This week’s review looks back at Google’s reputation abuse policy update aimed at removing parasite SEO from Search, an update to Google’s Guide to Search Ranking Systems clarifying site-wide and page-level signals matter for ranking, and the Department of Justice`s request to force Google to sell Search.
From around the web, SEJ writer Matt G. Southern reports on Google search data that reveals shifting CTR industry trends. And SEL writer Chris Long provides a detailed post on why Google’s latest site reputation abuse policy won’t solve the underlying systemic problems that allow abuse to flourish.
Google Cracks Down On Parasite SEO In Site Reputation Abuse Policy Update
Google announced an update to its Site Reputation Abuse policy that will prohibit site owners from publishing third-party affiliated content on their domain to increase its rankings in Search.
The latest update confirms that no first-party involvement in creating third-party content will justify exploiting a host domain, and it is now considered content abuse.
Key takeaways:
- Google’s content abuse update now targets websites publishing third-party content with little relevance to the host domain.
- Google says publishing such content amounts to exploiting the host’s domain Google rankings and is content abuse.
- Sites found publishing third-party content to exploit the host domain will face lost visibility on Search.
Google Confirms Site Wide And Page Level Signals Used For Rankings
Another Google update that has implications for website owners is the “Guide to Search Ranking Systems,” which now says Google uses both page-level and site-wide signals in its ranking systems, removing any confusion on what content creators should focus on for optimizing their websites.
Key takeaways:
- Google’s updated rankings guide has a new paragraph explaining the signals Google uses for its ranking systems.
- The latest “Guide to Search Ranking Systems” confirms Google uses site-wide signals and page-level content when ranking websites.
- The update isn’t a new ranking factor; it’s just a change to Google’s documentation clarifying what ranking signals it uses.
- Google confirms in the new documentation that not having strong site-wide signals won’t ruin your site’s rankings but suggests using them.
Google Rebukes DOJ Plans To Force Sale Of Chrome
Google’s court tribulations continue with the Department of Justice seeking to enforce the sale of Chrome and other remedies after the tech giant was found guilty of violating anti-trust laws and running a monopoly earlier this year.
Google says selling Chrome would harm customers, increase prices, undermine the US economy, and is an overreach by the DOJ.
Key takeaways:
- The Department of Justice tells Judge Metha, who found Google guilty of violating anti-trust laws, that enforcing the sale of Chrome would remove Google’s dominance.
- The DOJ also proposed other remedies it wants imposed, including banning Google’s exclusive browser contracts with smartphone makers and Apple, opening Search to Google’s rivals, separating Search and Google Play from Androids, and restricting the tech giants’ use of AI content.
- Google replied to the proposed remedies by saying that the DOJ “Continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case” and that breaking up the business would break Google.
From Around The Web
Google Search CTR Data Reveals Shifting Industry Trends
Search Engine Journal writer Matt G. Southern reports on the latest Google Search data research’s key findings that reveal click-through rates are shifting across search categories and industries.
Matt says the findings amplify the need for site owners to review their CTR metrics against relative industry benchmarks because rankings don’t disclose the full traffic story.
Key takeaways:
- The new Advanced Web Ranking report on Google’s Q3 data click-through rates reveals they can vary and explains why that`s crucial to your site’s traffic.
- The report reviewed industry search demand alongside CTR to clarify the shifts in search categories.
- Industries experiencing huge CTR gains are shopping and science, while entertainment and art are declining.
- The report confirms that mobile Search is crucial and is now favored for informational content. It advises to ensure your site is mobile-friendly and has short content and friendly designs.
Google’s site reputation abuse policy is a band-aid for a bullet wound
Search Engine Land writer Chris Long provides an in-depth insight into why Google’s latest site reputation abuse update isn’t fit for purpose because it fails to tackle Google’s underlying algorithm problems.
Long explains why the update won’t solve the issue of authoritative websites using their domain to rank third-party affiliated content for passive revenue.
Key takeaways:
- Long declares the updated policy isn’t enough because the core problem is that the sites promoting third-party content with little relevance to the host domain should not rank for those subjects in the first place.
- Chris also says Google’s algorithm isn’t strong enough to stop this content abuse, and it should better equip its algorithm to promote experts within a niche and remove non-topical authorities.
- Long says the site reputation abuse policy is “a temporary band-aid for a much larger systemic issue plaguing Google.”
And concludes that rather than decreasing Parasite SEO, it’s becoming a bigger problem than before, and the first and third-party partnerships pose a considerable challenge for Google.
