Google updated its policy to combat abuse of site reputation, which came into effect on November 19, targeting spam in search results.
The company has heightened requirements for placing third-party content on sites with high rating indicators, deeming it a violation even if the site owner is directly involved in content creation or controls its publication.
The revised policy defines site reputation abuse as the posting of third-party pages to gain search result advantages from the main resource’s rating signals, while the presence of licensing agreements or shared participation is irrelevant.
Google specifies that not all third-party materials breach the rules, with detailed explanations provided on the spam fighting policy page.
The search engine is also enhancing algorithms to detect separate sections on sites, ranking them independently if they significantly differ from the main content.
Site owners notified of spam warnings through the Search Console account can request a review of the decision after rectifying the violations.