BLOG

Have you noticed a change in the SPAM comments you're receiving on your website or blog? Over the past two weeks, I've been hit hard and I can tell the SEO crowd is scrambling to combat Google's new `Panda' algorithm. Because original, quality content is now being rewarded in search engine results, some popular methods of search engine marketing (SEM) are no longer effective. Those unsavoury characters trading on SPAM comments are going down swinging. Here are some of the new tactics I've discovered on my own blog.

Plagiarism: The new SPAM tool
If you check out the second comment (boxed in orange) in my moderation queue, you'll see a reference to Junta42, Joe Pulizzi's company. Joe is the founder of the Content Marketing Institute and publisher of Chief Content Officer magazine. I was thrilled to see he'd left a comment on my blog – except he hadn't. I plugged the comment into a plagiarism checker and discovered it was part of a blog Joe wrote over a year ago called, How Much Should Brands Pay for Content Marketing. It's the first time I've seen a SPAMMER work so hard.

Obviously, whoever scraped Joe's site to leave a comment on my post was putting some thought into what they were doing. I checked out the link to the website left by the SPAMMER and assumed the company must not be aware the SEM outfit they'd employed was up to no good. Being a good citizen, I filled out their contact form to let them know. The reply I got back leads me to believe they're in it up to their eyeballs.

hi,

BEST REGARDS!

I take no joy in the fact they'll remove me from their SPAM target list and continue on. I would never buy any of their products.

New SPAM techniques
Earlier this year I wrote a post on spotting SPAM comments. With the new release of Google putting pressure on the SPAMMERs, new techniques are in play.

• Volume
  The increase in SPAM has more than doubled on my blog. Just when I thought it would diminish due to Google's focus on original content, the SPAMMERS have stepped up their game.
• Copycat
  Many of the SPAM comments I'm receiving are doing a cut/paste on my own copy. Most of the time it's from the same post but sometimes it's from another article on my blog.
• Broken English
  Because Google is now expecting real content, many SPAMMERS are trying to write their own comments. It's obvious some of these people have little or no command of the English language and are too lazy to use Google translator.
• HTML Dump
  I'm flummoxed by comments containing dozens of lines of HTML code. Maybe they think no one will figure out it's a blatant attempt to get backlinks?
• Friendly comments
  "Lindsey" left this comment on a post called 9 Tips That Improved My Blog:

  Hello, I just wanted to say that your blog has been really useful for me..
  I need all the help I can get, lol.. Thnx

  If you follow her link, it seems Lindsey is running a nasty little online pharmacy with no blog attached. I'm not laughing out loud or feeling the love.

Want traffic? Get content
Google's new focus on content has the SPAMMERS scrambling to support a sinking model. They're getting more sophisticated in fighting a losing battle. Of course, the harder it becomes to leave SPAM comments and secure unearned backlinks, the more these cretins are going to charge their customers. A wiser investment would be developing your own content to attract search engines and prospective customers.

What changes have you noticed in SPAM?

Subscribe
Subscribe here to have new posts from the Global Copywriting Blog delivered by email.