{"id":655540,"date":"2025-03-04T07:30:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T04:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T07:30:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T04:30:27","slug":"seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/","title":{"rendered":"#SEO shortcuts gone wrong: How one site tanked \u2013 and what you can learn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28a0d2759cc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28a0d2759cc\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Scaling_SEO_with_AI_Beware_the_risks_One_sites_rapid_rise_led_to_a_steep_crash_Heres_what_went_wrong_and_how_to_avoid_the_same_fate\" >Scaling SEO with AI? Beware the risks. One site\u2019s rapid rise led to a steep crash. Here\u2019s what went wrong and how to avoid the same fate.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#When_the_party_ends\" >When the party ends<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#The_cause_behind_the_effect\" >The cause behind the effect<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Templated_content_and_duplication\" >Templated content and duplication\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Site_authority\" >Site authority<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#User_engagement\" >User engagement\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Misusing_the_Google_Indexing_API\" >Misusing the Google Indexing API\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#The_problem_with_scaling_fast_using_high-risk_strategies\" >The problem with scaling fast using high-risk strategies\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#How_to_do_it_differently\" >How to do it differently\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Start_with_the_goal_in_mind\" >Start with the goal in mind<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Focus_on_creating_helpful_unique_content_even_if_templated\" >Focus on creating helpful, unique content (even if templated)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Avoid_over-reliance_on_AI\" >Avoid over-reliance on AI\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Prioritize_brand\" >Prioritize brand\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-how-one-site-tanked-and-what-you-can-learn\/#Avoid_clear_violations_of_Googles_guidelines\" >Avoid clear violations of Google\u2019s guidelines<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Scaling_SEO_with_AI_Beware_the_risks_One_sites_rapid_rise_led_to_a_steep_crash_Heres_what_went_wrong_and_how_to_avoid_the_same_fate\"><\/span>Scaling SEO with AI? Beware the risks. One site\u2019s rapid rise led to a steep crash. Here\u2019s what went wrong and how to avoid the same fate.<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>AI has made it easier than ever to scale SEO fast \u2013 but with it comes high risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens when the party is over and short-term wins become long-term losses?<\/p>\n<p>Recently, I worked with a site that had expanded aggressively using AI-powered programmatic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It worked until it didn\u2019t, resulting in a steep decline in rankings, which I doubt they will recover.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not worth the fallout when the party is over. And, eventually, it will be.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are the lessons learned along the way and ways to approach things differently.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-the-party-ends\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_the_party_ends\"><\/span>When the party ends<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The risks of AI-driven content strategies aren\u2019t always im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely apparent. In this case, the signs were there long before rankings collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>This client came to us after reading my last article on the impact of the August 2024 Google core update.<\/p>\n<p> Their results were declining rapidly, and they wanted us to audit the site to shed some light on why this might be happening.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The August 2023 core update first impacted the site, followed by even deeper losses after the helpful content update.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These weren\u2019t just temporary ranking fluctuations \u2013 they signaled a deeper problem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"700\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Anonymous client - SEO performance 2023-2024\" class=\"wp-image-452835\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024.png.webp 1334w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-600x315.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-800x420.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-200x105.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-768x403.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024.png.webp\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024.png.webp\" alt=\"Anonymous client - SEO performance 2023-2024\" class=\"wp-image-452835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024.png.webp 1334w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-600x315.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-800x420.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-200x105.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-SEO-performance-2023-2024-768x403.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Obviously, for a website whose primary channel was SEO, this had a detrimental effect on revenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first step was to evaluate the impact we were seeing here.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is the site still ranking for relevant queries and simply dropping in positions?<\/li>\n<li>Or has it lost queries alongside clicks?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019m a fan of Daniel Foley Carter\u2019s framework for evaluating impact as slippage or devaluation, which is made easy by his SEO Stack tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As he puts it:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cQuery counting is useful to evaluate if a page is suffering from devaluation or slippage \u2013 which is ideal if your site gets spanked by HCU \/ E-E-A-T infused Core Updates.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The two scenarios are quite different and have different implications:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Slippage<\/strong>: The page maintains query counts, but clicks drop out.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Devaluation<\/strong>: The page queries decrease simultaneously as queries drop to lower position groups.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Slippage means the content is still valuable, but Google has deprioritized it in favor of stronger competitors or intent shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Devaluation is far more severe \u2013 Google now sees the content as low-quality or irrelevant.<\/p>\n<p>We analyzed a sample of the top revenue-driving pages to understand if there is a pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Out of the 30 pages analyzed, more than 80% lost their total query counts and positions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the page below was the best performer in both traffic and revenue. The query drop was severe.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"997\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Webpage analysis - query drop\" class=\"wp-image-452836\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-542x338.png.webp 542w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-800x499.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-181x113.png.webp 181w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-768x479.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-1536x957.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"997\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop.png.webp\" alt=\"Webpage analysis - query drop\" class=\"wp-image-452836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-542x338.png.webp 542w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-800x499.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-181x113.png.webp 181w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-768x479.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Webpage-analysis-query-drop-1536x957.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>It is evident that most pages have been devalued, and the website as a whole was seen as being of low quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-cause-behind-the-effect\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_cause_behind_the_effect\"><\/span>The cause behind the effect<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The client had not received a manual penalty \u2013 so what triggered the decline?<\/p>\n<p>A combination of low-quality signals and scaled content strategies made their site appear spammy in Google\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dig into the biggest red flags we found:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Templated content and duplication.<\/li>\n<li>Low site authority signals.<\/li>\n<li>Inflated user engagement.<\/li>\n<li>Misuse of Google\u2019s Indexing API.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-templated-content-and-duplication-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Templated_content_and_duplication\"><\/span>Templated content and duplication\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The website in question had excessive templated content with significant duplication, making Google (and me) think the pages were produced using poor AI-enabled programmatic strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the first things we checked was how much of the site\u2019s content was duplicated.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, Screaming Frog didn\u2019t flag this as a major problem, even at a 70% duplication. Siteliner is what gave us better results \u2013 over 90% duplication.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Considering what I saw in the manual check of several pages, this was no surprise. Those pages were super similar.<\/p>\n<p>Each piece had a clear template they were following, and there was only minimal differentiation between the content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When asked, the client denied using automation but said AI was used. However, they insisted their content underwent QA and editorial review.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the data told a different story.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-site-authority\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Site_authority\"><\/span>Site authority<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>From the Google API leak, the DOJ trial, and insights from a recent Google exploit, we know that Google uses some form of site authority signal.<\/p>\n<p>According to the exploit, the quality score is based on:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brand visibility (e.g., branded searches).<\/li>\n<li>User interactions (e.g., clicks).<\/li>\n<li>Anchor text relevance around the web.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Relying on short-term strategies can tank your site\u2019s reputation and score.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Brand signals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To understand the impact on our new client, we first looked at the impact on brand search vs. non-brand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As suspected, non-brand keywords nose-dived.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"752\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Anonymous client - non-brand performance\" class=\"wp-image-452837\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand.png.webp 1214w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-546x338.png.webp 546w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-800x496.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-182x113.png.webp 182w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-768x476.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1214px) 100vw, 1214px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand.png.webp\" alt=\"Anonymous client - non-brand performance\" class=\"wp-image-452837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand.png.webp 1214w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-546x338.png.webp 546w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-800x496.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-182x113.png.webp 182w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-brand-search-vs.-non-brand-768x476.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1214px) 100vw, 1214px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brand was less affected.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"998\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Anonymous client - branded search performance\" class=\"wp-image-452838\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-542x338.png.webp 542w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-800x499.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-181x113.png.webp 181w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-768x479.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-1536x958.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"998\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance.png.webp\" alt=\"Anonymous client - branded search performance\" class=\"wp-image-452838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-542x338.png.webp 542w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-800x499.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-181x113.png.webp 181w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-768x479.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-branded-search-performance-1536x958.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is expected since branded keywords are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly considered more secure than non-brand ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After all, the intent there is strong. Those users search for your brand with a clear intention to engage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It also often takes some time to see the impact of branded keywords.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many users searching for a specific brand are repeat visitors, and their search behavior is less sensitive to short-term ranking fluctuations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finally, brand traffic is more influenced by broader marketing efforts \u2013 such as paid ads, email campaigns, or offline marketing.<\/p>\n<p>But something else stood out \u2013 the brand\u2019s visibility didn\u2019t match its historical traffic trends.<\/p>\n<p>We analyzed their branded search trajectory vs. overall traffic, and the findings were telling:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Their brand recognition was remarkably low relative to traffic volume, even when considering that GSC samples data on a filtered report.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Despite their improved visibility and active social presence, branded searches showed no meaningful growth curve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We know that Google uses some type of authority metrics for websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many SEO tools have their own equivalents that try to emulate how this is tracked. One example is Moz, with its Domain Authority (DA) and, recently, Brand Authority (BA) metrics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The DA score has been around for ages. While Moz says it is a combination of various factors, in my experience, the main driver is the website\u2019s link profile.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>BA, on the other hand, is a metric launched in 2023. It relates to a brand\u2019s broader online influence and focuses on the strength of a website\u2019s branded search terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear: I\u2019m not convinced that DA or BA are anywhere close to how Google ranks websites. They are third-party metrics, not confirmed ranking signals. And they should never be used as KPIs!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, the pattern seen for this client when looking at the brand data in GSC reminded me of the two metrics, particularly the recent <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/blog\/helpful-content-update-not-what-you-think\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moz study on the impact of HCU<\/a> (and the subsequent core website updates).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The study suggests that HCU might focus more on balancing brand authority with domain authority rather than solely assessing the subjective helpfulness of content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Websites with high DA but low BA (relative to their DA) tend to experience demotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While the metrics are not to be taken as ranking signals, I can see the logic here.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If your website has a ton of links, but no one is searching for your brand, it will look fishy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This aligns with Google\u2019s longstanding goal to prevent \u201cover-optimized\u201d or \u201cover-SEOed\u201d sites from ranking well if they lack genuine user interest or navigational demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google Search Console already pointed toward an issue with brand perception.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to see if the DA\/BA analysis pointed the same way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"854\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Anonymous client - DA and BA scores\" class=\"wp-image-452839\" style=\"width:601px;height:auto\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores.png.webp 1200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-475x338.png.webp 475w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-800x569.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-159x113.png.webp 159w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-768x547.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"854\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores.png.webp\" alt=\"Anonymous client - DA and BA scores\" class=\"wp-image-452839\" style=\"width:601px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores.png.webp 1200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-475x338.png.webp 475w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-800x569.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-159x113.png.webp 159w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-DA-and-BA-scores-768x547.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The DA for this client\u2019s website was high, while the BA was remarkably low. This made the website\u2019s BA\/DA ratio very high, approximately 1.93.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The site had a high DA due to SEO efforts but a low BA (indicating limited genuine brand interest or demand).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This imbalance made the site appear \u201cover-optimized\u201d to Google with little brand demand or user loyalty.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: 13 questions to diagnose and resolve declining organic traffic<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-user-engagement-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"User_engagement\"><\/span>User engagement\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The next step was to dig into user engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We first compared organic users in GA4 \u2013 six months before and after the August 2023 update.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"304\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Anonymous client - user engagement\" class=\"wp-image-452840\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-600x114.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-800x152.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-200x38.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-768x146.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-1536x292.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"304\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement.png.webp\" alt=\"Anonymous client - user engagement\" class=\"wp-image-452840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-600x114.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-800x152.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-200x38.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-768x146.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-1536x292.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Traffic was down for both new and returning users, but many of the engagement indicators were up, except for event counts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Was it simply that fewer visitors were coming to the site, but those who reached it found the content more valuable than before?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To dig deeper, we looked at an individual page that lost rankings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"232\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Anonymous client - user engagement for individual pages\" class=\"wp-image-452841\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages.png.webp 1200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-600x116.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-800x155.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-200x39.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-768x148.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"232\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages.png.webp\" alt=\"Anonymous client - user engagement for individual pages\" class=\"wp-image-452841\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages.png.webp 1200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-600x116.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-800x155.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-200x39.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Anonymous-client-user-engagement-for-individual-pages-768x148.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Their strongest performing page pre-update revealed:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Engaged sessions were up 1,000%.<\/li>\n<li>The engagement rate increased 2,000%.<\/li>\n<li>Bounce rate dropped by 89%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(<strong>Note<\/strong>: While these metrics can be useful in cases like this, they shouldn\u2019t be fully trusted. Bounce rate, in particular, is tricky. A high bounce rate doesn\u2019t necessarily mean a page isn\u2019t useful, and it can be easily manipulated. Tracking meaningful engagement through custom events and audience data is a better approach.)<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, these might seem like positive signs \u2013 but in reality, these numbers were likely artificially inflated.<\/p>\n<p>Strategies such as click manipulation are not new. However, with the findings from Google\u2019s API leak and exploit data, I fear they can become more tempting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Both the leak and the API have caused a misunderstanding of what engagement signals mean as part of how Google ranks websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From my understanding, how NavBoost tracks clicks is much more complex. It\u2019s not just about the number of clicks it\u2019s about the quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is why <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hexdocs.pm\/google_api_content_warehouse\/0.4.0\/GoogleApi.ContentWarehouse.V1.Model.QualityNavboostCrapsCrapsData.html\">attributes from the leak<\/a> include elements such as badClicks, goodClicks, and\u00a0 lastLongestClicks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"824\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Google leak - Clicks attributes\" class=\"wp-image-452842\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-600x309.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-800x412.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-200x103.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-768x396.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-1536x791.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"824\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes.png.webp\" alt=\"Google leak - Clicks attributes\" class=\"wp-image-452842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-600x309.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-800x412.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-200x103.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-768x396.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Google-leak-Clicks-attributes-1536x791.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>And, as Candour\u2019s Mark Williams-Cook <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_AQ9UDqES80\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said at the recent Search Norwich<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cIf your site has a meteoric rise, but no one has heard of you \u2013 it looks fishy.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Inflating engagement signals rather than focusing on real engagement will not yield long-term results.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Using this strategy after the drop just confirms why the rankings should have dropped in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, the rankings kept declining for this client despite the short-term spikes in engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>(<strong>Note<\/strong>: We could have also looked at other factors, such as spikes in user locations and IP analysis. However, the goal wasn\u2019t to catch the client using risky strategies or place blame \u2013 it was to help them avoid those mistakes in the future.)<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-misusing-the-google-indexing-api-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Misusing_the_Google_Indexing_API\"><\/span>Misusing the Google Indexing API\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Even before starting this project, I spotted some red flags.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One major issue was the misuse of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/apis\/indexing-api\/v3\/quickstart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Indexing API<\/a> in Search Console to speed up indexing.<\/p>\n<p>This is only intended for job posting sites and websites hosting live-streamed events.<\/p>\n<p>We also know that the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-updates-indexing-api-spam-detection-38056.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">submissions undergo rigorous spam detection<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While Google has said misuse won\u2019t directly hurt rankings, it was another signal that the site was engaging in high-risk tactics.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-problem-with-scaling-fast-using-high-risk-strategies-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_problem_with_scaling_fast_using_high-risk_strategies\"><\/span>The problem with scaling fast using high-risk strategies\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In 2024, Google updated its Spam policy to reflect a broader understanding of content spam.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What used to be a section on \u201cspammy automatically generated content\u201d is now bundled into the section on\u00a0 \u201cscaled content abuse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"755\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Spammy automatically generated content\" class=\"wp-image-452843\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-600x283.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-800x378.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-200x94.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-768x362.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-1536x725.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"755\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content.png.webp\" alt=\"Spammy automatically generated content\" class=\"wp-image-452843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-600x283.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-800x378.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-200x94.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-768x362.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Spammy-automatically-generated-content-1536x725.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Google\u2019s spam policies (February 2024) via <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240229223741\/https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wayback Machine<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"719\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Scaled content abuse\" class=\"wp-image-452845\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-600x270.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-800x360.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-200x90.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-768x345.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-1536x690.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"719\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse.png.webp\" alt=\"Scaled content abuse\" class=\"wp-image-452845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-600x270.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-800x360.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-200x90.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-768x345.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-content-abuse-1536x690.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Google\u2019s current spam policies<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Google has shifted its focus from <strong>how<\/strong> content is generated to <strong>why<\/strong> and <strong>for whom<\/strong> it is created.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The scale of production and the intent behind it now play a key role in determining spam.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mass-producing low-value content \u2013 whether AI-generated, automated, or manually created \u2013 is, and should be, considered spam.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, in January 2025, Google updated the Search Quality Rater Guidelines to align with this approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Among other changes, the Page Quality Lowest and Low sections were revised.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Notably, a new section on Scaled Content Abuse was introduced, reflecting elements of the Spam Policy and reinforcing Google\u2019s stance on mass-produced, low-value content.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1494\" height=\"176\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Scaled Content Abuse - SQRG update\" class=\"wp-image-452846\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update.png.webp 1494w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-600x71.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-800x94.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-200x24.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-768x90.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1494px) 100vw, 1494px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1494\" height=\"176\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update.png.webp\" alt=\"Scaled Content Abuse - SQRG update\" class=\"wp-image-452846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update.png.webp 1494w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-600x71.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-800x94.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-200x24.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/Scaled-Content-Abuse-SQRG-update-768x90.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1494px) 100vw, 1494px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This client didn\u2019t receive a manual action, but it was clear that Google had flagged the site as Lower quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scaling fast in this way is unsustainable, and it also opens up wider challenges and responsibilities for us as web users.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I recently had someone in the industry share a brilliant metaphor for the danger of the proliferation of AI-generated content:<\/p>\n<p>For the tons of people pumping out AI content with minimal oversight \u2013 they\u2019re just peeing in the community pool.<\/p>\n<p>Ingesting vast amounts of text only to regurgitate similar material as a modern equivalent of old-school article-spinning (a popular spam tactic of the early 2000s).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It clutters the digital space with low-value content and dilutes trust in online information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Personally, that\u2019s not where I\u2019d want the web to go.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-do-it-differently-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_do_it_differently\"><\/span>How to do it differently\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The rise of AI has accelerated programmatic SEO and the push to scale quickly, but just because it\u2019s easy doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the right approach.<\/p>\n<p>If I had been involved from the beginning, I know I would have taken a different approach. But would that mean the strategy no longer qualifies as programmatic? Likely.<\/p>\n<p>Can AI-powered programmatic SEO truly scale effectively? Honestly, I\u2019m not sure.<\/p>\n<p>What I do know is that there are valuable lessons to take away.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few insights from this project and the advice I would have given if this client had worked with us from the start.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-start-with-the-goal-in-mind\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Start_with_the_goal_in_mind\"><\/span>Start with the goal in mind<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve all heard it before, yet some still miss the point: No matter how you scale, the goal should always be to serve users, not search engines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>SEO should be a byproduct of great content \u2013 not the goal.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, the client\u2019s objective was unclear, but the data suggested they were mass-producing pages just to rank.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not a strategy I would have recommended.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-focus-on-creating-helpful-unique-content-even-if-templated\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Focus_on_creating_helpful_unique_content_even_if_templated\"><\/span>Focus on creating helpful, unique content (even if templated)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The issue wasn\u2019t the use of templates, but the lack of meaningful differentiation and information gain.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re scaling through programmatic SEO, make sure those pages truly serve users. Here are a few ways to do that:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensure each programmatic page offers a unique user benefit, such as expert commentary or real stories.<\/li>\n<li>Use dynamic content blocks instead of repeating templates.<\/li>\n<li>Incorporate data-driven insights and user-generated content (UGC).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Personally, I love using UGC as a way to scale quickly without sacrificing quality, triggering spam signals, or polluting the digital ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tory Gray shares some great examples of this approach in our SEOs Getting Coffee podcast.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rll-youtube-player\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B3CPmvpl3UA\" data-id=\"B3CPmvpl3UA\" data-query=\"start=665&amp;feature=oembed\" data-alt=\"Scaling SEO with Tory Gray | SEOs Getting Coffee EP. 18\"><\/div>\n<p><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Scaling SEO with Tory Gray | SEOs Getting Coffee EP. 18\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B3CPmvpl3UA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-avoid-over-reliance-on-ai-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Avoid_over-reliance_on_AI\"><\/span>Avoid over-reliance on AI\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>AI has incredible potential when used responsibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over-reliance is a risk to sustainable business growth and impacts the broader web.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, the client\u2019s data strongly suggested their content was AI-generated and automatically created. It lacked depth and differentiation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They should have blended AI with human expertise, incorporating real insights, case studies, and industry knowledge.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-prioritize-brand-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prioritize_brand\"><\/span>Prioritize brand\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Invest in brand-building before and alongside SEO because authority matters.<\/p>\n<p>Long-term success comes from building brand recognition, not just chasing rankings.<\/p>\n<p>This client\u2019s brand had low recognition, and its branded search traffic showed no natural growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was clear SEO had taken priority over brand development.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Strengthening brand authority also means diversifying acquisition channels and reinforcing user signals beyond Google rankings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a time when AI Overviews are absorbing traffic, this can be the difference between thriving and shutting down.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-avoid-clear-violations-of-google-s-guidelines\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Avoid_clear_violations_of_Googles_guidelines\"><\/span>Avoid clear violations of Google\u2019s guidelines<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Some Google guidelines are open to interpretation, but many are not. Don\u2019t push your luck.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ignoring them won\u2019t work and will only contribute to tanking your domain.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, rankings dropped \u2013 likely for good \u2013 because the client\u2019s practices conflicted with Google\u2019s policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They misused the Google Indexing API, sending spam signals to Google. Their engagement metrics showed unnatural spikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And those were just a few red flags. The party was over, and all that remained was a burned domain.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: How to analyze and fix traffic drops: A 7-step framework<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n<p>About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http: alt=\"Emina Demiri-Watson\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/10\/Emina-Demiri-Watson.jpeg.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/10\/Emina-Demiri-Watson.jpeg.webp\" alt=\"Emina Demiri-Watson\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Emina Demiri-Watson<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto twitter\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fsearchengineland.com%2F&amp;region=follow_link&amp;screen_name=DemiriE&amp;tw_p=followbutton&amp;variant=2.0\" rel=\"me\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-x-twitter\"><\/i><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emina-demiri\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tEmina has over a decade of experience in digital marketing and describes herself as &#8220;too curious to specialize,&#8221; and a \u201cfirm believer in the value of full-stack marketers\u201d. Her passion for SEO stems from its unique blend of technical, analytical, and creative elements, aligning perfectly with her skills. As the Head of Digital Marketing at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vixendigital.com\/\">Brighton-based digital marketing agency Vixen Digital<\/a>, Emina champions channel alignment, a consultative approach to client relationships and being data-driven as well as data-realistic. Throughout her career, she has led multichannel teams and delivered undeniable results to a wide range of businesses. Emina actively contributes to the industry as a published author, a mentor in groups such as Women in Technical SEO, an event speaker and a co-host of the &#8220;SEOs Getting Coffee&#8221; podcast. Her collaborative spirit and enthusiasm for knowledge-sharing also make her a regular guest on industry podcasts.\u00a0\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/seo-shortcuts-gone-wrong-452831\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scaling SEO with AI? Beware the risks. One site\u2019s rapid rise led to a steep crash. Here\u2019s what went wrong and how to avoid the same fate. AI has made it easier than ever to scale SEO fast \u2013 but with it comes high risk.\u00a0 What happens when the party is over and short-term wins&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":655541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/02\/SEO-shortcuts-gone-wrong-How-one-site-tanked-\u2013-and-what-you-can-learn.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[26293,78070],"class_list":["post-655540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-google","tag-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}