Weekly SEO News September 20-27

Google Removes Cache: Search Operator Documentation

Google has officially removed its documentation for the cache: search operator, confirming that the feature no longer functions. The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine shows the documentation was still live as of September 17, 2024, but the URL now redirects to a changelog notice about its removal.

The removal was first announced in March 2024 by Google SearchLiaison via X (formerly Twitter). In the post, they expressed sadness about the decision, explaining that the cache: search operator was initially designed to help users access pages when website reliability was inconsistent. However, with modern improvements in page accessibility, Google decided to retire the feature.

The post mentioned a potential plan to replace the cache link with a link to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine in Google’s “About This Result” feature, which would allow users to see older versions of webpages. This idea became reality on September 11, 2024, when Google announced that links to the Internet Archive were integrated into the search feature. A Google spokesperson confirmed that the addition was aimed at helping users, particularly in the research community, view previous webpage versions when available.

According to Google’s documentation changelog, the removal of the cache: search operator was noted as follows:

• What: Removed the cache: search operator documentation.
• Why: The cache: search operator no longer works in Google Search.

The removal of this long-standing feature serves as a reminder that Google Search is always evolving, and anyone working in publishing or SEO should stay aware of these changes.

Google Updates Their Spam Policy Documentation

Source: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies?hl=tr?

Google recently updated its spam policy documentation, providing additional details, clearer explanations and making the content easier to understand. The most significant update includes a new definition of "site reputation abuse," followed by expanded details on the consequences of manual actions. The remaining updates are a refresh to make the documentation more concise and understandable. These changes offer insights into how you might improve your content.

Key Changes

Here are the main updates made:

• Site Reputation Abuse: Previously, the documentation mentioned site reputation abuse as content published with little or no oversight, but it didn’t clarify what “first-party oversight” means. The updated definition explains that first-party oversight involves direct involvement, such as staff creating content, rather than using third-party services that redistribute content to manipulate rankings.
• Manual Action Consequences: Google added a new sentence explaining that continuous violations of spam guidelines could result in broader actions, such as removing more site sections from search results. While this consequence isn't new, the additional explanation clarifies it.
• Thin Affiliation: The section previously titled "Thin affiliate pages" has been updated to "Thin affiliation," with an improved definition explaining the practice of publishing content with product affiliate links.
• Improved Introductory Sentence: Google improved the introductory sentence by defining what spam is. The new sentence now reads: "In the context of Google Search, spam is web content that’s designed to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems in order to rank highly." The previous sentence has been moved to the second position.
• Consolidation of Terms: Google combined terms like "content and behaviors" with "practices" and "spam practices," simplifying the language and making the documentation easier to understand. For example, the sentence “We detect policy-violating content and behaviors…” was updated to “We detect policy-violating practices.”
• Introduction of Spam Abuse: Google increased the use of the term "abuse" in the updated documentation. The word was used 11 times in the old version but appears 17 times in the new one, emphasizing spam as a harmful activity. For example, “doorways” is now referred to as “doorway abuse,” and “hidden text and links” is now “hidden text and links abuse.”
• Improved Conciseness: The revised documentation replaces longer sentences with shorter, more direct ones. For instance, the original explanation of link spam has been shortened from several sentences to: “Link spam is the practice of creating links to or from a site primarily to manipulate search rankings.”
• Machine-Generated Traffic: This section was rewritten to remove references to Google and focus on defining machine-generated traffic. The new version reads: “Machine-generated traffic (also called automated traffic) refers to the practice of sending automated queries to Google.”

Conclusion

The update is more of a content refresh than a complete rewrite, with new details and more concise explanations. These changes offer valuable insights into how to update your content by focusing on clarity and brevity.