Why Google Erased Cointelegraph Overnight

Jan 6, 2026

A dramatic collapse in Google traffic for Cointelegraph reveals the risks of extending brand authority into unrelated content. The site plummeted from over 4 million clicks to just 75,000 due to a combination of a spam update and low-quality, third-party gambling content. Evidence suggests a manual penalty played a role. Key lessons include the importance of editorial integrity and aligning revenue streams with brand focus. This case highlights the vulnerability of even major publishers amid transparency failures.

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INSIGHT

Massive Visibility Collapse

Cointelegraph fell from ~4 million to ~75,000 Google clicks per month in weeks, a dramatic visibility collapse.
The drop shows even large, established publishers are vulnerable to search penalties when trust breaks down.

ANECDOTE

Quiet Launch Of Gambling Directories

Cointelegraph quietly launched casino and crypto betting directories in June, then filled them with low-quality content linking to weak gambling sites.
Those sections drove a traffic surge through September but exposed the site to reputation risk.

INSIGHT

Spam Update Targeted Reputation Abuse

Google's August–September spam update targeted scaled content and site reputation abuse, penalizing leveraged authority used for unrelated commercial content.
The policy forbids trusted sites from pushing low-quality affiliate or commercial content outside their editorial purpose.

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E916: I break down one of the most extreme search visibility collapses I've ever seen.

Cointelegraph - one of the largest and most established crypto news sites in the world - went from over 4 million monthly Google clicks to roughly 75,000 in a matter of weeks. Even branded searches stopped returning their website.

This episode explains what actually happened, why this was not a crypto-wide issue, and what publishers should learn from it.

What we cover in this episode: - The exact timeline of Cointelegraph's traffic collapse - Why this was likely more than an algorithmic update - How Google's site reputation abuse policy played a central role - The quiet launch of casino, betting, and iGaming directories - Why low-quality third-party content is especially risky for trusted brands - Signs that this was a manual penalty, not normal volatility - Why Cointelegraph disappeared even for branded searches - How similar situations have affected major publishers in the past - What this means for crypto media, news sites, and content publishers - How revenue diversification can backfire when it's misaligned with editorial focus

Key takeaway:

This was not Google "shadow banning crypto." This was a case study in what happens when a trusted publisher extends its authority into unrelated, high-risk commercial content - especially when third parties are involved.

Even the biggest brands are vulnerable when transparency, alignment, and editorial integrity break down.

This episode also explains: - Why some penalties are recoverable and others are not - How publishers can diversify revenue without risking search visibility - Why building in-house products is safer than affiliate-heavy strategies - The role transparency plays in long-term trust and E-E-A-T

If you're a publisher, SEO, founder, or operator who depends on organic search traffic, this episode is required listening.

⭐️ Pere Monguió Montells's deep dive - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pere-monguio_a-deep-dive-into-cointelegraphs-google-ban-activity-7393924228103938049--XEf/

⭐️ Cointelegraph Traffic Drop and iGaming Section Removal Suggest a Possible Manual Google Penalty - https://theholycoins.com/news/cointelegraph-traffic-drop-and-igaming-section-removal-suggest-a-possible-manual-google-penalty

⭐️ Google hit Forbes Advisor with a manual action over the site reputation abuse policy - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1ft47sn/google_hit_forbes_advisor_with_a_manual_action/

💎 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: Cointelegraph's Google Ban 00:18 Cointelegraph's Traffic Plunge 01:22 Google's Site Reputation Abuse Policy 02:17 Investigating the Ban: June to September 04:20 October: The Collapse and Aftermath 10:39 Lessons and Takeaways for Publishers 14:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #sitereputationabuse #googlepenality #DigitalPublishing