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Google’s suggestion that the algorithm might target off-topic content made a lot of people nervous, and for good reason — “off-topic” is hopelessly (deliberately?) vague. Many sites legitimately cover a wide range of topics, while other sites now hyper-target topics in a way clearly designed to maximize SEO benefits.
There is a danger here when abuse of a site’s reputation begins to be codified into an algorithm. I think we have to be honest about our intentions. If you’re writing original, useful content on your well-known local sports news website about the best cash back credit cards and you have a partnership with those providers, then you’re probably breaking the spirit of the rule, no matter who it’s from creating that content.
What if your video game review site published original content about the best gift cards for gaming platforms, but that content was sponsored? Google’s current guidelines seem to suggest that this is a low risk. They specifically state that third-party ad blocks and properly labeled affiliate links within original content are not inherently offensive. We’re not talking about individual affiliate links here, but about aggressive affiliate models that lead to game content purely for SEO.