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Forbes Axes Its Coupon Directory, As Google’s Spam Policy Surges On

As we approach May 5th, when Google says it will fully roll out its new spam policy, we're already seeing the update's impact.

Forbes Axes Its Coupon Directory, As Google’s Spam Policy Surges On

Forbes has eliminated its coupon directory, issuing a 410 status code for access attempts. You can see for yourself if you try to access the page.

A couple of weeks ago, Forbes started to put this into motion when it blocked the coupon directory from being crawled by Google. Now, it has been completely removed from the publication’s site.

It does not feature in the site’s navigation and the 410 status code suggests this is a permanent removal.

What’s going on?

While Forbes has not issued any official statement regarding the matter, it’s speculated this is in response to Google’s updated spam policy.

Back in March, Google announced the launch of a new core update to boost ‘helpful content’ and downgrade spam in the SERPs. Sounds harmless, right? Nope. 

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