Google's New Policy Cleans Up Search Results: Major Sites Affected

Google is stepping up its fight against low-quality content with the enforcement of its site reputation abuse policy. This targets subdomains or subfolders on reputable sites hosting poor third-party content, a tactic known as "parasite SEO." Major sites like CNN and USA Today are feeling the impact, with some parts getting delisted.

What is “Site reputation abuse”?

Google explains: (source)

Site reputation abuse is when third-party pages are published with little or no first-party oversight or involvement, where the purpose is to manipulate Search rankings by taking advantage of the first-party site's ranking signals. Such third-party pages include sponsored, advertising, partner, or other third-party pages that are typically independent of a host site's main purpose or produced without close oversight or involvement of the host site, and provide little to no value to users.

Our new policy doesn't consider all third-party content to be a violation, only that which is hosted without close oversight and which is intended to manipulate Search rankings. For example, many publications host advertising content that is intended for their regular readers, rather than to primarily manipulate Search rankings. Sometimes called "native advertising" or "advertorial", this kind of content typically wouldn't confuse regular readers of the publication when they find it on the publisher's site directly or when arriving at it from Google's search results. It doesn't have to be blocked from Google Search.

Our spam policies page lists some illustrative examples of what is and isn't site reputation abuse. Such content needs to be blocked from Google Search to avoid violating our spam policies. To allow time for site owners to prepare for this change, this new policy will take effect starting May 5, 2024.

For SEOs, this crackdown is a wake-up call to maintain high content standards. Google’s manual actions are showing up in Search Console notifications, indicating a need for vigilance in monitoring and maintaining content quality. This dual approach of manual and algorithmic enforcement aims to clean up search results, aligning with Google’s ongoing battle against spam and low-quality content.

To stay ahead, SEOs should focus on several key areas

• Monitor Google Search Console: Stay vigilant by frequently checking for notifications and manual actions from Google. This helps in promptly addressing any issues that might affect your site’s ranking.
• Audit Third-Party Content: Regularly review and ensure that any external content hosted on your site meets high standards. This includes content on subdomains and subfolders, which are often exploited for low-quality material.
• Enhance Content Quality: Invest in creating valuable, original, and user-centric content. This aligns with the "Helpful Content" update, which rewards content that genuinely benefits users.
• Strengthen Content Partnerships: Carefully vet external content contributors to ensure they adhere to quality guidelines. Partner with creators who prioritize high-quality, helpful content.

Our analysis

Google's enforcement of the site reputation abuse policy, along with the "Helpful Content" update, is a strong step towards a cleaner, more user-focused internet. These initiatives push website owners and SEOs to prioritize genuine value and user experience over manipulative SEO tactics. By focusing on quality and relevance, Google is not only improving search results but also setting a higher standard for content across the web.