Google Changes Site Reputation Policy Enforcement in EEA From August 30

Google will change how it enforces its site reputation policy for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) from August 30, following discussions with the European Commission.

Google’s site reputation policy targets third-party content published on established websites that primarily benefits from the host site's existing search reputation, a practice sometimes called parasite SEO. Google said manual actions issued under the policy will continue to directly affect the relevant sections of websites for users outside the EEA, while those penalties will not apply to search results shown inside the EEA.

For EEA users, Google explained it may instead separate an affected section from the rest of a website in its systems, allowing that section to rank independently over time. The change creates different search-ranking consequences for the same content depending on where a Google user is located.

Google Changes Enforcement After EU Investigation

The European Commission opened an investigation into Google's site reputation policy in November 2025 after finding indications that it was demoting news organizations and other publishers when their websites included content from commercial partners.

The Commission said the practice could affect publishers' ability to monetize their websites and was investigating whether Google's treatment complied with requirements under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Google said it remains concerned that an “overbroad application” of the DMA could prevent it from addressing attempts to manipulate search results. European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier welcomed the change and said the Commission would monitor its implementation for compliance with the DMA.

Google also clarified how it assesses potential site reputation abuse. Its updated guidance says reviews can consider the host site's editorial oversight and contribution, along with factors including the content's presentation, quality, authorship and whether the same material appears on other websites.

Site Owners Will Still Receive Search Console Notices

Google will continue notifying website owners through Search Console when it applies a manual action under the site reputation policy.

Publishers that believe an action was issued incorrectly can submit a reconsideration request. Eligible sites may also be able to take disputes to mediation after submitting that request.

The geographic distinction means a page can remain subject to a site reputation manual action while the ranking impact is visible only to users outside the EEA. For publishers with international audiences, the same affected section could therefore perform differently in European and non-European Google search results.

Google said it remains committed to the policy because it considers the rules necessary to prevent sites from using their established reputations to give unrelated third-party content an artificial ranking advantage.