Google is launching a new Search spam policy to combat “parasite SEO” or reputation abuse. This change is concurrently announced with plans for a core update in March 2024, and the policy will be implemented after May 5th. Google’s updated anti-spam policy aims to ensure the relevance and high quality of content in search results, targeting “parasite SEO.”
“Parasite SEO,” characterized by Google, refers to the content creation by a third party with the primary intent of escalating search rankings. Such content is usually produced with minimal involvement from the website owner. Google’s new policy will classify this as spam.
An illustration of this tactic is payday loan reviews posted on a reputable educational site to leverage the site’s search ranking, potentially misdirecting visitors. Under the new policy, such deliberately created third-party content will be considered reputation abuse.
Addressing parasite SEO: Google’s updated policy
Severe penalties could be imposed on entities practicing this.
Google clarifies that most sponsored content, often referred to as “native advertising” or “advertorial,” is not spam, as it’s primarily aimed at the publisher’s regular customers. As long as such content is clearly marked as sponsored and provides value to the publisher’s regular patrons, it wouldn’t be deemed spam. Google insists on transparency and honesty, encouraging the use of ‘rel=sponsored’ tags to mark such pages.
Post-May 5th, Google will amplify enforcement of this initiative, using both automated and manual measures to counter these malpractices. This move is mainly in response to SEO specialists’ concerns about potential damage and unfair advantages resulting from parasite SEO. The success of this policy in addressing these concerns is yet to be seen.
Google Search Central has issued a warning about this updated spam policy targeting reputation abuse, which will be activated after May 5th, 2024. More details about these changes can be obtained from their blog post or by examining the policy section.
