Google Regionalizes Site Reputation Policy Enforcement, Changing EEA SEO Monitoring

Google is changing how manual actions under its Site Reputation Policy affect search visibility by region. From August 30, 2026 , the ranking impact of these actions will not apply to search results shown to people in the European Economic Area (EEA), while results shown outside the EEA may still be affected. For site owners with international audiences, that makes region-specific SEO monitoring more important than a single global view of performance. The change does not remove Google's Site Reputation Policy or its effort to address site reputation abuse . Instead, it changes how the consequences of a manual action are experienced in EEA search results. Google announced the update in its official Site Reputation Policy update , linking the regional change to its ongoing discussions with the European Commission and considerations related to the Digital Markets Act. What Google changed Google introduced its Site Reputation Policy in 2024 to address situations in which third-party content takes advantage of a host site's established ranking signals. The policy targets content that is published primarily to exploit a site's reputation in Search rather than to provide value consistent with the host site's purpose and oversight. The policy remains in place globally. What changes is the effect of a manual action for people searching from the EEA. Google says that when it applies a manual action under this policy, the impact will not apply to results displayed to users inside the EEA. Outside the EEA, the manual action can continue to affect the relevant site's search results. Enforcement consideration Search results in the EEA Search results outside the EEA Impact of a Site Reputation Policy manual action Does not apply to results shown to users in the EEA May continue to apply Potential treatment of the affected site portion Google may separate it in its systems so it can rank independently over time Google's announcement does not describe an equivalent regional change S