Ripoff Report, a site known for hosting unverified anonymous reviews and complaints, appears to have experienced a significant drop in visibility in Google’s organic search results starting November 6.
I noticed this change today while searching for keywords related to Online Reputation Management (ORM) clients that we oversee.
After checking around seven different keywords and finding only one still ranking in the Top 10 on Ripoff Report, I concluded that something unusual was happening.
Even the one report that remained in the top 10 had dropped about 6 positions.
I quickly turned to Twitter but found no mentions of this development. I then contacted several colleagues and posted in a private writer’s forum to see if anyone else had observed the same trend.
Several confirmed they noticed similar patterns, and someone sent me a graph from SEMrush showing significant ranking declines for Ripoff Report.
For those unfamiliar with Ripoff Report, it’s considered one of the worst complaint sites to be listed on as it can quickly rank in Google’s Top 10 for your brand or name, potentially resulting in lost business.
The site has a “no removal” policy and is even known to reject court-ordered removals.
Additionally, when court orders prompt Google and Bing to remove URLs, they may reappear months later under a new URL within the site.
Is It an Algorithm Update?
Out of curiosity, I ran some reports for other major complaint sites on SEMrush and found that several others, including PissedConsumer, ComplaintsBoard, DirtyScam, and ConsumerAffairs, had also lost rankings.
This might indicate a Google algorithm update targeting these types of sites. If no one has named this update yet, I suggest calling it the “ORM Update.”
It is rare these days for Google to take manual action against a website unless in extreme cases.
More often, they adjust their algorithm to lower the rankings of sites they believe do not provide quality content.
By now, there have likely been thousands of complaints directed at Google regarding these sites.
Google may even be frustrated by these sites not adhering to court-ordered removals. So, I would say with 99 percent certainty that this looks like an algorithm update.
I am sure many people and business owners will be celebrating if these rankings remain as they are.
Previously, there have been instances where Ripoff Report was completely de-indexed from Google, and the URL was unreachable for a few days, but these situations typically resolved after a few days. Therefore, it’s advisable not to celebrate prematurely and to wait a few days.
If you are one of the unfortunate individuals listed on these sites, I hope the rankings remain this way for your benefit. I am eager to share this news with my clients but will hold off for a few days myself!
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Image Credits
Screenshots taken by the author, November 2018
