Understanding and Addressing High Spam Scores on a New Website
Launching a new website is an exciting endeavor, but it can sometimes come with unexpected challenges—such as a high spam score. Recently, a web owner shared their experience with a newly launched site that exhibited a spam score of 56%, despite adhering strictly to ethical SEO practices. This post aims to explore potential causes of elevated spam scores and outline actionable strategies to mitigate them, ensuring your website maintains a healthy and authoritative online presence.
Identifying the Root Causes of Elevated Spam Scores
A high spam score can be alarming, especially for a nascent website. In this case, the site owner had only been publishing content for approximately three weeks, indicating that traditional SEO efforts had not yet been a significant factor. Upon investigation, several potential contributors were identified:
-
Third-Party Backlink Services: The owner discovered that certain backlink building companies had incorporated their domain into their link schemes. Such associations can inflate spam scores, especially if the backlinks are from low-quality or unrelated sources.
-
Historical Domain Usage: It’s also noted that an influencer previously used the same domain from around 2016 to 2021. Although details are uncertain, residual associations with past content or activities can influence perception signals used by search engines and spam detection tools.
Recommended Steps to Improve Your Website’s Spam Score
-
Audit Your Backlink Profile:
Utilize reputable SEO tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to analyze your backlinks. Identify and disavow any links from low-quality or spammy sources that may have been established through third-party services. -
Remove or Disavow Suspicious Links:
If you find backlinks that could harm your site’s reputation, use Google’s Disavow Tool to instruct search engines not to consider these links in ranking calculations. -
Build High-Quality Content and Backlinks:
Focus on creating valuable, original content that naturally attracts reputable backlinks. Engage with industry communities, guest posting, and earning backlinks organically to establish authority. -
Monitor Domain History and Clean Up Past Associations:
Use tools like the Wayback Machine or domain history checkers to understand previous usage. If necessary, consider rebranding or adding additional domain suffixes to differentiate your site from past associations. -
Avoid Black-Hat SEO Practices:
Steer clear of manipulative tactics like spammy link exchanges, keyword stuffing, or cloaking, which can exacerbate