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Google cracks down on “Parasite SEO,” punishing established publishers – Ars Technica

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If you’ve noticed strange sites on “Best” product searches, so has Google.
“Updating our site reputation abuse policy” is how Google, in almost wondrously opaque fashion, announced yesterday that big changes have come to some big websites, especially those that rely on their domain authority to promote lucrative third-party product recommendations.
If you’ve searched for reviews and seen results that make you ask why so many old-fashioned news sites seem to be “reviewing” products lately—especially products outside that site’s expertise—that’s what Google is targeting.
“This is a tactic where third-party content is published on a host site in an attempt to take advantage of the host’s already-established ranking signals,” Google’s post on its Search Central blog reads. “The goal of this tactic is for the content to rank better than it could otherwise on a different site, and leads to a bad search experience for users.”
Search firm Sistrix cited the lost traffic to the third-party review content inside Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fortune, and Time as worth $7.5 million last week, according to AdWeek. Search rankings dropped by up to 97 percent at Time’s affiliate review site, Time Stamped, and 43 percent at Forbes Advisor. The drops are isolated to the affiliate subdomains of the sites, so their news-minded primary URLs still rank where relevant.
The “site reputation abuse” Google is targeting takes many forms, but it has one common theme: using an established site’s domain history to quietly sell things. Forbes, a well-established business news site, has an ownership stake in Forbes Marketplace (named Forbes Advisor in site copy) but does not fully own it.
Under the strength of Forbes’ long-existing and well-linked site, Forbes Marketplace/Advisor has dominated the search term “best cbd gummies” for “an eternity,” according to SEO analyst Lily Ray. Forbes has similarly dominated “best pet insurance,” and long came up as the second result for “how to get rid of roaches,” as detailed in a blog post by Lars Lofgren. If people click on this high-ranking result, and then click on a link to buy a product or request a roach removal consultation, Forbes typically gets a cut.
Forbes Marketplace had seemingly also provided SEO-minded review services to CNN and USA Today, as detailed by Lofgren. Lofgren’s term for this business, “Parasite SEO,” took hold in corners critical of the trend. Ars has contacted Forbes for comment and will update this post with response.
Google writes that it had reviewed “situations where there might be varying degrees of first-party involvement” (most publishers’ review sites indicate some kind of oversight or editorial standards linked to the primary site). But however arranged, “no amount of first-party involvement alters the fundamental third-party nature of the content or the unfair, exploitative nature of attempting to take advantage of the host sites’ ranking signals.”
As such, using third-party content in such a way as to take advantage of a high search quality ranking, outside the site’s primary focus, is considered spam. That delivers a major hit to a site’s Google ranking, and the impact is already being felt.
The SEO reordering does not affect more established kinds of third-party content, like wire service reports, syndication, or well-marked sponsored content, as detailed in Google’s spam policy section about site reputation abuse. As seen on the SEO subreddit, and on social media, Google has given sites running afoul of its updated policy a “Manual Action” rather than relying only on its algorithm to catch the often opaque arrangements.
Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important.

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Google Search Trends Show How Customer Expectations Are Changing – Search Engine Journal

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Download your copy of SEO Trends 2025 and discover what to be hopeful about in a changing search world.
Join us in analyzing 3 case studies that show the importance of driving brand search behavior and engagement, and how to do it in months, instead of years.
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Join us as we dive into exclusive survey data from industry-leading SEOs, digital marketers, content marketers, and more to highlight the top priorities and challenges that will shape the future of search in 2025.
Trending search data from Google reveals how consumer expectations have changed from 2021 to 2022.
A new report from Google contains data on how customer expectations are changing, and reveals what people want from businesses this year.
Based on a comparison of search volume from 2021 to 2022, trends indicate that customers want things both sooner and later.
If customers are out shopping in person then they want the ability to do it late at night, and if they’re shopping online they want items to arrive as soon as tomorrow.
They also want new experiences from businesses, such as the ability to bring their pet out for dinner.
Data in the report is compiled by the Google Ads Research and Insights team from an analysis of billions of recent search queries.
Staying informed about consumers’ changing expectations can help your business meet their needs better, ensuring they continue to choose you over competitors.
The report provides insight into how customers are phrasing their needs when looking for information in Google Search.
You can meet customers where they are in Google by emphasizing some of these key phrases on your website or business listing.
Here are the top insights from Google’s report on the latest developments in consumer behavior and market trends.
Consumer expectations for new experiences, services, and ways to shop are on the rise, with growing searches for:
These trends highlight the immediacy with which consumers expect to have products in hand.
Further, they want extended hours of customer support after the purchase.
When going out to visit local businesses, customers are expecting more of the comforts of home. Such as the ability to bring their dog to a restaurant.
If your business caters to these needs, make sure it’s highlighted on your website so you can get found by searchers.
Consumers are eager to get out of their home and enjoy some in-person events again.
Searches are on the rise for:
These trends indicate that consumers are comfortable with attending events in-person this year, which is a good sign if you’re planning on hosting one.
However, people don’t want everything the same as it used to be, as evidenced by the “unique things to do” search trend.
In-person events are back on, but consumers won’t necessarily settle for the same old things they did before.
Several of what Google calls “pandemic-related trends” continue to stick.
Searches are still on the rise for:
For more data, see the full report on Think With Google.
Featured Image: VectorMine/Shutterstock
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, …
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