Alphabet’s Google said on Friday it would change how it enforces its search spam policy in Europe after coming under pressure from EU regulators over concerns that the rules were unfairly penalizing news organizations and other publishers.
The change, which takes effect on Aug. 30, means Google will no longer apply manual actions that demote websites under its site reputation abuse policy to users in the European Economic Area, covering the 27 European Union countries as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
The move follows scrutiny by the European Commission, the EU’s competition regulator, which had been examining whether Google’s policy complied with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The investigation was prompted in part by complaints from publishers that the policy could penalize legitimate commercial partnerships involving third-party content hosted on established websites.
Google introduced the site reputation abuse policy as part of efforts to prevent manipulation of its search rankings. The policy is aimed at websites that host third-party pages in an attempt to take advantage of the ranking signals and reputation of the host site.
The practice, commonly known as “parasite SEO,” can involve third parties placing content on established websites because those sites have strong positions in Google search results.
Google has said such practices can undermine the quality of its search engine by allowing content to benefit from ranking signals that it would not otherwise have earned.
Under the policy, Google can impose a manual action when it determines that third-party content is being published primarily to manipulate search rankings. Such action can cause the affected content or section of a website to rank lower in search results.
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Publishers, however, have argued that the policy can sweep up legitimate arrangements in which websites host content from commercial partners, including material that forms part of their normal business operations.
The European Commission said its monitoring showed that Google’s policy had resulted in news media and other publishers being demoted in search results when their websites included content from commercial partners.
That raised concerns that the policy could interfere with legitimate publishing and commercial activities.
The Commission opened formal proceedings against Google in November 2025 under the DMA to examine the issue.
The law, which came into force as part of the EU’s broader effort to rein in the market power of the world’s largest technology companies, imposes special obligations on major digital platforms designated as “gatekeepers.”
Google in May offered changes to its approach following discussions with the Commission. The latest announcement formalizes the changes for users in the European Economic Area.
Google said the policy itself would remain in place and would continue to apply outside the EEA.
For users outside the region, Google will continue to apply manual actions that demote parts of websites when it finds violations of its site reputation abuse policy.
Inside the EEA, however, those demotions will no longer affect search results.
Google said affected sections of websites could instead be separated within its systems and allowed to establish their own ranking signals over time.
The company will continue to notify website owners when manual actions are taken through Google Search Console, giving them an opportunity to request a review of the decision.
Google said the change was designed to address the Commission’s concerns while maintaining its ability to tackle attempts to manipulate search rankings.
The company has previously warned that broad restrictions on its ability to fight search spam could make it harder to maintain the quality of its results.
The Commission’s action against Google forms part of a broader regulatory campaign targeting the world’s largest technology companies.
Google has faced several investigations in Europe over the way it operates its search engine, advertising business and app store.
The company has also faced substantial penalties under the DMA.
In July, the European Commission fined Google a combined €890 million ($1.04 billion) over two separate breaches of the law.
One €460 million fine related to what the Commission described as preferential treatment of Google’s own services in search results. A separate €430 million penalty concerned restrictions that the Commission said limited businesses’ ability to direct customers to alternative purchasing channels through Google Play.
The fines were separate from the investigation into Google’s site reputation abuse policy.
The DMA gives the European Commission broad powers to enforce compliance. Companies that breach the law can face fines of as much as 10% of their global annual turnover, while repeat or serious violations can trigger even tougher measures.
For Google, the site reputation case illustrates the growing scrutiny over how changes to its search algorithm and spam policies affect publishers and businesses that rely heavily on online visibility.
News organizations in particular depend on search engines for a significant share of traffic, making changes to ranking systems potentially important to their audience and advertising revenues.
Google’s policy change is therefore intended to draw a line between its efforts to combat manipulation of search results and legitimate third-party publishing arrangements.
The European Commission has not made a final finding that Google breached the DMA over the site reputation policy.
The proceedings remain focused on whether Google’s implementation of the policy is compatible with its obligations under the bloc’s digital competition rules.
For now, Google’s revised approach means publishers in the European Economic Area will be protected from the specific manual demotions covered by the change, while Google retains the policy and its enforcement system in other markets.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
