Google adds FAQs on site reputation abuse policy

Google has updated its latest blog post, the one about expanding its site reputation abuse policy, with several frequently asked questions. The questions can be found here and cover what third party content is, freelancer questions, affiliate content, moving content, non-indexing content and more.

FAQ:

Here is the list of FAQs published on December 6, 2024 on this blog article:

What is third-party content?

Third-party content is content created by an entity separate from the host site. Examples of separate entities include users of this site, freelancers, white label services, content created by individuals not directly employed by the host site, and other examples listed in the site reputation policy.

Does the use of third-party content violate the site’s reputational abuse policy?

No, just having third-party content does not constitute a violation of the site’s reputational abuse policy. It is only a violation if the content is posted with the intent of abusing search rankings by taking advantage of the host site’s ranking signals. Our policy page contains examples of use of third-party content that do not violate the policy.

Does independent content violate the site’s reputational abuse policy?

No, even if the independent content is third-party content, the independent content alone does not constitute a violation of the site’s reputational abuse policy. It is only a violation if there is ALSO an attempt to abuse search rankings by leveraging the host site’s ranking signals.

Does affiliate content violate the site’s reputational abuse policy?

No, the policy does not address the targeting of affiliate content. The policy documentation states that appropriately marked affiliate links are not considered abuse of site reputation.

What does it mean to abuse search rankings by taking advantage of the host site’s ranking signals?

This is when third-party content is placed on an established site to take advantage of that site’s ranking signals – which the site has earned primarily through its proprietary content – ​​rather than placing the content on an established site. distinct site lacking the same signals.

If I noindex the content, does this mean the manual action is automatically removed?

No. You still need to respond to the manual action in Search Console and explain that the content was not indexed. We recommend doing this rather than letting the manual action continue on your site.

If I move manually acted upon content to a new location, will this resolve the site reputation issue?

Maybe, but it depends on where you move it:

• Move content to a subdirectory or subdomain within the domain name of the same site: This does not address the underlying issue and may be considered an attempt to circumvent our anti-spam policy, which may result in broader actions against a site in Google Search.
• Move content to another established site: This will resolve the reputation abuse issue of the site it was removed from, as this site’s reputation is no longer being misused. However, this can introduce a problem of reputation abuse on the site to which the content is moved if the established site has its own reputation and the third-party nature remains unchanged.
• Move content to a new domain: This is much less likely to be a problem if the new domain does not have an established reputation and you follow our anti-spam policies.

Remember, if you move content, you must also submit a reconsideration request to remove the manual action.

If I move content that violates the rules, can I redirect the old site to the new site?

If you are moving content that has received manual action, you should not redirect URLs from the old site to the new site, as this could reintroduce the site reputation abuse issue.

If I move content that violates the rules, can I link from the old site to the new site?

If you are linking from the old site to the new site, use the nofollow attribute for these links on the old site.