Site Reputation Abuse: manual reviews currently underway

Google's Search Liaison Danny Sullivan today offered clarification on the enforcement timeline for the company's Site Reputation Abuse Policy. Sullivan's tweet clarifies that Google is currently enforcing the Site Reputation Abuse Policy through manual reviews.

This means that Google employees are likely evaluating websites flagged for potential violations and taking appropriate actions, such as manual demotions in search results.

The tweet also confirms that Google plans to introduce an algorithmic component for detecting violations of the Site Reputation Abuse Policy in the future. However, Sullivan emphasizes that this algorithmic element is not yet active.

Google's Site Reputation Abuse Policy targets a specific tactic: third-party content published with little to no oversight from the website owner, with the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings by leveraging the reputation of the host website.

Here's a breakdown of the key aspects:

• Third-Party Content: The policy focuses on content published on a website that originates from another source, such as sponsored content, advertisements, affiliate content, or partner content.
• Lack of Oversight: The website owner has minimal involvement in the creation or editorial control of this third-party content.
• Search Ranking Manipulation: The primary intent behind the third-party content is to improve the website's search ranking by exploiting the reputation or domain authority of the host website.

It's important to understand that the policy doesn't necessarily target negative content. Even positive third-party content, such as reviews or testimonials, could be flagged if it's published with minimal oversight and primarily for ranking manipulation purposes.