Google has released FAQ guidance on its site reputation abuse policy.
The update covers important points about managing third-party content and recovery processes.
Breaking Down Third-Party Content Rules
Google wants to clarify what counts as a violation. Using third-party content is not a problem in itself.
A violation happens when that content is used to take advantage of a site’s existing rankings.
Google explains:
“Having third-party content alone is not a violation of the site reputation abuse policy. It’s only a violation if the content is being published in an attempt to abuse search rankings by taking advantage of the host site’s ranking signals.”
This is especially important for publishers using:
Freelance writers
White-label services
External content creators
User-generated content
Google defines third-party content as:
“Content created by a separate entity than the host site,” including “users of that site, freelancers, white-label services, content created by people not employed directly by the host site.”
Recovery Options: What Works & What Doesn’t
Publishers who want to fix manual actions now have clear instructions on what to do with their content:
What Not to Do:
Don’t move content to subdirectories or subdomains.
Don’t redirect URLs that have received penalties.
Don’t just move content without proper documentation.
As stated in the FAQ:
“Moving content to a subdirectory or subdomain within the same site’s domain name: This doesn’t resolve the underlying issue and may be viewed as an attempt to circumvent our spam policy, which may lead to broader actions against a site in Google Search.”
However, Google notes that:
“Moving content to a new domain: This is far less likely to be an issue if the new domain has no established reputation and you follow our spam policies.”