Among the most effective methods of generating traffic on modern sites is SEO optimization, through which users are attracted to the portal from search engine pages, for example, Yandex. This Russian resource, when issuing search results on query pages, in many cases applies filtering to sites using the AGS algorithm. What are its features? How can the appropriate filtering be overcome and thus ensure high site positions in Yandex search rankings?
What is an AGS filter?
AGS is a filter developed by Yandex experts primarily to reduce the likelihood of an increase in the undesirable influence of various factors on the result of processing a search query. Using the appropriate filter, the search system enters the site into the list of unreliable resources, after which its position in the search results decreases due to zeroing the citation index - one of the key indicators that affect the formation of search traffic from Yandex pages.
Sites that can be superimposed by an AGS filter can include, for example, those that sell links - but the list of factors that can trigger the use of a blocking site is much wider. We will consider their essence later in the article.
For now, we will examine in which modifications the considered algorithm of the Yandex search engine is implemented.
Types of AGS filters from Yandex
The first filter of this type began to function in 2006. He received the name AGS-17. What was the reason for the choice of the acronym AGS? The filter, the decoding of the name of which many users are interested in, has received a name corresponding to the class of small arms - an automatic easel grenade launcher. Perhaps this name was chosen by Yandex because of the desire to draw an analogy between a grenade launcher, as a means of ensuring the safety of citizens, and an AGS filter, as a tool to protect online traffic from low-quality sites.
The main capabilities of the AGS-17 solution reflected the Internet development trends relevant for the corresponding period. But over time, the structure of the target audience of many online projects, as well as user behavior, have changed significantly. Therefore, Yandex specialists developed the next filter of the type in question, which began to function in 2009 - AGS-30. According to experts, this solution exceeded the AGS-17 filter in many respects. For example, according to the structure of the formula for calculating unreliable sites, which included about 100 different parameters.
The next development of Yandex in the AGS line was the AGS-40 solution - a filter that began to function in 2013. It implements updated site analysis algorithms, which are included in the Yandex citation index.
In 2015, a new version of the filter appeared - Minusinsk. Subsequently, the algorithm was renamed "AGS". The filter received the simplest name, but many experts call it AGS-2015, since it was in September 2015 that the corresponding modification of the solution was released. What are the fundamentally different versions of the AGS filter considered by us?
First of all, by the number of parameters provided in the formula for calculating a poor-quality site. The general principle by which each Yandex AGS filter works is generally similar in all modifications of the corresponding solution: the algorithm checks the given list of sites with the established frequency, and if any of them is of poor quality, the resource is listed as unreliable. Subsequently, the site is checked again, and if its characteristics improve, the filtering is removed from the portal. True, its citation indices are not restored - they have to be increased again, and it is assumed that the permitted methods of generating traffic will be involved.
Despite the general principles of operation, the operation of the latest algorithms from Yandex - the Minusinsk filter and the AGS version of 2015 - is characterized by a number of features that are noticeably different from those that have the AGS-17 filter, as well as the AGS-40.
What are the features of the Minusinsk filter?
The considered algorithm has been optimized to identify sites that use SEO links to promote. If such a resource was found, Yandex ranked them for a certain period of time - for example, for several months. In this case, a SEO link was a link placed on sites from which users were redirected to a promoted resource. As a rule, they were bought, and therefore traffic was provided, even if the content on the portals was not of too high quality.
The fact that the site fell under the corresponding AGS filter was quite easy to detect: the site’s traffic and position in the results of search query processing on Yandex dropped sharply. At the same time, an option was provided in the interfaces of the corresponding search system, the use of which made it possible to check whether certain restrictions were applied to the portal in terms of ranking. In order to remove them if detected, the administrator should abandon the practice of using SEO links to promote them. After the algorithm of the AGS filter, checking the site once again, found their absence, the restriction was removed.
What are the features of the filter AGS-2015?
The latest Yandex AGS filter is a technological continuation of the Minusinsk algorithm. That is, it also identifies sites that are promoted using SEO links. However, a more modern filter has a peculiarity: it can block, in principle, any sites for which the use of appropriate promotion tools is detected. At the same time, content on relevant resources may be the highest quality.
In fact, this algorithm stimulates the use by webmasters of promotion mechanisms that are not fundamentally related to the purchase of SEO links. If they are detected, the AGS filter will add the site to the list of unreliable resources, and its citation index will be reset to zero. The mechanism for unlocking the portal will be the same as in the case of the work of Minusinsk: it will be necessary to remove SEO links from web pages, and then wait until their absence is detected by the AGS filter.
So, we have studied what an AGS filter is in one or another modification. Now consider a number of practical nuances of website promotion, taking into account the functioning of the corresponding algorithms.
The main reasons for filtering sites using the AGS algorithm
Experts identify the following main reasons why the algorithm developed by Yandex makes sites on the list of those whose indexation is reset.
First of all, the AGS filter is triggered if there is obviously poor-quality, non-unique content copied from other sources on the portal. If the Yandex search robot discovers that there are other sites that host similar content, while their indexes are higher, the information on the administered site will be classified as a copy and not the source, as a result of which the site is likely to fall under the filter in question .
The next factor that may affect the filter’s response from Yandex is spam in the form of links. If too many of them will ensure the transition to the site - for example, if they are purchased on a special exchange, then the corresponding algorithm can include the site in the list of portals whose indexation is canceled. According to experts, a certain amount of purchased links can still be present among those that provide a link to the site, but their number should not exceed 10%. The remaining links, in turn, must be natural.
Another significant factor that can affect the fact that the Yandex search filter of the AGS will work is the spamming of the web pages. If the site contains too many advertising banners, as well as outgoing links, it can also attract the attention of the Yandex search robot that analyzes sites. Thus, the corresponding algorithm identifies portals aimed only at selling advertising resources.
A site may be blocked by Yandex more likely if its domain name has been recently registered, and at the same time, it has gotten quite large volumes of traffic. In many cases, such statistics mean that the portal administrator actively involved the same link purchase. A rather rare case is the formation of natural traffic on a young site. Thus, for newly registered high-traffic portals, an appropriate check may be prioritized. The AGS filter, revealing the formation of traffic due to purchased links, can reset the citation of the portal.
The next factor that may lead to the use of blocking on the site is the use of free hosting. Again, the formation of significant traffic on such sites may indicate the use of link purchasing mechanisms, since in many cases registration on a free hosting means the portal’s owner’s desire to quickly make money on monetization mechanisms of poor quality. For example - using the same purchased links. Having discovered a site with poor-quality content on a free hosting, the AGS filter, if other criteria are not found that indicate the reliability of the site, can add it to the list of resources whose indices are canceled.
Many experts believe that sites with low traffic can also be considered by Yandex as potentially containing substandard content. The fact that its contents are not too interesting may be indicated by the low attendance of the portal.
Probably the most urgent question that many webmasters can worry about is how to remove filtering activated by the AGS from the promoted portal.
On the pages of specialized portals for website promotion, in blogs of webmasters, in forums, a variety of concepts are put forward, according to which the problem in question can be solved. Above, we gave a list of the main factors that, according to experts, affect the inclusion of the site in the list of those whose indexation is reset by the Yandex algorithm. Therefore, when deciding how to get out of the AGS filter, it is necessary first of all to analyze the possible influence of the relevant factors.
Content Improvement
Thus, one of the most effective methods for solving the corresponding problem can be the placement on the web pages of a unique and interesting potential audience of content. Very well, AGS filters, as noted by webmasters, perceive content directly on behalf of the portal administrator - for example, presented as articles in the blog format. If you don’t get carried away by frequently copying material to the site from other sources, write on your own - the AGS filter is highly likely to evaluate the site as trustworthy and will not reduce its indices.
Decrease in advertising
The next factor we examined above is spam. To reduce its effect on the operation of the filter in question, it is necessary to significantly reduce the amount of advertising on web pages. You can leave the one that most reflects the needs of the target audience - that is, thematic banners and links. The ratio of advertising and user content should therefore be balanced.
Link Reduction
As for the use of traffic from purchased links - it is recommended to reduce their number gradually. At the same time, it makes sense, as we noted above, to leave a certain percentage of relevant links so that traffic continues to be formed using this tool. But about 90% should be natural.
Interaction with Yandex Support
The problem in question - how to remove the AGS filter, can also be solved in the order of interaction with the support service of the search system that developed the algorithm in question. Moreover, in some cases one cannot do without contacting such structures, especially in those cases when work on improving the quality of the content presented on the site did not bring results in terms of improving the citation of the portal.
According to experts, it often happens that even with a minimum number of purchased links, high uniqueness of the content and a small amount of advertising, however, the AGS filter is not removed. How to get out of blocking in this case? Effective methods can be contacting Yandex support, which works under the collective name Plato. In many cases, a computer bot responds to letters to Plato, but over time, a person who is competent in matters of the AGS filter still gets in touch with the user.
It is worth noting that users often do not observe a direct dependence on contacting Yandex support and leaving the site out of the AGS block. But a letter to Plato, of course, can contribute to solving the problem - especially if all the conditions for recognizing the site as objective have developed objectively.
One way or another, experts advise first of all to expect automatic removal of filtering from the portal. How to check a particular resource for an AGS filter, we examined above - this interface is available directly on the Yandex website, and you can always use it if necessary. As soon as the lock is released, one can expect an increase in the citation of the portal and an increase in traffic coming from the search pages of the corresponding system.
Summary
So, we examined what the Yandex filter is. You can check if the portal is included in the corresponding lock by using the Yandex webmaster interfaces. The main factors that can trigger site filtering:
- Active use of purchased links to generate traffic - more than 10% of the total number of links;
- low-quality, non-unique content;
- spamming of web pages with banner ads and traffic.
In order to remove the AGS lock, the administrator must, therefore, overcome the influence of relevant factors. After - wait a bit, and if the results (in the form of an increase in citation, as well as traffic from Yandex) do not appear, you can contact the support service of the corresponding search system.
One way or another, AGS-17 or AGS-40 is a filter, regardless of its specific modification, which is designed to stimulate primarily the improvement of the quality of content on sites in the Russian segment of the Internet. As many experts note, its implementation as a whole has benefited the development of sites in Russia and has become an important factor in improving the quality of articles present on various portals. Yes, many webmasters can be criticized for the overly automated operation of this filter, the not-so-high transparency of the algorithms used in it, and the rather long time to unblock the site. But in this you can find the advantage of the corresponding solution from Yandex - it’s enough for the site owner to ensure that the portal meets the basic quality criteria, and even the search robot will be able, if not too fast, to reliably evaluate the high degree of usefulness of the content posted on the portal. In this sense, the automation of the filter in question can be considered as one of the advantages of the algorithm.