Google, in a recently published episode of its Search Off the Record podcast, discussed the ranking of search results and the identification and filtering of spam.
The rankings of search engine results pages (SERPs) have a significant influence on how often users access a company’s website and information.
This in turn affects lead generation, building and sustaining an online presence, and the overall online prominence of a company’s website.
Therefore, the manner in which Google, as the world’s most-used and largest search engine, ranks search results and defines spam directly impacts online business traffic and resultant activities.
In the mentioned podcast, Gary Illyes explained that Google generates a shortlist of hits based on the entered search parameters.
Shortlisting relies on the relevance and correlation between the search query and the website content.
Google’s applied ranking factors and signals further narrow the shortlisted hits until the display results are selected.
Typically, the first sifting produces a list of roughly 1,000 hits.
Duy Nguyen, a member of Google’s search quality team, confirmed that Google employs machine learning models to filter evident spam.
Nguyen described the machine learning model as “very effective and comprehensive” and elaborated that it allows the search quality team to focus on more complex problems such as online scams and hacked spam.
Google further expressed a high level of confidence in its machine learning models, emphasising that these models use accumulated years of data to detect, filter and prevent spam.
Advertising content, regardless of the industry or market, can easily be classed as spam.
The vice-president and MD of Google UK and Ireland, Ronan Harris, stated that financial services marketers often manoeuvre and exploit online platforms to promote spam and engage users in scams leading to financial losses.
In a bid to guard advertisers, publishers and users, Google is now requesting that financial services advertisers submit to an identity verification process.
This verification process entails the submission of legal identification documents and can be personal identifications, company documents, or other specified and legit documents proving the identity of the advertiser and its region or country of operation.
Financial advertisers in the UK have until the beginning of August 2021 to comply with these verification requirements, which include proof of authorisation by the Financial Conduct Authority of the UK.
Should an advertiser be exempt from the latter-mentioned authorisation, such an advertiser must deliver evidence that it does not market financial services.
Marketing agencies should make their financial services clients aware of this development.
Created content should distinguish and distance companies from spam-associated material.
The Financial Brand, quoting Neil Patel, reported that well-developed and thoughtful content generates leads, educates, initiates interest, and promotes online traffic.
Engaging and partnering with a professional online marketing agency is essential to ensure the creation of customised and unique content that is not classed as spam by Google and other search engines.
Effective online content lays the foundation for all meaningful business advertising and client interactions.
