Guide · Search
Scaled Content Abuse: Google's March 2024 Spam Rules
Scaled content abuse is a Google spam policy, announced on 5 March 2024, that targets many pages made mainly to rank and not to help people. This guide explains what the policy covers, what it does not cover, and how to check your own pages.
What the policy says
Google defines the policy in one sentence. Scaled content abuse is when many pages are made mainly to game search rankings and not to help people. The pages are usually large amounts of unoriginal content with little or no value.
The key words are "no matter how it's created." Google says the policy applies whether the pages come from automation, from people, or from a mix of both. A team of writers can break the rule if it churns out thin pages for rankings. An AI tool does not break the rule just because it was used.
The policy is one of three new spam policies Google announced on 5 March 2024. The other two cover expired domain abuse and site reputation abuse.
Sources: Google Search Central Blog, What web creators should know about our March 2024 core update and new spam policies; Google Search Essentials, Spam policies for Google web search
What changed in March 2024
On 5 March 2024, Google announced the March 2024 core update. It said the update aims to show less content that feels made to attract clicks, and more content that people find useful. It called this a more complex update than usual, with changes to several core systems.
Google said the rollout could take up to a month and that rankings might move more than in a normal core update. The same day it launched the March 2024 spam update, which came with the new policies.
Item What Google said Core update Announced 5 March 2024, rollout up to a month Spam update Launched the same day as the new policies Scaled content abuse Builds on the older "automatically-generated content" policy Site reputation abuse Takes effect 5 May 2024 Google also said creators need nothing new or special for the core update if they already make satisfying content for people. Sites that break a spam policy may rank lower or not appear at all.
Examples Google lists
Google lists examples and says the list is not complete:
- Using generative AI tools to make many pages without adding value for users.
- Scraping feeds, search results or other content to make many pages, even when the text is changed by swapping synonyms or translating it.
- Stitching together content from different pages without adding value.
- Creating several sites to hide how much content is being produced at scale.
- Making many pages that make little sense to a reader but contain search keywords.
If you host this kind of content, Google says to exclude it from Search. Google does not spell out how in that line, and a common way is a noindex tag.
Sources: Google Search Essentials, Spam policies for Google web search
Is this a ban on AI content?
No. Google asked this question itself and answered it. Its long-standing view is that automation, including generative AI, is spam only if the main goal is to manipulate rankings. The new wording is in the same spirit as the old.
What changed is the focus. Google wanted to cover newer ways of making content at scale, where it is not always clear whether a weak page was made purely by a machine. The test is the purpose and the value of the page, not the tool.
A simple test for your own pages
Google does not publish a checklist for this policy, so the table below is our own reading of its wording. Use it as a prompt for a review, not as a rule from Google.
Question about a group of pages Warning sign Why does each page exist? You made it to catch a search phrase, not to answer a real need What does it add? It repeats other pages with a few words swapped Where did the facts come from? Scraped or merged from other sites with nothing new Would a reader miss it? If it vanished tomorrow, no one would notice How many are alike? Dozens of pages share the same template and the same sentences If most answers land in the right-hand column, fix or merge the pages. Add original facts, real examples and a clear point of view. Remove pages that cannot be improved.
Sources: Google Search Essentials, Spam policies for Google web search
What to do now
Start with an inventory. List the pages you have published in bulk, such as location pages, product variants or auto-written articles. Check which ones real people use.
Then choose one of three paths for each group. Improve the page so it adds something new. Merge it into a stronger page. Or exclude it from Search. Keep a note of what you changed and why.
If you work with an agency, ask how its content is made and who checks it. A good answer names the people, the sources and the review steps. Google also says that a spam manual action is sent to the registered Search Console account, and that site owners can ask for reconsideration once fixed.
Sources