• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, June 4, 2024

Google is being challenged for a site reputation policy that critics say is wrongly deranking some types of publisher content. 

Danielle Coffey, president & CEO of the News/Media Alliance (N/MA), wrote to Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google, saying, “The drafting and implementation of the new ‘Site Reputation Abuse’ policy – without any meaningful consultation or discussions with affected publishers – has been uninformed, haphazard, and market abusive, leading to the deranking or deindexing of whole sections of substantively valid and reader-valued publisher properties ranging from coupon and affiliate link pages, to sports betting, lottery, and gaming content.” 

The letter demands that Google “promptly engage with us to revise the policy and its implementation strategy to ensure that it achieves its presumed goals – to reduce the amount of low-quality information online, while preserving readers’ access to reliable and trustworthy content.” 

N/MA members have “regularly included coupons in their publications for the past century, and such promotions form an important part of our community lives, providing local businesses an efficient and trusted way to attract new and retain existing customers, while helping families ease their financial burden.”

The letter continues that Google’s “abuse of power is contributing directly to immediate revenue drops in the short term, and publishers that are providing a vital service with limited resources should not be required to shoulder the costs until Google decides to act."

N/MA demands that Google “release any affected N/MA member properties from the purgatory of its internal appeals process and reverse any deranking or deindexing decisions taken against them under the new policy.”