What is the SPAM Score in SEO?
SPAM Score is a metric developed by Moz to assess the likelihood of a website being penalized or deindexed by search engines. It is based on 27 spam signals that indicate unnatural or low-quality SEO practices.
SPAM Score is measured on a 0-100% scale:
0-100% scale:
✅ 0-30% (Low Risk):: Safe, minimal chances of penalties.
⚠️ minimal chances of penalties.
⚠️ 31-60% (Medium Risk): Some risk; n: Some risk; needs improvement.
❌ 61-100% (High Risk):: High chance of penalties; urgent action required.
How to Check Your SPAM Score?
You can check your website’s SPAM Score using:
Moz Link Explorer
MozBar (Chrome Extension)
Why Does SPAM Score Increase in SEO?
A high SPAM Score occurs when Moz detects multiple spam signals that resemble low-quality or manipulative SEO tactics.
1. Toxic Backlinks
❌ Links from PBNs, link farms, or penalized sites.
⚠️ Too many backlinks from low-quality, irrelevant sources.
🔗 Link farms, or penalized sites.
⚠️ Too many backlinks from low-quality, irrelevant sources.
🔗 Excessive exact-match anchor texts in backlinks.
2. Thin or Duplicate Content
📄 Publishing low-value, copied, or AI-generated content.
⚠️ Having multiple pages with duplicate or near-duplicate or near-duplicate content.
🚫 Overusing ing keyword stuffing.
3. Over-Optimized On-Page SEO
📢 Keyword stuffing in titles, meta descriptions, or headers.
🤖 Using automated content spinning.
🔗 Overuse of internal links with unnatural anchor texts.
4. Poor UX & Technical Issues
🐌 Slow-loading pages and high bounce rates.
🔄 Excessive pop-ups, intrusive ads, or misleading CTAs.
🛑 Broken links, bad navigation, or excessive redirects.
5. High External Link Ratio
🛑 Broken links, bad navigation, or excessive redirects.
⚠️ Too many outbound links to low-quality sites.
🚫 Linking to spammy or unrelated spammy or unrelated websites.
💰 Selling links without nofollow/sponsored attributes.
6. Exact Match Domains (EMDs) with Low Authority
📛 Having a keyword-stuffed stuffed domain (e.g., bestcheapshoes.com) with weak content.
⚖️EMDs aren’t inherently inherently bad but can increase SPAM Scores if misused.
7. Fake Business Listings & Citations
📍 Using inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) data.
📑 Listing on low-quality directories.
⭐ Fake or paid reviews can also raise the SPAM Score.
8. Manipulative SEO Tactics
💰 Buying backlinks or engaging in black hat SEO.
🎭 Using cloaking, doorway pages, or hidden text.
🔄 Auto-generating pages just to manipulate rankings.
How to Reduce SPAM Score?
If your web website has a high SPAM Score, follow these steps to fix it:
1. Remove Toxic Backlinks
🔍 Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to analyze backlinks.
🚫 Identify spammy links (PBNs, link farms, irrelevant sites).
⚙️ Use Google’s Disavow Tool to remove harmful backlinks.
2. Improve Content Quality
📝 Eliminate duplicate, thin, or AI-generated content.
📌 Follow E-E-A-T guidelines (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
✅ Publish unique, high-quality, and valuable content.
3. Optimize On-Page SEO
⚠️ Avoid keyword stuffing and unnatural anchor texts.
🔗 Maintain a clean clean internal linking structure.
🌍 Use SEO-friendly URLs.
4. Fix Technical SEO Issues
📂 Ensure clear navigation & site & site structure.
🚀 Avoid slow-loading page slow-loading pages, broken links, and excessive redirects.
🔒 Use HTTPS and maintain proper excessive redirects.
🔒 Maintain a proper robots.txt & sitemap.xml.
5. Improve Domain Authority (DA)
🔗 Get high-quality backlinks from reputable reputable sources.
📰 Engage in guest posting, digital PR, and social media marketing.
6. Avoid Over-Optimization
❌ Don’t overuse exact–match anchor texts in backlinks.
⚖️ Keep link-building natural and avoid buying links.
7. Maintain a Healthy Website
📊 Regularly audit your site with Google Search Console & & SEO tools.
📈 Keep monitoring your SPAM Score in Moz and take proactive measures. Take proactive measures.
Would you like a detailed backlink audit guide to help lower your SPAM Score? 🚀
How could you fix it?
To reduce SPAM Score, focus on:
✅ Cleaning up toxic backlinks
✅ Improving content quality
✅ Following ethical SEO practices
Need a step-by-step guide to fix your SPAM Score? Let me know! 🚀