Google's New Site Reputation Abuse Policy and Its Impact
In May 2024, Google updated its Search Console guidelines to include a new section in the Spam Policies focused on site reputation abuse. The policy states that any website engaging in deceptive practices may receive a manual action from Google, leading to lower search rankings or even removal from the search results entirely.
This policy change has potential impacts for brands, publishers, and coupon platforms. To understand these changes, let's examine Google's new policy and discuss how it affects affiliates.
What is Site Reputation Abuse?
According to Google's documentation, "Site reputation abuse is when third-party pages are published with little or no first-party oversight or involvement, where the purpose is to manipulate search rankings by taking advantage of the first-party site's ranking signals." This includes sponsored, advertising, partner, or other third-party pages that are typically independent of a host site's main purpose and provide little to no value to users.
Impact on the Affiliate Industry
Many affiliates, including news, review, and deal sites, rely heavily on organic search traffic to drive sales and earn commissions. However, with Google's new site reputation abuse policy, some websites may experience a decline in traffic. Adhering to the search giant's policies is the best way to avoid this, and it may require publishers to play a more active role in partnering with brands and curating offers for audiences.
Affiliates should prioritize creating a positive user experience on their websites, as this aligns with Google's policy and helps build trust with visitors, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
Implications for Different Segments
Brands that collaborate with third-party companies to curate and manage coupon and deal content on various sites may be affected, as traffic and conversions from these partnerships could decrease. Content and news publishers often rely on third-party managed pages to deliver deals and offers, and Google's new policy threatens this monetization channel. Coupon and deal platforms that syndicate content onto other websites may see a dramatic reduction in affiliate revenue.
Reactions to The Site Reputation Abuse–Affiliate Giants Confident, But Results Suggest Otherwise
When Google announced its updated site reputation abuse policy in May 2024, leading affiliate companies like Global Savings Group and Savings United expressed confidence that their established partnerships and involvement with brands would shield them from any significant impact.
"The legitimacy of our business model and the close ties we maintain with our publishing partners should mean we come through this unscathed," a Global Savings Group spokesperson said.
Similarly, Savings United argued that the policy would primarily target "lazy, unmanaged coupon directories," while the industry's more reputable players would continue operating as usual.
However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. According to SEO consultant Carl Hendy's research, we've witnessed a near-complete removal of news sites' coupon sections from Google's search engine results pages (SERPs) across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and the US.
Source: x.com
Major publications like Daily Mail, Metro, and The Mirror, which previously dominated coupon-related search terms, have now seen their deal and discount pages disappear from Google's listings. This widespread deindexing has caused shockwaves throughout the affiliate marketing community.
"The scale of the impact has been far greater than anyone anticipated," said a senior industry analyst. "It's clear Google's enforcement is targeting a much broader range of affiliate integrations than the tech giant initially suggested."
This unexpected outcome has left many affiliate businesses, both large and small, scrambling to adapt to the new policy landscape and find ways to comply with Google's heightened standards.
Everawe's commitment to supporting affiliates
As the fallout from Google's updated site reputation abuse policy continues to reverberate across the affiliate marketing industry, Everawe is pledging to stand steadfastly by its partners.
Everawe is closely monitoring the evolving situation and recognizing the intricate, multi-faceted implications that extend beyond Google's stated rationale.
Everawe is committed to fostering continued, productive collaborations between brands and publishers. Crucially, the company strives to empower host publishers to take a more proactive role in the creation of high-quality, affiliate-driven content.
Affiliates, brands, and technology platforms will thrive by proactively understanding and complying with relevant policies. By collaborating effectively with all stakeholders, we can confidently shape a fair and ethical online environment for the benefit of all.
