated nonsense on the internet, which caused a huge stir. And the spammer side of the SEO industry is feeling the squeeze.
“The manual responses I received bombarded me with 'pure spam' and also used wording like 'automatically generated gibberish,' which is pretty intense.” says Jackie Chou, a well-followed search engine optimization (SEO) expert.man, laA comment on a YouTube video about the update titled “I GOT CLAPPED (Google March Spam Update).”
“Well, I'm going to wear it proudly,” he continued.
In a follow-up video, he mocks people who follow Google's guidelines.
“Okay, guys, in light of recent events, I've decided to do everything the right way. I'm not going to spam the internet with AI content anymore, because it's not profitable and ultimately… 'Cause you're going to get applause. I'm just kidding.'' Chou said this video, titled “My Road to Recovery,'' is a follow-up to his “I GOT CLAPPED'' video. declared.
“That's ridiculous,” he added.
Few people search Google and get past the platform's first page of results, let alone the first few links, so SEO specialists like Chou do everything imaginable to get their site there. Try the trick. Some work within the realm of “white hat” SEO, while others work within the realm of optimization techniques that don't push useless spam into the Google world. Others do the opposite and engage in shady tactics to improve their rankings.
Not surprisingly, starting in late 2022 with the release of ChatGPT, many people in this latter group began enthusiastically using generative AI tools to publish large amounts of automated material. And while Google users have been complaining about poor search quality for years, this proliferation of crappy AI content is piling up spammy celebrity articles, weirdly written blog posts, and Amazon links. “Reviews'' of other products are reducing the quality of search results. New low.
Chou has been publishing YouTube videos almost every day for several months, sharing SEO tips and tactics for leveraging Google's algorithms to earn click revenue. Many of the practices he recommends, such as launching synthetic sites and mass-producing AI-generated commerce posts, are definitely in violation of Google's guidelines.
However, we didn't discover Chou through his YouTube channel or other social media. We met him after stumbling upon a piece of automated spam that included his name.
Consider a website for a product called Pixelfy. This website features an incredible amount of mass-produced product “guides” that are optimized for SEO success. Most, if not all, are published under an author named “Jack,” whose headshot is the same as the one on Chow's personal website. This content has no disclosures about his AI. Each article includes a prominent disclaimer that declares, “This article was written and proofread by Pixelfy editors,” and often includes a team of writers who spend “many hours testing different products.” Contains text that promises the unlucky reader that he has spent too much money.
But in reality, the content is disjointed and almost certainly created at scale using AI. For example, a post titled “Top 5 Best Flutes of 2024” says it was written by “a musician and educator who is passionate about music.” But if you scroll through the post, most of the “tested” products featured are cheap champagne flutes from Amazon. Elsewhere, you'll find articles like “Top 5 Best Peer%c2%b1ata Birthday Parties of 2024” (which was supposed to say “piñata”) and “Top 0 Best AI Tools for Copywriting in 2024” Many headlines have been posted with outlandish titles. It's the kind of “automatically generated gibberish” that Chou boasted about in the video. (We contacted Pixelfy about the post, but have not yet received a response.)
Pixelfy's posts also bear a striking resemblance to the AI-generated “blog” content churned out on Far & Away, an e-commerce site owned and operated by Chou. Like Pixelfy, many of Far & Away's product review guides similarly claim that the website's team of staff have spent “hours” or “countless hours” researching and testing various consumer products. They make claims and sometimes even claim that the product has been tested at specified paces. “Test facility”. Most of these affiliate link-centric blogs are identical in structure and tone to Pixelfy posts, and in a YouTube video published in November 2023, Chou explains how he uses SEO content creation AI tools. Show your followers exactly what content to create. they. (According to Chou's updated YouTube video, his Far & Away blog has been “de-indexed and deleted” by Google. However, Chou says his other AI sites are still up and running.) It is said that they are doing so.)
But no matter how brutal the theft, black hat SEO influencers, especially those with large social media followings, will not remain silent. Google and those who try to master its algorithms and evade any attempts at enforcement along the way have been locked in a cursed dance for years. And since this latest update was published, social media has been awash with declarations of defiance against the search giant.
“At the end of the day, we can still get 100.” [percent] Use AI content for SEO… Google and influencer fear mongering has stuck so strongly that once again people have drunk the Kool-Aid and are having nightmares about car accidents!” Read a particularly sacred post from X's ex Twitter “The reality is, once again, ego is the enemy and emotional reactions will destroy us all!”
I would like to add that while Google's update affected many sites, it was not a silver bullet to rid the web of all spam.
“We are constantly developing new technology and implementing updates to our ranking system to protect against spam,” a Google spokesperson said in an email. “However, spam also adapts and evolves, so it requires constant attention from our team. And we regularly update our policies to effectively deal with new trends.”
Why was there a need for a spam crackdown in the first place? “When people come to search, they don't just want content that's created to rank high in search, but content that's created to help them and that provides unique insight and value,” the spokesperson said. They’re looking for content.”
“Our policies protect against fraud that not only impacts people searching for information, but also harms site owners and content creators who create great, high-quality content on the open web. ”, they added.
Google is in a strange position when it comes to AI spam. As a major player in Silicon Valley's AI arms race, the tech giant is promoting the availability of the same generative AI tools that people are using to exploit its own search platforms. It's incorporating AI into its search results and is also reportedly working on ways to automate news.
On the other hand, Google's updates and subsequent SEO implications are just skirmishes in the long-term search war. And with Google taking a cautious lead in its AI field, it remains unclear how these updates will ultimately shake things up. But this is a war fueled by generative AI, and it can sometimes feel like the very usability of the web is at risk.
With that said, although Mr. Chow has not responded to repeated requests for comment, I would like to leave you with this poem of condemnation. Published Friday on X:
“At times like this
After being slapped on the cheek by Google
I’m glad I focused on profit first last year.
Don't worry, Jimmy
It's almost over
2024 is still the year of retirement.”
Learn more about Google and AI: Google secretly pays journalists to write stories using undisclosed AI