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Google Started Enforcing The Site Reputation Abuse Policy

Published

4 months ago

May 7, 2024

Google said it began to enforce its new site reputation abuse policy last night. The policy went into effect on Sunday, May 5th, but Google did not announce it would take action until last night. As a reminder, this should target sites doing what some call “Parasite SEO.”

It seems some large “reputable” sites were hit by this update, including CNN, USA Today, LA Times, Fortune, Daily Mail, Outlook India, TimesUnion, PostandCourier, SFGATE and many more. Google specifically targeted these sites using manual actions, where Google manually took action on these sites and notified them of these actions with a message in Google Search Console. These are not algorithmic actions.

As a reminder, on March 5th, Google released new spam policies and a spam update including scaled content and expired domain abuse. But said the site reputation abuse policy would go live only after May 5th. That date has come and Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, said on X yesterday:

It’ll be starting later today. While the policy began yesterday, the enforcement is really kicking off today.

Sullivan later told me on X, “we’re only doing manual actions right now.” “The algorithmic component will indeed come, as we’ve said, but that’s not live yet,” he added.

And it seems Google has already started to drop these sites from showing this type of content. CNN, USA Today, LA Times and others all left those coupon directories open for Google as of last night and then all saw those pages no longer rank in Google Search last night.

I am not seeing a lot of people share screenshots of manual actions but I did spot one site owner say they received this manual action. They posted in the Google Webmaster Help forum saying:

We have a section on the website for brands to promote.

Nofollow attribute is already implemented on these articles which falls under brand category.

Still we got manual action: Site Reputation Abuse for this category.

How to fix that?

Brodie Clark also secured a screenshot of this manual action, here is that screenshot:

Here are examples of sites hit by this site reputation abuse enforcement from last night:

You’re right. I’m seeing the same thing. USA Today, CNN, and LA Times are gone for “subway coupons” and other queries. Sure seems like the update is underway. 🙂 First screenshot is now and second is as of yesterday. pic.twitter.com/f46B5h2ccP

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 6, 2024

Here’s another example. The query “uber promos codes” yielded CNN as #2 yesterday and Fortune at #4. Both are now gone. I can’t even find them. Wow. pic.twitter.com/0Oc48ggYeh

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 6, 2024

As Glenn wrote, “Google has already released the Kraken.”

Has ‘Vouchergeddon’ begun? I can no longer see the Daily Mail discount code website ranking in the UK for brand and non-branded queries that the Daily Mail was previously ranking for? cc @rustybrick pic.twitter.com/2T8ffmgCFI

— Carl Hendy (@carlhendy) May 7, 2024

Seeing the “parasite” directories from Outlook India, TimesUnion, PostandCourier, and SFGATE completely deindexed from Google right now, to name a few. Note: Post and Courier added a NoIndex tag on all of its pages nested in their parasite directory: @glenngabe @rustybrick

— Vlad Rappoport (@vladrpt) May 7, 2024

This is what the rankings looked like for “Walmart coupon code” during the first half of the day today.

The SERPs are COMPELTELY different now, hours later.

It’s still early, but it seems like Google is NOT messing around with site reputation abuse. pic.twitter.com/eawsCxUeL4

— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) May 7, 2024

Google has already started taking action for the new site reputation abuse policy 👀👇 See the before/after for many of the most popular “promo code(s)” queries:

* carhartt promo code
* postmates promo code
* samsung promo code
* godaddy promo code

Sites that were ranking… pic.twitter.com/Byw8DZmkQP

— Aleyda Solis 🕊️ (@aleyda) May 7, 2024

Site abuse: Google has confirmed it has taken manual actions.

I took 2,500 of the most popular search queries for discount and voucher codes from the UK and Australian markets. The data was sourced from @semrush. Using these queries, I created a ‘Share of Search’ report for each… pic.twitter.com/00zMCdeW5g

— Carl Hendy (@carlhendy) May 7, 2024

Good Morning Google Land! Well, we had a pretty exciting end to yesterday as Google released the Kraken with the “Site reputation abuse” update — starting with a flurry of manual actions on some of the most authoritative sites on the web. The manual actions were pattern-based,… pic.twitter.com/xDEpm2sdCE

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 7, 2024

Google said it will take action on this policy abuse both algorithmically and through manual actions. Many sites, not all, already removed sections of their sites that would get hit by this penalty prior to Google enforcing it. This includes sites like Forbes coupons, but many many more big brands removed these types of sections on their websites.

As a reminder, 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,” Chris Nelson from the Google Search Quality team wrote. This includes 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, he explained.

I am not posting the aggregate Google tracking tools because I posted them in my previous story and this is a targeted hit that only impacts sites with that rent out sections of their domain. So this would not hit a huge number of web sites like big algorithmic updates…

If you got hit by this, follow the instructions in the manual action notice you received in Google Search Console. There is also more documentation on this penalty over here.

I am not sure if Google will notify us of when algorithmic action will take place on this policy…

Forum discussion at X.

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SEARCHENGINES

Daily Search Forum Recap: September 12, 2024

Published

12 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

I covered some old statements from former Googlers on Navboost from Hacker News. Google replaced the cache link with links to the Wayback Machine, but they are deep inside. Google says it doesn’t use Exif data for ranking. Google updated its Indexing API docs warning not to abuse the API or else. Google has had this get definitions box for a while.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Ex-Googler Forum Statements On Google Navboost

In my interview with Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, I tried to get more details on Navboost and how it plays a roll in core updates and general rankings. I was pretty much shot down (I am a good loser). That being said, here are some old posts from ex-Googlers (from what I can tell) on the topic of Navboost from the Hacker News forums.

Google Indexing API: Submissions Go Undergo Rigorous Spam Detection

Google has updated its Indexing API documentation to add a few things but the largest update talks about how “all submissions through the Indexing API undergo rigorous spam detection.” Plus, it says that attempts to abuse the Indexing API “may result in access being revoked.”

Google Replaced Cache Link With Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine

After Google has angered tons of SEOs and searchers over removing the cache link from the search result snippets, Google decided several months later to add links to Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. This will give you snapshots in time of what that webpage looked like, but it is not powered by Google.

Google’s Martin Splitt: We Do Not Use Exif Data For Ranking

Over the years Google has been wishy-washy on if they use or do not use Exif (Exchangeable image file format) data for rankings. In 2014, Google’s Matt Cutts said Google can parse the data and reserves the right to use it. But in 2019, Gary Illyes from Google said it was not used for rankings. Now in 2024, Martin Splitt of Google said it is not used for rankings.

Google: Get Definitions & Translations As You Search

Google is now notifying some searchers of a translation feature within the search results. It says, “Get definitions and translations as you search. Select words to get definitions & translations without leaving the page.”
Google Silence Phone Boxes

We saw the Google silence box before, but it was one box. Now here are photos of many of them, also in the Google Paris, France office.

Other Great Search Threads:

Search Engine Land Stories:

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.

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SEARCHENGINES

Daily Search Forum Recap: September 11, 2024

Published

2 days ago

September 11, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Google is testing a new ad label header, it makes the ads stick out more. Google Search ranking volatility is still incredibly heated, even over a week after the core update finished. Google is sending out verification notices to Local Service Ads advertisers. Bing is testing a local pack with review source icons. Google AdSense is expanding auto ads to more languages. Google Search has a new video property for ineligible regions.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Google Search Ranking Volatility Still Heated A Week After Core Update

I sound like a broken record, but the Google Search ranking volatility is still incredibly heated and has not let down, even over a week after the Google August 2024 core update was completed on September 3rd.

Google Tests New Ad Label / Design That Makes Ads Stand Out

Google is testing a new ad label and interface that really make the ads way more noticeable in the Google Search results. The ad label still is a black sponsored label, but Google is testing it on a tall gray background, with subtitles like “promoted products” and “promoted results.”

Google Emails Advertisers On Local Services Ads Verification Requirements

In March, Google announced a new verification process for its Local Service Ads program. Well, now, Google has started to email advertisers that need to take the steps to verify their advertising accounts.

Bing Local Pack Tests Review Source Icons Instead Of Review Stars

Microsoft is testing adding the source of the reviews in the Bing Search local pack, instead of showing review stars. So if the Bing Search local pack is showing reviews from Yelp, it would show the Yelp logo, and if it is showing them from Facebook, it would show the Facebook logo.

Google Expands AdSense Auto Ads To French, Spanish, and Japanese

Google is expanding AdSense’s Auto ads to support French, Spanish, and Japanese languages. Previously, Auto ads were worked for English and German languages only.

Google Search Supports Ineligible Regions Property For Videos

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Google Chelsea Market Tile Backsplash

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Other Great Search Threads:

Check scores on perplexity!, Aravind Srinivas on X

Data suggests that if Google does not recrawl a URL after 129 days URL it falls out of the index, Mic King on X

Google Loses €2.4bn Appeal In E.U. Over Market Dominance, WebmasterWorld

Looking at your URL placement in Google’s AI Overview’s isn’t just for SEOs… It’s for anyone trying to gauge brand presence and brand power Run your site vs your competitors in @semrush & see the relative level of URL placement, Mordy Oberstein on X

On the video from O’Keefe Media Group: The claims here are completely false — they were made by a junior sales rep, secretly filmed while on a date, who has never worked on these topics. As we’ve shared before, we do not manipulate our products or m, Google Communications on X

The time has come (after being replaced by INP as a CWV) -> Chrome ends support for First Input Delay (FID) “In January, Chrome announced its intention to officially end support for FID. Well, that time has finally come, and as of to, Glenn Gabe on X

GSC Issue, Reddit

You randomly stumble across a new website crawler / scraper service – it turns any website into a CSV file (just for sake of something to discuss, I don’t have one for you). Isn’t that cool?, John Mueller on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

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SEARCHENGINES

Daily Search Forum Recap: September 10, 2024

Published

3 days ago

September 10, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Apple Visual Intelligence is Apple’s version of Google Lens but it uses Google, ChatGPT, Yelp and others. Google AI Overviews are showing for commercial queries again, showing product and shopping results. A new report on AI Overviews says about half of the links in the AI Overviews overlap with the traditional organic results. Google is showing Business Profile photos on its review sentiments. And Bing Search has a footer message to search again.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Apple Visual Intelligence – Local, Shopping & More

Apple had its big event yesterday, and during the iPhone talk, they announced Apple Visual Intelligence. Where you can take photos of anything, and it will use Apple Intelligence for local search, shopping, homework help, and more.
Google AI Overviews Show Shopping Results For Commercial Queries Again

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Report: Half Google AI Overviews Links Overlap With Top Search Results

A new Google AI Overview study says that about half of the links displayed in the AI Overviews overlap with the links shown in the traditional Google Search results. Plus, the most linked to sources are YouTube and Wikipedia, according to the new report.
Google Maps Showing Business Photos On Review Sentiments

Google is now showing business submitted photos from Google Business Profiles in the Google Local and Maps review sentiments section. So above the reviews, Google may show photos submitted by the business, related to those reviews.
Bing Search Footer Message To Encourage More Searches

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Google Flying Dutchman Cafe In Netherlands Office

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