Forbes has completely removed the coupon section

  • Forbes has completely removed the coupon section from its website, returning HTTP 410, which indicates the content has been permanently deleted.
  • Forbes' actions are likely related to Google's new policy against website reputation abuse, which will take effect on May 5 and will be monitored both algorithmically and through managers.
  • This policy is aimed at combating content on third-party pages that are published with minimal involvement from the site owner and are intended to manipulate search rankings by leveraging the main site's reputation.

A few weeks ago, #Forbes blocked access to its coupon section for #Google Search. Now, Forbes has completely removed this section from its website, setting the server response to HTTP 410 and removing the coupon section link from its menu.

The removal of the section is most likely related to the introduction of #Google's new policy against site reputation abuse. As Chris Nelson from Google's search quality team reminded, site reputation abuse occurs when third-party pages are published with minimal or no involvement from the first party, with the aim of manipulating search rankings by leveraging the main site's reputation. This includes sponsored, promotional, affiliate, or other third-party pages that are typically distinct from the main site's content, created without publisher control or participation, and provide little or no benefit to users.

For Publishers

Be more careful with the content you publish. Similar sections now exist on almost every large site and Google has already started to downgrade such platforms in search results.

Forecast

Actions like Google's will lead to a cleanup of the internet until something new is devised.