21 votes

Google stops letting sites like Forbes rule search for “Best CBD Gummies“

5 comments

  1. [3]
    JXM
    Link
    Forbes is awful. They should just be banned from search results wholesale. Anyone can pay to have their article published on their site.

    Forbes is awful. They should just be banned from search results wholesale. Anyone can pay to have their article published on their site.

    23 votes
    1. [2]
      Eji1700
      Link Parent
      This is why I enjoy things like Kagi that let you blacklist, although obviously we've just talked about other issues with them.

      This is why I enjoy things like Kagi that let you blacklist, although obviously we've just talked about other issues with them.

      8 votes
      1. JXM
        Link Parent
        I made liberal use of the blocking feature when I started using Kagi. I blocked a whole bunch of these types of garbage news sites (and all of the awful sites with copy paste articles that you get...

        I made liberal use of the blocking feature when I started using Kagi. I blocked a whole bunch of these types of garbage news sites (and all of the awful sites with copy paste articles that you get whenever you try and search for any tech support type problem).

        8 votes
  2. [2]
    skybrian
    Link
    From the article: ...

    From the article:

    If you've searched for reviews and seen results that make you ask why so many old-fashioned news sites seem to be "reviewing" products lately—especially products outside that site's expertise—that's what Google is targeting.

    "This is a tactic where third-party content is published on a host site in an attempt to take advantage of the host's already-established ranking signals," Google's post on its Search Central blog reads. "The goal of this tactic is for the content to rank better than it could otherwise on a different site, and leads to a bad search experience for users."

    ...

    The "site reputation abuse" Google is targeting takes many forms, but it has one common theme: using an established site's domain history to quietly sell things. Forbes, a well-established business news site, has an ownership stake in Forbes Marketplace (named Forbes Advisor in site copy) but does not fully own it.

    12 votes
    1. Habituallytired
      Link Parent
      I'm glad to see Google doing something positive for the user's search experience. Hopefully competition from places like Kagi are forcing their hand.

      I'm glad to see Google doing something positive for the user's search experience. Hopefully competition from places like Kagi are forcing their hand.

      4 votes