Google updated its coupons FAQs in the March core update blog post to clarify which sites would be affected by the site reputation abuse policy. The update, made on June 5th, specifies that "white-label services that focus on redistributing coupons with the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings" violate this policy.
Key Points
- Clarification on Coupon Hosting: Publications hosting coupons must ensure readers understand how the coupons are sourced and that they provide value.
- Active Involvement Defined: Sites actively involved in the production of coupon areas, directly sourcing from merchants and businesses, do not need to block this content from Google Search. This excludes white-label services aimed at manipulating search rankings.
- Previous Wording: The earlier version of the FAQ did not specify the need for publications to clarify how they source coupons.
- Policy Target: The site reputation abuse policy mainly targets white-labeled coupon directory sites that use these services to manipulate search rankings.
