{"id":644981,"date":"2024-11-22T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/"},"modified":"2024-11-22T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T15:00:00","slug":"googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/","title":{"rendered":"#Google\u2019s site reputation abuse policy is a band-aid for a bullet wound"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f8f55211a4\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f8f55211a4\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/#Dive_into_the_challenges_of_parasite_SEO_and_why_Googles_algorithmic_shortcomings_make_this_policy_a_temporary_fix_for_a_systemic_issue\" >Dive into the challenges of parasite SEO and why Google\u2019s algorithmic shortcomings make this policy a temporary fix for a systemic issue.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/#Understanding_Googles_site_reputation_abuse_policy\" >Understanding Google\u2019s site reputation abuse policy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/#Parasite_SEO_is_a_bigger_issue_than_ever\" >Parasite SEO is a bigger issue than ever<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/#The_bigger_problem\" >The bigger problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/#Whats_going_on_with_Googles_algorithms\" >What\u2019s going on with Google\u2019s algorithms?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound\/#Moving_forward\" >Moving forward<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dive_into_the_challenges_of_parasite_SEO_and_why_Googles_algorithmic_shortcomings_make_this_policy_a_temporary_fix_for_a_systemic_issue\"><\/span>Dive into the challenges of parasite SEO and why Google\u2019s algorithmic shortcomings make this policy a temporary fix for a systemic issue.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>Google\u2019s updated site reputation abuse policy attempts to tackle a growing issue in search: large, authoritative sites exploiting their domain strength to rank for content they don\u2019t own or create.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While the policy is a step in the right direction, it doesn\u2019t address the underlying systemic problems with Google\u2019s algorithm that allow this abuse to thrive.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-understanding-google-s-site-reputation-abuse-policy\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Understanding_Googles_site_reputation_abuse_policy\"><\/span>Understanding Google\u2019s site reputation abuse policy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google\u2019s site reputation abuse policy was introduced in March 2024, but its announcement was overshadowed by a major core update that same month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a result, what should have been a pivotal moment for addressing search manipulation was relegated to a footnote.<\/p>\n<p>At its core, the policy targets large, authoritative websites that leverage their domain strength to rank for content they didn\u2019t create.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s designed to prevent these entities from acting as \u201chosts\u201d for third-party content simply to exploit search rankings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"612\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy.png.webp\" alt=\"Google's site reputation abuse policy\" class=\"wp-image-448491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy.png.webp 990w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-547x338.png.webp 547w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-800x495.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-183x113.png.webp 183w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-768x475.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>A clear example would be a high-authority business site hosting a \u201ccoupons\u201d section populated entirely with third-party data.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Google expanded the policy\u2019s scope to address even more scenarios.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2024\/11\/site-reputation-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">updated guidelines<\/a>, Google highlights its review of cases involving \u201cvarying degrees of first-party involvement,\u201d citing examples such as:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Partnerships through white-label services.<\/li>\n<li>Licensing agreements.<\/li>\n<li>Partial ownership arrangements.<\/li>\n<li>Other complex business models.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This makes it clear that Google isn\u2019t just targeting programmatic third-party content abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The policy now aims to curb extensive partnerships between authoritative sites and third-party content creators.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some of these often involve deeply integrated collaboration, where external entities produce content explicitly to leverage the hosting site\u2019s domain strength for higher rankings.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Hosting third-party content: What Google says vs. the reality<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-parasite-seo-is-a-bigger-issue-than-ever\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Parasite_SEO_is_a_bigger_issue_than_ever\"><\/span>Parasite SEO is a bigger issue than ever<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These partnerships have become a significant challenge for Google to manage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the most impactful SEO investigations this year was Lars Lofgren\u2019s article, \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/larslofgren.com\/forbes-marketplace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes Marketplace: The Parasite SEO Company Trying to Devour Its Host<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The piece dives into Forbes Advisor\u2019s parasite SEO program, developed in collaboration with Marketplace.co, and details the substantial traffic and revenue generated by the partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Forbes Advisor alone was estimated to be making <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximately $236 million annually from this strategy, according to Lofgren.<\/p>\n<p>As Lofgren puts it:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"627\" alt=\"Lars Lofgren on Forbes Marketplace\" class=\"wp-image-448492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-600x235.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-800x314.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-200x78.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-768x301.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-1536x602.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace.png.webp\" alt=\"Lars Lofgren on Forbes Marketplace\" class=\"wp-image-448492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-600x235.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-800x314.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-200x78.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-768x301.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Lars-Lofgren-on-Forbes-Marketplace-1536x602.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This highlights the systemic problem with Google search.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Forbes Advisor is just one of the examples of parasite SEO programs that Lofgren investigates. If you want to go deeper, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/larslofgren.com\/cnn-usa-today-forbes-marketplace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">read his articles on other sites running similar programs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>LinkedIn is another prime example. Over the past few years, users have increasingly leveraged LinkedIn\u2019s UGC platform to capitalize on its powerful domain authority, pushing their content to the top of search results.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, as of this writing, the top-ranking result for \u201chealthcare SEO\u201d is not from a specialized expert site but a LinkedIn Pulse article.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"967\" height=\"321\" alt=\"LinkedIn Pulse article on healthcare SEO\" class=\"wp-image-448493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO.png.webp 967w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-600x199.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-800x266.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-200x66.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-768x255.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"967\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO.png.webp\" alt=\"LinkedIn Pulse article on healthcare SEO\" class=\"wp-image-448493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO.png.webp 967w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-600x199.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-800x266.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-200x66.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/LinkedIn-Pulse-article-on-healthcare-SEO-768x255.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you dig in their query data, you\u2019ll see a range of queries from business, adult topics, personal loans and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, LinkedIn isn\u2019t the best source for all of these things, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The rise of programs designed to manipulate search results has likely pushed Google to introduce the site reputation abuse policy.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-bigger-problem\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_bigger_problem\"><\/span>The bigger problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This brings me to why the policy isn\u2019t enough. The core issue is that these sites should never rank in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s algorithm simply isn\u2019t strong enough to prevent this abuse consistently.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the policy acts as a fallback \u2013 something Google can use to address egregious cases after they\u2019ve already caused damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This reactive approach turns into a never-ending <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of whack-a-mole that\u2019s nearly impossible to win.<\/p>\n<p>Worse yet, Google can\u2019t possibly catch every instance of this happening, especially on a smaller scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Time and again, I\u2019ve seen large sites rank for topics outside their core business \u2013 simply because they\u2019re, well, large sites.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example to illustrate my point. Progressive has a blog called Lifelines, which primarily covers topics related to its core business \u2013 insurance, driving tips, traffic laws, etc.<\/p>\n<p>However, one of their blog posts ranks in Position 4 for the search query \u201cpuppy after vaccination side effects,\u201d above actual experts like the American Veterinary Medical Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"732\" height=\"492\" alt=\"Google search results for \" puppy after vaccination side effects class=\"wp-image-448494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp 732w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-503x338.png.webp 503w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-168x113.png.webp 168w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"732\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp\" alt=\"Google search results for \" puppy after vaccination side effects class=\"wp-image-448494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp 732w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-503x338.png.webp 503w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Google-search-results-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-168x113.png.webp 168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The result in Position 1? It\u2019s Rover.com, a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> company that helps pet owners find sitters \u2013 still not a medical expert, yet leveraging its strong domain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"786\" height=\"197\" alt=\"Top Google search result for \" puppy after vaccination side effects class=\"wp-image-448495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp 786w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-600x150.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-200x50.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-768x192.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"786\" height=\"197\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp\" alt=\"Top Google search result for \" puppy after vaccination side effects class=\"wp-image-448495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22.png.webp 786w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-600x150.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-200x50.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Top-Google-search-result-for-22puppy-after-vaccination-side-effects22-768x192.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m not suggesting that Progressive is engaging in anything nefarious here. This is likely just a one-time, off-topic post.<\/p>\n<p>However, the larger issue is that Progressive could easily turn its Lifelines blog into a parasite SEO program if it wanted to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With minimal effort, it\u2019s ranking for a medical query \u2013 an area where E-E-A-T is meant to make competition tougher.<\/p>\n<p>The only way to stop this right now is for Google to spot it and enforce the site reputation abuse policy, but that could take years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At best, the policy serves as a short-term fix and a warning to other sites attempting abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, it can\u2019t address the broader problem of large, authoritative sites consistently outperforming true experts.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-s-going-on-with-google-s-algorithms-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_going_on_with_Googles_algorithms\"><\/span>What\u2019s going on with Google\u2019s algorithms?\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The site reputation abuse policy is a temporary band-aid for a much larger systemic issue plaguing Google.<\/p>\n<p>Algorithmically, Google should be better equipped to rank true experts in a given field and filter out sites that aren\u2019t topical authorities.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest theories is the increased weight Google places on brand authority.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The winners of the helpful content update were more likely to have stronger \u201cbrand authority\u201d than \u201cdomain authority,\u201d according to a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/blog\/helpful-content-update-not-what-you-think\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent Moz study<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"583\" alt=\"Average Domain Authority &amp; Brand Authority of Analyzed Sites\" class=\"wp-image-448496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-600x219.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-800x292.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-200x73.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-768x280.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-1536x560.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"583\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites.png.webp\" alt=\"Average Domain Authority &amp; Brand Authority of Analyzed Sites\" class=\"wp-image-448496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-600x219.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-800x292.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-200x73.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-768x280.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Average-Domain-Authority-Brand-Authority-of-Analyzed-Sites-1536x560.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Essentially, the more brand searches a site receives, the more likely it is to emerge as a winner in recent updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This makes sense, as Google aims to rank major brands (e.g., \u201cNike\u201d for \u201csneakers\u201d) for their respective queries.<\/p>\n<p>However, big brands like Forbes, CNN, Wall Street Journal and Progressive also receive a lot of brand search.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If Google places too much weight on this signal, it creates opportunities for large sites to either intentionally exploit or unintentionally benefit from the power of their domain or brand search.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This system doesn\u2019t reward true expertise in a specific area.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, the site reputation abuse policy is the only tool Google has to address these issues when their algorithm fails.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While there\u2019s no easy fix, it seems logical to focus more on the topical authority aspect of their algorithm moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>When we look at the Google Search API leaks, we can see that Google could use different variables to determine a site\u2019s topical expertise.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the \u201csiteEmbedding\u201d variable implies they can categorize your whole site.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One that stands out to me is the \u201csiteFocusScore\u201d variable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a \u201cnumber denoting how much a site is focused on one topic,\u201d according to the leaks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"894\" height=\"295\" alt=\"siteFocusScore variable\" class=\"wp-image-448497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable.png.webp 894w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-600x198.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-800x264.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-200x66.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-768x253.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 894px) 100vw, 894px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"894\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable.png.webp\" alt=\"siteFocusScore variable\" class=\"wp-image-448497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable.png.webp 894w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-600x198.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-800x264.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-200x66.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/siteFocusScore-variable-768x253.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 894px) 100vw, 894px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If sites begin to dilute their focus too much, could this be a trigger indicating something larger is at play?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-moving-forward\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Moving_forward\"><\/span>Moving forward<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I don\u2019t think the site reputation abuse policy is a bad thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the very least, it serves as a much-needed warning to the web, with the threat of significant consequences potentially deterring the most egregious abuses.<\/p>\n<p>However, in the short term, it feels like Google is admitting that there\u2019s no programmatic solution to the problem. <\/p>\n<p>Since the issue can\u2019t be detected algorithmically, it needs a way to threaten action when necessary.<\/p>\n<p>That said, I\u2019m optimistic that Google will figure this out in the long run and that search quality will improve in the years to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n<p>About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" alt=\"Chris Long\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/04\/Chris-Long.jpeg.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/04\/Chris-Long.jpeg.webp\" alt=\"Chris Long\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Chris Long<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto twitter\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fsearchengineland.com%2F&amp;region=follow_link&amp;screen_name=gofishchris&amp;tw_p=followbutton&amp;variant=2.0\" rel=\"me\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-x-twitter\"><\/i><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-long-391a2341\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tChris Long is the VP of marketing at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gofishdigital.com\/\">Go Fish Digital<\/a>. Chris works with unique problems and advanced search situations to help his clients improve organic traffic through a deep understanding of Google\u2019s algorithm and Web technology. Chris is a contributor for Moz, Search Engine Land, and The Next Web. He is also a speaker at industry conferences such as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/searchmarketingexpo.com\">SMX East<\/a> and the State Of Search. You can connect with him on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> and LinkedIn.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-site-reputation-abuse-policy-band-aid-bullet-wound-448488\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dive into the challenges of parasite SEO and why Google\u2019s algorithmic shortcomings make this policy a temporary fix for a systemic issue. Google\u2019s updated site reputation abuse policy attempts to tackle a growing issue in search: large, authoritative sites exploiting their domain strength to rank for content they don\u2019t own or create.\u00a0 While the policy&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":644982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/11\/Googles-site-reputation-abuse-policy-is-a-band-aid-for-a-bullet-wound.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[78070],"class_list":["post-644981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/644982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}