Google has recently addressed the increasing concern of site reputation abuse with a new policy, aiming to refine how third-party content impacts search rankings. This abuse occurs when third-party content, such as sponsored posts, advertising, or partner pages, is published with minimal oversight from the primary site’s operators and is intended to manipulate search rankings by exploiting the site’s SEO signals.

What ranking signals does a site have?

Our core ranking systems are primarily designed to work on the page level, using a variety of signals and systems to understand how to rank individual pages. We do have some site-wide signals that are also considered. Please note: some third-party services provide “reputation” or “authority” scores for sites. These don’t correspond to any of Google’s own signals nor come from Google.

The update, detailed on Google’s official docs, specifies that not all third-party content is problematic. The crucial factor is the intent behind the content and the level of involvement from the host site. Content designed to serve the site’s regular audience, like native advertising or advertorials, generally does not fall under the abuse category as it does not mislead regular readers and is clearly intended for their benefit.

Good morning Google Land! Yep, here we are again. 🙂 The May 5th date has passed and we can only assume the "Site reputation abuse" update is underway — or will be underway very soon. I am tracking directories, subdomains, and root domains of sites that are employing sponsored… pic.twitter.com/SjQ9REiVK2

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 6, 2024

Google emphasizes that the purpose of this policy is not just to penalize poor practices but also to support those who produce valuable content, ensuring they succeed in search rankings over those who resort to manipulative tactics. For instance, a site that collaborates with third parties to produce a coupon section isn’t necessarily in violation, provided there is clear disclosure on how the coupons are sourced and that they offer real value to readers.

This policy will be enforced starting May 5, 2024, giving site owners ample time to align their content strategies with the new guidelines. Google plans to update the Search Status Dashboard post-rollout and will open a feedback form to address specific concerns from the community, ensuring continuous improvement in combating spam and supporting genuine content creators.