Continued from Monday.
3. Lists of locations containing city or county names with keywords at the bottom of a web page used as a tactic for location specific placement has not been disavowed by Google as recently as the middle of October. Google specifically addresses this tactic as keyword stuffing. Read more on this from Google.
4. Google is asking you to turn other sites in that are spamming their network or not playing by their guidelines. Here’s the reporting link: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreportform?hl=en. Considering many SEO tactics that would not be considered black hat at the time to now be grey hat, keyword stuffing or even web spam.
What I have found so very interesting with the recent changes and updates is that Google is now actively soliciting your help in turning in offending websites. By using an online form you can bring Google’s eyes onto your competitor’s website that has been practicing newly disavowed techniques to garner better placement. Although Google does not state that they will “smack down” a site you report, I surely would not want to be in their sites, would you?