Just as we have adapted to the latest changes from Google, we are once again facing a new wave of updates that will start on 5 May. This time, the focus is on the issue of site reputation abuse, which is becoming increasingly important in terms of SEO and website rankings.
What is reputation abuse?
Reputation abuse occurs when websites publish third-party content that they do not control in order to manipulate their Google rankings. Such pages often contain sponsored or promotional content that does not meet the main goals of the site or was created without the participation of its owner, as can be found in the official source.
What publications are considered to be an infringement?
Not all third-party material will be considered a violation. According to the new rules, only those cases when publications are made without the control of the site owner and are aimed at manipulating the rankings fall under the violation. For example, well-integrated native advertising aimed at the publication’s audience and not misleading them is not considered a violation. The changes, which will take effect from 5 May 2024, will include blocking content that violates the new rules in Google search results. It is important for website owners to update their content strategy. You need to check all third-party content on your site to make sure it is useful to your audience. Establishing clear rules for affiliate and advertising content will help you meet Google’s updated requirements. You should also pay attention to internal SEO optimisation and ensure that all content on your website meets the expectations of your audience.
Results of the first part of the update
The completed first part of the Google Core Update has brought significant changes to the search engine’s algorithms, which has affected the positions of many websites in the search results. Many resources lost traffic, and some even disappeared from Google’s search results completely. This highlights the importance of maintaining high quality and unique content on your website. Google continues to improve its methods of identifying and penalising websites that do not meet high quality standards. Websites with duplicate, low-quality or irrelevant content have suffered the biggest ranking losses. This is a clear signal for all website owners to focus their attention.
Restoring Google’s trust in your site after a negative impact of the update can be a daunting task. If Google has doubts about the reliability of your website, it will take a lot of effort to regain its position in search results. It is worth investing resources in creating an original, useful website that meets the needs of your audience.
- Carefully review your promotion strategy: remove or rewrite duplicate or low-quality content. Ensure that every page of your website brings value to users.
- Increase engagement: add elements that encourage interaction, such as interactive tools, videos, and infographics, to increase the length of time users spend on your site.
- Focus on quality: improve every post. Ask yourself: does this content solve the specific problems of my visitors?
These Google updates remind us of the importance of adapting to the constant changes in the digital environment. Maintaining a high level of quality on your website not only increases its chances of ranking high in the search engine, but is also key to attracting and retaining an audience.