Google made a really small change to its spam policies documentation to say, “In the context of Google Search, spam refers to techniques used to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems into ranking content highly.”
It previously read, “In the context of Google Search, spam is web content that’s designed to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems in order to rank highly.”
The change is subtle but here is a screenshot – so you can see it more clearly:
Why the change? Well, Google has been making these subtle changes in their docs for some time. As Glenn Gabe noted from the Google Search Central Live NYC event – Danny Sullivan said that Google is updating its documents to make it clearer that Google looks at “spam practices rather than spam content.”
As Glenn Gabe shared on X, Sullivan “emphasized that Google’s spam policies are based on curbing abusive “practices” than than types of content. This change to the doc makes sense based on that. See my photo from the Google Search Live event last week in NYC.”
BTW, @searchliaison emphasized that Google’s spam policies are based on curbing abusive “practices” than than types of content. This change to the doc makes sense based on that. See my photo from the Google Search Live event last week in NYC. https://t.co/lpg3xc21ao pic.twitter.com/zqw3bfAOT9
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 26, 2025
Just one more note, around “intent.”
Danny also did said, even if the intent is not to spam, if it is spam, it will be against the guidelines. i.e. you hire someone, they do something for you, you have no idea it is spam – well, it is spam.
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 26, 2025
So this change makes sense based on that but there isn’t really all that much new to learn from this change.
Forum discussion at X.