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Google has revised its site reputation abuse policy in Europe following concerns from European Union regulators that the search giant’s approach could breach competition rules and expose it to a significant antitrust fine.
The policy change follows complaints from publishers and an investigation by the European Commission into how Google’s spam rules affect news organisations and other publishers that host content produced by commercial partners.
Google’s site reputation abuse policy is designed to tackle the practice of placing third-party content on established websites to exploit the host site’s search-ranking authority. The tactic, commonly described as “parasite SEO”, can be used to manipulate search rankings and gain greater visibility for content that would otherwise struggle to rank.
Google limits policy enforcement in Europe
Under the revised approach, Google said manual actions taken under its site reputation abuse policy from August 30 would no longer apply to users in the European Economic Area (EEA).
The EEA comprises the 27 EU member states, alongside Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
Google said the change would be limited to the region and that its policy would continue to operate in the same manner outside the EEA.
The adjustment follows concerns raised by the European Commission that enforcement of Google’s spam policy could negatively affect publishers when they carry commercially produced content on their websites.
According to the Commission’s monitoring, the policy has resulted in news media and other publishers having their websites or content demoted in Google Search when they include material supplied by commercial partners.
DMA investigation raises regulatory pressure
The dispute forms part of broader scrutiny of Google under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which establishes rules aimed at limiting the market power of major digital platforms and promoting fairer competition in digital markets.
The European Commission opened an investigation after concerns emerged over the potential impact of Google’s site reputation abuse policy on publishers.
The regulatory stakes are significant. Companies found to have breached the DMA can face fines of up to 10 per cent of their global annual turnover, increasing the pressure on designated gatekeepers to comply with the bloc’s requirements.
Google had previously proposed changes in May as part of efforts to address the Commission’s concerns and allow interested stakeholders to provide feedback.
The company said it had continued to engage with the European Commission throughout the process.
Google defends spam controls
Despite modifying the policy for European users, Google maintained that protecting the quality of its search results remains a priority.
The company said its spam controls are intended to prevent practices that manipulate search rankings and undermine the reliability of information available to users.
“Our priority is to keep Search results helpful and useful for users and protect them from deceptive practices like ‘parasite SEO’ spam that undermine the web,” a Google spokesperson said.
The company’s position reflects the tension at the centre of the dispute: while regulators are examining the impact of Google’s ranking and spam policies on businesses and publishers, Google argues that strong controls are necessary to prevent manipulation of its search ecosystem.
Publishers caught between search rules and commercial content
The European Commission’s concerns highlight a challenge facing publishers that increasingly rely on commercial partnerships to generate revenue.
Under Google’s original enforcement approach, websites could face search visibility penalties when third-party content hosted on their domains was considered an attempt to exploit the website’s established ranking authority.
However, regulators have questioned whether the enforcement mechanism could also affect legitimate publisher-commercial relationships.
The latest adjustment means that users across the EEA will no longer be affected by manual demotions imposed under the site reputation abuse policy, at least under the revised enforcement approach announced by Google.
The development underscores the growing influence of digital platforms over how businesses and publishers reach audiences online.
For Google, the policy change represents an effort to address European regulatory concerns while maintaining measures designed to combat search manipulation.
For regulators, it highlights the continuing challenge of ensuring that the policies of dominant technology platforms do not unfairly disadvantage businesses or distort competition.
The dispute is another example of the increasingly complex relationship between technology companies, publishers and regulators as governments seek greater oversight of digital platforms and the algorithms that determine online visibility.
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