Google begins enforcement of site reputation abuse policy with portions of sites being delisted

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Google's enforcement of its new site reputation abuse policy, which involves deranking or deindexing portions of websites from the Google Search index. This policy targets third-party content produced primarily for ranking purposes and without close oversight of the website owner, as it is considered spam. The enforcement has impacted the rankings of sections of websites like CNN, USA Today, Fortune, and LA Times, particularly their coupon directories. The article also explains the rationale behind the policy and provides examples of how some sites have responded to it.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Google's Site Reputation Abuse Policy

1. What is the site reputation abuse policy that Google is enforcing?

• The site reputation abuse policy targets "third-party content produced primarily for ranking purposes and without close oversight of a website owner" that is "intended to manipulate Search rankings".
• This type of content is considered spam under Google's new policy.

2. How is Google enforcing this policy?

• Google has started deranking or deindexing portions of websites, such as coupon directories, from the Google Search index.
• This enforcement has impacted the rankings of sections of websites like CNN, USA Today, Fortune, and LA Times.
• The enforcement is currently being done through manual actions, not algorithmic changes.

3. How have some websites responded to this policy?

• Some sites, like Forbes, Wall Street Journal, and others, have manually blocked the affected directories from Google's spiders before the enforcement of this new policy began.
• Other sites that did not block these directories, such as CNN, USA Today, and LA Times, have now found those sections removed from Google Search.

[02] Rationale Behind the Policy

1. What is the rationale behind Google's site reputation abuse policy?

• The policy targets "third-party content produced primarily for ranking purposes and without close oversight of a website owner" that is "intended to manipulate Search rankings".
• This type of content can "confuse or mislead visitors who may have vastly different expectations for the content on a given website".

2. How does Google differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable third-party content?

• Google explains that "many publications host advertising content that is intended for their regular readers, rather than to primarily manipulate Search rankings". This type of "native advertising" or "advertorial" content typically wouldn't confuse regular readers of the publication.
• However, content that is "produced primarily for ranking purposes and without close oversight of a website owner" and "intended to manipulate Search rankings" is considered spam under the new policy.