Google’s suggestion that off-topic content could be targeted by the algorithm made a lot of people nervous, and for good reason – “off-topic” is hopelessly (intentionally?) vague. Many websites rightly cover a wide range of topics, while other websites now specifically target topics in a way that is clearly designed to maximize SEO benefits.
The danger here is that site reputation abuse becomes codified in the algorithm. I think we need to be honest about our intentions. If you write original, useful content about the best cash back credit cards on your popular local sports news site and have an affiliate relationship with those providers, then you’re probably still violating the spirit of the rules whoever creates 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 policies seem to indicate that the risk is low. You expressly point out that third-party advertising blocks and properly marked affiliate links within the original content are not fundamentally abusive. This is not about individual affiliate links, but about aggressive affiliate models that lead to gaming content purely for SEO reasons.
