Google has up to date its manual actions documentation round site reputation abuse, to broaden on the subsequent steps and actions you may take when you obtain this handbook motion. Google now extra clearly says that you shouldn’t block that content material together with your robots.txt file, when you use the noindex rule.
Glenn Gabe noticed this variation and posted on X, “OK, I wrote a put up lately about how disallowing by way of robots.txt is NOT a legitimate method when coping with website fame abuse. Noindexing is the way in which to go. Seems to be like Google is making this clearer now!”
It now says supplies 4 bullet factors for issues you may probably do, earlier than it simply stated:
Determine what to do with the violating content material and take motion. For instance, transferring the violating content material to a brand new area, utilizing noindex to exclude the content material from Search indexing, or redoing the content material as first-party content material.
In case you moved the content material to a brand new area, and also you hyperlink from the outdated website to the brand new website, use the nofollow attribute in these hyperlinks. Keep away from redirecting URLs from the outdated website to the brand new website, as redirecting could introduce the positioning fame abuse problem once more.
Now it says:
- Transfer the violating content material to a brand new area. In case you hyperlink from the outdated website to the brand new website, use the nofollow attribute in these hyperlinks. Keep away from redirecting URLs from the outdated website to the brand new website, as redirecting could introduce the positioning fame abuse problem once more.
- Use noindex to exclude the violating content material from Search indexing. To ensure your noindex rule is efficient, do not block that content material together with your robots.txt file.
- Redo the violating content material as first-party content material.
- Take away the violating content material out of your website.
Here’s a screenshot of the brand new web page:
Right here is the outdated web page I captured again in January 2025:
OK, I wrote a put up lately about how disallowing by way of robots.txt is NOT a legitimate method when coping with website fame abuse. Noindexing is the way in which to go. Seems to be like Google is making this clearer now!
Within the handbook actions documentation, Google now clearly explains to… pic.twitter.com/bg2xJfxv3r
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 7, 2025
Discussion board dialogue at X.
