CROSS-CUTTING, GUARDRAILS & FUTURE-PROOFING (Lever 8)HighVerified
Inauthentic/bought mentions or links
What it is
Manufactured mentions/links.
Why it matters
Link-spam policy; the AI guide warns inauthentic mentions aren’t as helpful as claimed.
How to fix it
Earn genuine mentions only.
Impact
Medium-high; penalty risk. Direct.
Evidence
Inauthentic mentions/link schemes are ineffective and against policy. Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search; Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search
Sources