Google Tool Hit by Spam Surge

Google’s Preferred Sources tool was launched with good intentions — to prioritise quality journalism and give users the ability to see more from the news outlets they trust. Unfortunately, it seems that the system has gone off course, as spammy and low-quality sites have begun to flood the feature. Instead of surfacing reputable publishers, it is now showcasing random domains, copycat websites, and even parked pages with no real content.

At its core, the Preferred Sources tool was meant to make Google’s Top Stories feature more personal. The idea was simple: if users favour certain news platforms, they could tell Google to display more content from those specific sources. This system was supposed to put control back into users’ hands, helping them tailor what appears in their news feed based on preference rather than on algorithmic decisions alone.

However, reports from users and SEO professionals have revealed that the reality is far from ideal. The tool has started surfacing suspicious websites that imitate well-known media outlets. In many cases, these are spam or copycat domains designed to look legitimate while offering none of the quality or trustworthiness of the real brands they mimic.

One troubling trend that has emerged is the registration of similar-sounding domains by individuals hoping to take advantage of popular site names. This technique, known as domain squatting, involves registering a domain name that looks almost identical to a trusted website but with a slightly altered web address — often by changing the top-level domain (TLD). For example, if a news outlet uses “.com” or “.net”, squatters might register the same name with “.com.in” or “.net.in”.

This clever but deceptive trick allows them to appear credible at a glance, especially to users who don’t notice the small differences in the web address. But once visited, these pages tend to be filled with irrelevant or spammy content — from payday loans and gambling offers to poorly written blog posts that serve no real purpose.

What’s even more alarming is that some of these fake sites only have their homepage indexed on Google, which indicates that they contain little to no valuable content. Yet, despite this, they somehow find their way into Google’s Preferred Sources list, a place supposedly reserved for legitimate and trustworthy outlets.

Screenshots shared by online users and digital marketers have shown examples of random subdomains and parked pages appearing under major brand names in the tool. For instance, searching for a popular SEO software brand in the Preferred Sources menu might show both the official domain and a parked Indian domain using the same name — a clear sign that something isn’t right.

The problem seems to be most noticeable in regions where the Preferred Sources feature has been rolled out, particularly the United States and India. This could explain why so many questionable Indian domains are surfacing in the system. Some of these websites are little more than placeholders, while others have turned into spam hubs packed with unrelated advertisements and low-quality articles.

In one striking example, a search for “HuffPost” within the Preferred Sources tool displayed an Indian copycat version of the site. Instead of offering the latest political and lifestyle news, the fake version featured topics like personal injury lawyers, payday loans, and luxury watches — topics that have no connection to the legitimate HuffPost brand.

Similarly, another case revealed a fake version of Search Engine Journal (SEJ) using an Indian domain name that closely resembled the original. Ironically, SEJ is one of the main publications that reported the problem, highlighting how even established digital news outlets can become victims of this growing issue.

The question now is how these fraudulent sites are making their way into Google’s Preferred Sources tool. One theory suggests that some individuals may be manually submitting their fake domains in an attempt to exploit the feature and gain more visibility. Others believe that Google’s automated systems might be mistakenly recognising these domains as legitimate because they closely resemble real ones.

Whatever the reason, the situation raises serious concerns about how well Google is monitoring its own tools. The fact that spam websites can appear in a system intended to promote credibility and user choice undermines the very purpose of the Preferred Sources feature.

For users, the consequences could be significant. Instead of seeing content from their favourite, trustworthy news outlets, they could be exposed to low-quality, misleading, or even harmful websites. Over time, this could erode confidence not just in the feature itself but in Google’s broader ability to manage news content quality.

Experts in the SEO community are now urging Google to review and tighten its verification processes for the Preferred Sources tool. This could involve stricter checks on submitted domains, better validation of brand ownership, and stronger measures to detect and remove parked or spammy sites.

Until these issues are resolved, users are advised to be cautious when choosing their preferred news sources within Google’s tool. Always double-check that the domain you’re selecting truly belongs to the publication you trust, and be wary of any website with an unfamiliar or unusual extension.

While Google’s Preferred Sources feature had the potential to make online news consumption more personal and reliable, its current flaws have exposed a major loophole that spammers are eager to exploit. Unless addressed soon, this could become yet another example of how good technology can be undermined by bad actors.