Google Link Spam Update (26 July 2021): What Changed and How to Recover

The Google Link Spam Update of July 2021 was announced on 26 July 2021 and completed on 24 August 2021, about 29 days against an initial two-week estimate. It made Google’s systems better at identifying and nullifying link spam across multiple languages, with a reminder to qualify affiliate, sponsored and guest-post links. Spammy links were ignored rather than penalised, so the lost rankings come from lost link credit, and the fix is to earn new links, not to clean up old ones.

This is one of the entries in my full list of Google algorithm updates.

What the Link Spam Update changed

Google said the update made its systems “even more effective at identifying and nullifying link spam more broadly, across multiple languages.” The key word is nullifying. Links Google identifies as spam are not counted. They do not pass ranking credit, but they also do not usually trigger a penalty on their own.

The announcement was as much about link labelling as about the algorithm. Google reminded publishers to use:

• rel=”sponsored” for paid or sponsored links, including advertorials and sponsored posts;
• rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” for affiliate links;
• rel=”ugc” for links in user-generated content such as comments and forum posts.

Google also warned that links in sponsored and guest posts without proper qualification could trigger action. That was aimed at a very common practice in 2021: buying “guest posts” on sites that exist mainly to sell links, with a followed link to the buyer’s site.

Timeline

Who was affected

Google named no specific sites. As reported by the industry, the sites at risk were those relying on paid links, guest-post schemes or unqualified affiliate links, as those links stopped counting. Two groups could be affected:

• Link buyers: sites whose rankings rested on purchased links lost the benefit of those links.
• Link sellers: publishers selling followed links in sponsored or guest posts without qualification, which Google said could trigger action.

Affiliate publishers also had a reason to check their outbound links, since Google specifically mentioned affiliate links in the reminder.

How to tell if the Link Spam Update hit your site

Link devaluation looks different from a content-quality drop. You are looking for losses on the pages that the dubious links pointed to.

1. Compare the right window. In Search Console, compare 12 to 25 July 2021 with 25 August to 7 September 2021. The long rollout means the change may be gradual through August.
2. Map losses to linked pages. Export your top linked pages from Search Console’s Links report (or a backlink tool) and compare them with the pages that lost clicks. A match is a strong signal.
3. Review the links themselves. Look for guest posts on sites that publish anything for anyone, articles with “sponsored” in the URL but followed links, links from private blog networks, exact-match anchor text across many domains, and site-wide footer links.
4. Check Manual actions. An algorithmic link spam update does not show there. If you see “Unnatural links to your site” or “Unnatural links from your site”, that is a manual action with its own process.
5. Separate it from the page experience rollout, which was running the whole time and produced only small, gradual mobile effects.

How to recover from the Link Spam Update

This is the part people get wrong most often. Because Google nullifies spam links rather than penalising them, removing or disavowing them will not bring the lost credit back. That credit was never going to count. The recovery is about stopping the practice and replacing what you lost with links that Google does count.

Rebuilding usually takes this shape:

1. Strengthen the pages that lost. When link support falls away, content quality and relevance carry more weight. Make sure those pages genuinely deserve to rank.
2. Create things worth linking to. Original data, useful tools, detailed guides, local resources, expert commentary.
3. Earn links through relationships. Industry associations, suppliers and partners, local media, real guest contributions where the editorial standard is high and links are qualified where appropriate.
4. Use internal links well. Pass authority from your strongest pages to the ones that need support.
5. Expect it to take months. New links take time to be found and counted.

This is how I approach off-page SEO: no bought links, no networks, just links that would make sense even if Google did not exist.

Is it still relevant today?

Very relevant. The link spam section of Google’s spam policies still describes the practices this update targeted, and Google continues to treat unqualified paid links as spam. The link attributes Google reminded publishers about in July 2021 remain the standard. If you are offered “high DA guest posts” for a fee today, this update is the reason to say no.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Google Search Central Blog: a reminder on qualifying links and our link spam update
• Google Search Status Dashboard: ranking updates history
• Google Search Central: spam policies
• Keywords Everywhere: July 2021 link spam update

If your rankings slipped through August 2021 and you have a history of bought links or guest posts, request a free audit. My SEO audit service reviews your link profile honestly and sets out a plan to rebuild on links that count.