Google's March 2024 Policy Update Rationale

E864: I break down the European Commission's new antitrust investigation into Google's enforcement of its site reputation abuse and anti-parasite SEO policies. The investigation focuses on whether Google is demoting news publishers and media companies that host third-party commercial content.

I walk through what parasite SEO is, why publishers like Forbes were hit by Google's policy changes, how Google is justifying its anti-spam actions, and why many SEOs believe the EU's investigation is misguided. I also look at organic traffic data, examples of parasite SEO still getting through, and the difference between obvious and less obvious parasite SEO tactics.

I explain how "accidental" parasite SEO happens when brands improve their product, earn word of mouth, and build a strong presence across social platforms and communities. I also outline the fundamentals of long-term SEO strategy and how intent-driven keywords reliably bring in customers who are already looking for exactly what a business offers.

This episode covers the perspectives shared by Lars Lofgren, Jacky Chou, and Charles Floate, Google's official response from Pandu Nayak, and what this conflict means for publishers, SEOs, and search quality going forward.

This episode covers: - What parasite SEO is and why it became widespread - How publishers like Forbes were affected by Google's enforcement - Why Google says its anti-spam actions are necessary - Why many SEOs believe the EU's investigation is misguided - Examples of parasite SEO that still get through - The difference between obvious and less obvious parasite SEO tactics - How "accidental" parasite SEO happens through genuine brand growth - The fundamentals of long-term SEO strategy - How intent-driven keywords bring in high-intent customers - Traffic data and trends showing how enforcement impacted major publishers - Reactions and perspectives from Lars Lofgren, Jacky Chou, and Charles Floate - What this conflict means for publishers, SEOs, and the future of search quality

⭐️ Lars Lofgren's post - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7394851152628137984/ ⭐️ Jacky Chou post - https://x.com/indexsy/status/1989140769161248880 ⭐️ Charles Floate post - https://x.com/Charles_SEO/status/1989188855459922202 ⭐️ Google's post from Pandu Nayak - https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/defending-search-users-from-parasite-seo-spam/ ⭐️ "Forbes, CNN, and More Lose Millions as New Google Policy Tanks Affiliate Businesseses" - https://www.adweek.com/media/cnn-forbes-lose-millions-google-seo-policy/ ⭐️ Pareto SEO: The 20% of SEO That Matters - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/pareto-seo

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction and Context 00:47 Understanding Parasite SEO 01:28 Google's Stance and EU Investigation 02:47 Examples and Evidence of Parasite SEO 06:45 Discussion on SEO Practices 09:02 Takeaways 14:56 Conclusion and Sign Off

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #parasiteseo #googleupdate #digitalmarketingnews