fbpx

Google Updates Its Rich Results Content Guidelines Disallowing Widely Prohibited or Heavily Regulated Products

author image Written by: Rabije Gashi Corluka           Categories - In The News, SEO

Google has updated its rich results content guidelines to line up with the general merchant guidelines. The new rich results guidelines disallow widely prohibited and heavily regulated products or products that pose a threat to self or others.

These include, but are not limited to:

  • Weapons
  • Recreational Drugs
  • Tobacco & Vaping Products
  • Gambling Related Products

The new policy is effective immediately.

Read More: Google Releases July 2022 Product Reviews Update

We don’t allow content that promotes widely prohibited or regulated goods, services, or information that may facilitate serious, immediate, or long-term harm to people. This includes content related to firearms and weapons, recreational drugs, tobacco and vaping products, and gambling-related products.

Google said the policy applies to all forms of rich result markup, such as star ratings, prices, and availability information.

This could include goods like fireworks, recreational drugs, and other products that can pose acute threats of physical harm,” – a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land.

Read More: May 2022 Core Update: More FAQ Rich Results Showing!

Why Is This Important?

If you sell any of these types of products, it’s probably best to remove structured data markup from these pages. Otherwise, the rich results will not appear for these product categories.

Search Engine Land asked Google if they’re planning to send out any manual action within Google Search Console, and they said none will be issued. Instead, Google will only remove the rich results for these types of search results.

Read More: Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines Update

Read More: Google To Remove Generic Rich Results Filter From Performance Report in Search Console

Tags - In The News, SEO, Content Guidelines, Google SERP, Rich Results, seo

Rabije Gashi Corluka

Rabije always enjoyed finding different angles to a story, so it’s not surprising her curiosity influenced a move to a new continent, widening her perspective. She enjoys hearing people's stories and learning about different cultures and places - but most of all, she loves putting her thoughts on a piece of paper. Her love for writing led to her studying Journalism and PR, but she actually became a storyteller during her radio-hosting era. Now, she uses her skills, experience, and love for writing to help your brand stand out.