Digital Phablet reports that Google announced it will cease enforcing manual actions related to the site reputation abuse policy within the European Economic Area (EEA), starting August 30, 2026. This change is due to a directive from the European Commission, meaning users in the EEA will no longer benefit from Google’s spam protections for sites flagged for reputation abuse.
Understanding Site Reputation Abuse Policy
Site reputation abuse involves publishing third-party content on a host site mainly because that site’s established ranking signals, built from its own original content, give it an advantage. The tactic aims to help the third-party content rank higher than it could independently. Google’s definition of this policy can be found here.
This policy was introduced alongside Google’s March 2024 core update to combat what’s known as Parasite SEO. Enforcement of the site reputation abuse policy officially began in Europe in January 2025. While many suspected this shift, some expected Google to defend its search quality standards against such policies. Surprisingly, the enforcement will now be different depending on the visitor’s location, which is a notable development.
A Significant Shift
This marks the first time Google is applying distinct rules and enforcement outcomes for its spam policies based on where the searcher is located. The regional disparity in policy enforcement raises concerns about potential misuse or increased abuse of the policy in the future.
What Changes Are Being Made
Google explained that manual actions under its site reputation policy will impact search results differently for users inside and outside of the EEA. The key points include:
- Outside the EEA, a manual action regarding site reputation will directly affect the search ranking of the impacted parts of the site. Other sections remain unaffected.
- Within the EEA, the manual action won’t influence search rankings for users. Instead, the affected sections may be treated as separate entities in Google’s systems, allowing them to rank independently over time.
This doesn’t mean that sites in the EEA won’t receive a manual action for reputation abuse—they will. However, these actions won’t influence search rankings within the region. For foreign users, the site’s ranking could decline due to the action, making it vital for site owners to monitor their SEO performance outside the EEA.
Algorithmic Processes Remain Active
Google clarified that automated systems can still treat parts of a website as separate entities if they detect parasite SEO or reputation abuse. The statement that “the affected section may be separated in the system so that, over time, it ranks independently” highlights that these algorithmic adjustments continue unaffected by the new regional enforcement policy.
Official Statement from Google
Google states that site owners will be notified via Search Console whenever a manual action is applied. If they believe it was mistaken, they can submit a reconsideration request. While individual pages might be flagged globally, the impact of these actions on search results will be confined to outside the EEA.
“Site owners will continue to receive notifications within Search Console when a manual action is issued. If a site believes an action was taken erroneously, they can request reconsideration. Ultimately, many pages are accessed worldwide, so a manual action on a page could affect its ranking for users outside the EEA, but not within.”
A spokesperson from Google emphasized the company’s stance: “Our European users are no less affected by parasite SEO and deceptive tactics that hurt search quality. We stand by our Site Reputation Policy, but we’ve agreed to adapt our enforcement approach in Europe due to the European Commission’s concerns. We remain dedicated to our policy because it helps create a better, more trustworthy search experience for everyone.”