More traffic to your website should be a good thing. So why have you noticed that quality metrics like engagement rates, time on site, and conversions are dropping at the same time? When this happens, it’s usually a sign that the wrong audience is targeting your site.
We recently encountered this with a client’s webpages: a surge in search traffic, but visitors weren’t engaging normally or matching the target audience. Here’s how our SEO experts investigated and what you can do if it happens to you.
The Spam Backlink Problem (Where it All Began)
The client’s Google Search Console showed impressions for unrelated queries, including piracy and adult (NSFW) content. Clearly, this wasn’t the association the client wanted for their brand.
Most queries came from South Asia, even though the site targets US customers, indicating an external issue; however, this didn’t necessarily mean foul play. Sometimes Google misinterprets unrelated signals online (it happens more than they’d like to admit). But a sudden surge of irrelevant queries can hurt traffic quality.
So, where was Google getting these signals?
Since the client’s site lacked such content, we examined off-site factors: specifically, backlinks.
What Are Backlinks?
Backlinks are links from other sites to yours with anchor text as the clickable words. Both help search engines understand your site, especially when patterns repeat.
Most sites accumulate some odd backlinks due to scrapers and directories; this is normal.
A single bad backlink isn’t a crisis, but patterns matter.
What We Found in the Backlinks
By analyzing the backlinks, we found patterns explaining Google’s confusion about the site’s audience.
It wasn’t just a few spammy links, but nearly a hundred, all seemingly related—enough to turn what might look like isolated spam into a clear, large-scale signal.
Backlink data revealed repeated phrases tied to black-hat SEO, spam backlink sales, and access to hacked sites, with identical Telegram handles appearing multiple times.
What Is Black-hat SEO?
Black-hat SEO manipulates rankings with spammy links and dubious content, associating your site with topics you’d rather avoid.
Different Patterns, Same Problem
These problems continued to happen, but the patterns would change here and there. Sometimes the telegram name attached would change. Other times, the surrounding language in the links openly referred to accessing hacked sites for SEO.
Pages promoted quick rankings, backlink sales, and SEO shortcuts (far from normal editorial links).
Still, as one of our SEO specialists, Atanas Dzhingarov, said, “Spam doesn’t always walk in wearing a flashing sign. Sometimes it puts on a collared shirt first.”
Some links used branded anchors that look harmless at a glance—another common trap.
Branded anchors don’t make bad source pages good. When reviewing backlinks, consider source-page context, topics, dates, and patterns, not just anchor text.
The Cross-Site Check That Clarified Everything
Checking other sites clarified the pattern.
The same spam phrases and source domains appeared across unrelated industries, pointing to a broader spam network rather than individual businesses.
Our client’s site was likely collateral damage in a widespread spam campaign, a hallmark of black-hat SEO.
Why This Matters + What to Check if This Happens to Your Site
Don’t panic over every bad backlink. The key is context: if traffic is up but engagement or conversions drop, investigate further. Check Search Console for mismatched queries and landing pages.
Apply the same scrutiny to backlinks: look for patterns in anchor text, source topics, and timing to distinguish noise from real issues.
If irrelevant queries appear, check your site for hacked pages or junk URLs first.
If your site is clean, review backlinks by grouping similar phrases and checking sources. Compare findings to Google’s link spam policies before responding.
Signs Spam Backlinks Are Hurting Your Traffic
If you’re seeing more than one of the signs below at the same time, it’s worth taking a closer look and investigating your backlink profile more thoroughly.
- Organic traffic is increasing, but conversions are dropping
- Engagement rate and time on site are declining
- You’re ranking for irrelevant or unrelated keywords
- Substantial traffic coming from countries outside your target market
- Google Search Console showing queries that don’t match your business
Google is better at ignoring spam than it used to be, but significant patterns like this point to a bigger problem and shouldn’t be ignored. If your data feels off, look deeper. And if you need a second set of eyes, Uptick Marketing can help you determine what’s noise and what needs action. Contact us today for a comprehensive SEO audit.
