Google: Recent Spammy Content In Search Results Unrelated To Other Google Updates

Jan 20, 2016 - 8:00 am 11 — by

google hack algorithm

Earlier this month, we reported that more and more searchers and webmasters are spotting hacked content in Google. The truth is, the chatter around spammy or hacked content has recently grown in the past couple weeks. Some suspect, and I was one of them, that potentially it has to do with the two core updates this weekend and the weekend before or any other update like the Payday loan update but John Mueller from Google said it's not.

John said on Twitter that "no, that sounds more coincidental" than related to any core updates.

The question and answer are embedded here:

Gary Illyes also backed what John Mueller was saying later on on Twitter.

So no, there was no Payday Loan update and it sounds like John is saying that if you are seeing more hacked or spammy content, it is unrelated to any update Google has done, including core updates.

Maybe spammers are getting busy...

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Google Search Volatility

More Details

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google Updates

Google September 2026 Spam Update Has Been Unleashed

Sep 24, 2026 - 12:27 pm
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google Video Schema Gets Creator Property & Updated interactionStatistic

Sep 24, 2026 - 11:12 am
Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: September 24, 2026

Sep 24, 2026 - 10:00 am
Google Updates

Google Search Ranking Volatility Hits September 23rd & 24th

Sep 24, 2026 - 7:51 am
Google Maps

Google Business Profiles Tests Set Your Hours Automatically

Sep 24, 2026 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Budget Recommendation Change With Forecast

Sep 24, 2026 - 7:31 am
Previous Story: Google Shows AMP Error Report In Google Search Console