Google strengthens its fight against abusive content with new anti-spam policies
As part of the Core Update and Spam Update of March 2024, Google announces strict measures to combat abusive content. A new policy specifically targets third-party content published on high-authority sites. Decryption.
Measures to be taken before May 5, 2024
Google defines site reputation abuse as publishing third-party pages without oversight from the host site, with the aim of manipulating SERP rankings by exploiting the ranking signals of the owning site. This new anti-spam policy aims to block the indexing of abusive third-party pages from May 5, 2024.
Examples of abusive content to avoid
Google identifies several types of abusive third-party content, such as pages that are sponsored, advertising, partnered or independent of the main purpose of the host site. These pages should be blocked to avoid violating Google’s anti-spam policies. Concrete examples are given to clarify the situation.
Exceptions to the rule
Not all third party content is considered abusive. Google specifies that RSS feed sites, news sites with content syndication, forums or comment sections are not affected by this new policy. Examples are provided to distinguish abusive content from non-abusive content.
Unanswered questions
Despite these clarifications, questions remain, particularly on the difference between content intended for readers and content intended to manipulate rankings. It remains to be seen what impact this new policy will have on the ranking of sites that do not respect these rules.
In summary, Google is strengthening its measures against abusive content on its SERPs. Site owners must comply with these new anti-spam policies to avoid any penalties.
