Ever since the rise of Payday loan companies, there has been a war raged on Google to get to the top for the phrase “payday loans”. The reason? Payday loans are short term loans and as such, have an unusually high APR. Basically, a HUGE interest rate.

As there is a huge interest rate, there is a chance for huge profit. Hence the amount of companies trying to get onto the first page for this phrase. This orgy or competition has gone on unchecked in the Black Hat world of SEO as more and more people are seeking a “quick buck” on Payday Loans as people try to get there and try to get there quickly.

As with all things SEO, the faster you do something, the more likely you are to get penalised. So much so that Google have had to release an new specific algorithm to tackle this.

Indeed, they’re already on their 3rd version of the algorithm. Last week Google updated it to identify and penalise spammy websites. This new version of the algorithm is to detect and combat very spammy queries that aren’t just related to the Payday Loans industry.

For example, queries such as Payday Loans, Casinos, Viagra, Porn. Basically, anything to do with the spammy emails you’ll find in your junk folder of your emails.

Have you noticed any changes on these search terms?

Blog Post by: Greg McVey