Understanding the Impact of the August Spam Update on Shopify Store Content and SEO Performance
In recent weeks, many eCommerce store owners have observed notable fluctuations in search engine rankings and organic traffic. For small business entrepreneurs managing online storefronts, particularly those utilizing platforms like Shopify, these changes can be perplexing and concerning. This article delves into the potential relationship between Google’s August spam update and issues related to duplicate content and indexing, offering insights and actionable steps for resolution.
Background: The Situation of a Shopify-Based Small Business
Consider a small business specializing in made-to-order apparel within the eCommerce sector. Over the years, the owner has invested significant effort into optimizing their website for search engines, focusing on creating targeted pages for various products and locations. Recently, however, they experienced a substantial drop in search visibility, despite previous success in ranking for several keywords.
An initial assessment revealed that a significant portion of the website’s pages—approximately 11,500 out of 12,427—are not indexed by Google. This discrepancy raises questions about what might have caused such a decline and whether recent algorithm updates, such as the August spam update, are influencing these changes.
Analyzing the Core Issue: Non-Indexed Pages and Duplicate Content
A deeper dive into the website’s structure identified several key points:
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Not-Indexed Pages: Over half of the non-indexed pages are marked as alternate versions, each containing proper canonical tags. Many of these are outdated or redundant pages, such as old product listings that no longer exist.
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404 Error Pages: Numerous non-indexed URLs result from previous products that have been removed, leading to 404 errors.
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Location-Based Variants: The remaining pages often include location-specific URLs, such as those referring to different countries or regions (e.g., ‘nz’, ‘us’), which are a common SEO practice but can sometimes trigger indexing issues if not handled correctly.
The central concern is whether Google’s recent filtering or penalization mechanisms, possibly influenced by the August spam update, are targeting these duplicate or thin pages, or whether additional technical adjustments are necessary.
Impact of Google’s August Spam Update
Google’s spam updates aim to combat manipulative or low-quality content, often resulting in the suppression or devaluation of pages that violate best practices—such as duplicate content, thin content, or improperly configured canonical tags. While these updates are generally beneficial in maintaining search quality, they can inadvertently impact legitimate eCommerce pages, especially those with duplicate or similar content across multiple location