Google confirms algorithmic actions for site reputation abuse are not live and will only impact specific content.
Google hasn’t launched algorithmic actions for site reputation abuse yet. Once implemented, the exact scope of these actions remains to be determined.
Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, has confirmed that the search engine hasn’t implemented algorithmic actions targeting site reputation abuse.
This clarification addresses speculation within the SEO community that recent traffic drops are related to Google’s previously announced policy update.
Sullivan Says No Update Rolled Out
An SEO professional, Lily Ray, shared a screenshot on Twitter showing a significant drop in traffic for the website Groupon starting on May 6. Ray suggested this was evidence that Google had begun rolling out algorithmic penalties for sites violating the company’s site reputation abuse policy.
However, Sullivan quickly stepped in, stating:
“We have not gone live with algorithmic actions on-site reputation abuse. I can imagine that we’ll be very clear about that when we do. Publishers seeing changes and thinking it’s this — it’s not — results change all the time for all types of reasons.” Sullivan added that manual actions only impact specific content, not entire websites. However, the exact scope of the algorithmic actions remains unclear once they are rolled out.
His statement doesn’t explicitly confirm whether the algorithmic actions will be limited to content that has received manual actions or if they could potentially impact a broader range of content on a site.
Background on Google’s Site Reputation Abuse Policy
Google announced a new policy to combat “site reputation abuse.” This refers to situations where third-party content is published on authoritative domains with little oversight or involvement from the host site.
Examples include sponsored posts, advertorials, and partner content loosely related to or unrelated to a site’s primary purpose.
Under the new policy, Google takes manual action against offending pages and plans to incorporate algorithmic detection.
What This Means for Publishers & SEOs
While Google hasn’t launched any algorithmic updates on site reputation abuse, manual actions have alerted publishers.
Those who rely heavily on sponsored content or partner posts to drive traffic should audit their sites and remove any potential policy violations.
Sullivan’s confirmation that algorithmic changes haven’t occurred may provide temporary relief. Additionally, his statements also serve as a reminder that significant ranking fluctuations can happen at any time due to various factors, not just specific policy rollouts.
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