
If you use rich snippets on your websites, you should be aware that Google is now penalizing websites for spamming structured data markup.
The new warning was first mentioned in a forum post on the Google Webmaster Central forums from a user who is asking for clarification about the warning and what the issue could be. It is a manual action penalty based on incorrect usage of markups, regardless of whether it was deliberate spam or simply a mistake.
The warning that would appear in a user’s accounts if they have manual action taken is:
Markup on some pages on this site appears to use techniques such as marking up content that is invisible to users, marking up irrelevant or misleading content, and/or other manipulative behavior that violates Google’s Rich Snippet Quality guidelines.
The writing on the wall for penalties related to rich snippets was back in October at Pubcon when Google’s Matt Cutts talked about changes Google was planning in regards to rich snippets and dealing with related snippet spam.
Rich snippets could get a revamp and they will dial back on the number of websites that will be able to display rich snippets. “More reputable websites will get rich snippets while less reputable ones will see theirs removed,” says Matt.
The new penalty seems to affect websites that are misusing rich snippets, such as including authorship on homepages and reviews on pages where there are no reviews. But there was evidence that Google was attempting to educate webmasters on how to use it correctly when they made changes in December to add debugging support for structured data.
If you’re unclear if you’re using rich snippets correctly, you should first check your Webmaster Tools account and see if there’s any issues that show up, either as issues or in the structured data debugging area. Google also has the pretty significant help area for rich snippets, including with videos, to help webmasters implement structured data correctly.
Related reading
What to consider when selecting marketing channels
Selecting the marketing channels to use is a complex decision – there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for distributing your product. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been in business for a while, it can be difficult to find effective ways to reach your target market.
Technical considerations before purchasing a commerce platform
Choosing a commerce platform is one of the most crucial and important decisions you'll make in the early life of your business. The choices are endless, but what's really important? Pius Boachie provides a list of some key considerations.
Ten SEO aspects for web designers to master
Search engines are playing an increasingly important role in the future of the internet, and it’s important for web designers as well as SEOs to be able to keep up. Amanda DiSilvestro shares 10 aspects of SEO to master as a starting point.
How to reduce your site’s bounce rate
Bounce rate is a metric that gets a lot of press and for good reason. It often serves as a strong indicator that your website is not engaging the user, ultimately meaning that they leave a page without interacting with it. Simon Ensor offers a refresh on some key actions you can undertake to improve bounce rate for your site.