Google has maintained a longstanding policy advising webmasters to avoid unnatural, low-quality, or keyword-rich widget links. This guideline is so ingrained in the SEO community that it has become a common best practice.
So, why is this policy making headlines again today? Google has chosen to emphasize the importance of avoiding “unnatural” links. These are links embedded within a widget that automatically appear on a site without the site owner’s knowledge. Often, they include keyword-rich anchor text, and the troubling aspect is that site owners have no control over these links.
Even if a site owner is unaware that they are publishing links in a manner deemed inappropriate or “black hat,” Google will still penalize the use of these unnaturally placed links. When such a penalty is imposed, Google will notify site owners via Search Console.
Site owners might also get warnings if links to their site are automatically incorporated into widgets placed on other sites. If you have a widget on the web that links back to your site, Google advises addressing the issue and submitting a reconsideration request. The problem can be resolved by either removing the link(s) or adding nofollow attributes to them.
To further safeguard against such issues, Google recommends inspecting all widgets for any unnatural links. If feasible, edit the widget to incorporate a nofollow attribute or remove the link entirely.
