Google has announced today more changes to its search algorithm that target web spam. From the company’s posts on the Inside Search and Google Webmaster Central blogs:

In the next few days, we’re launching an important algorithm change targeted at webspam. The change will decrease rankings for sites that we believe are violating Google’s quality guidelines. This algorithm represents another step in our efforts to reduce webspam and promote high quality content.

What’s “webspam,” as Google calls it, or search spam? Pages that try to gain better rankings through things like, Keyword stuffing, Link schemes, and anything else that breaks the 10 commandments of Google.

SEO By The Sea speculates that this might be related to Google being granted more phrase-based indexing patents today.