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Matt Cutts blogged that Google would like you, the average search engine user, to report on sites you feel are displaying links for cash. This created a firestorm of negative responses from the SEO, webmaster, and free speech crowd. Below, I put together what I feel are the top 7 reasons Google's paid link snitch plan sucks. I linked to my inspirations (No payment requested!).
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1. Links are valuable because of the Page Rank display in the Google Toolbar. Matt, if Google doesn't like the way paid links influence search results, then eliminate the scoreboard. It's hard to take your call-to-action seriously when you have the power to grind serious link buying to a halt all by yourself.
If people had to guess a page rank, most of their motivation for buying links would go away. Of course, Google won't eliminate the green bar because that is the number one reason the Google search engine is at the top of most web browsers.
2. Most people that post on Digg, or add articles to Wikipedia, or work as editors at DMOZ also send paid link reports to Google to benefit themselves in some way. My point: Anyone taking the time to send complaints to Google about a paid link that hurts no one and may even be relevant, probably has unseen motivations.
One of the problems is that there is no other motivation I can see to report a paid link than to help Google out. It's not like paid links irritate the end user like poor search results do. Therefore, the detection these reports offer will be of no value to Google.
3. It's impossible to define a paid link exactly. Paying cash is obviously what you meant, but is that any different than a link to a client or to a buddy who helped you submit your site to 1,000 free web directories?
If I'm right with that assumption, then it's really about determining motivation. Humans cannot determine motivations any better than the Google algorithm. It's a virtual coin toss!
4. Payment can be proven only by following the money trail. Otherwise, it is simply a case of 'he said, she said.' This creates a heavy burden on Google to be correct in their assumptions.
5. Marketing Pilgrim's Andy Beal asks: "What business does Google have in dictating the disclosure of any business relationships on others?"
Google, you are just a search engine. You should be reacting to the internet world, not trying to recreate it in your own image. Links are not evil and payment for links is not evil. The Web is based on links, link-trading and advertising, which of course is payment for links.
6. The hypocrisy of being in the business of selling links and then asking others not to sell them is a bit much for many webmasters.
7. Is this just a way to create more spending for Google AdWords? Stopping the selling of links will make AdWords one of the last ways to generate traffic from Google. If the link police can slow this to a crawl, then what will businesses do?
They'll buy AdWords!
What Do You Think About Paid Links?Retailers Panic Over Google Site SearchThe SEO Playbook (Welcome to the Rabbit Hole)Cutts, Sullivan Weigh In On Paid LinksIs Google Hitting Directory Links? Yahoo Patent Filing Sheds Light On PageRank Google Slams Paid Links? Good or Bad?Googler Games Google; Cutts Goes SilentSearch Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine SPAMThe Meta Search Engines: A Web Searcher's Best Friends
Comments
Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds
Google needs to establish rulesets like this so that it conveys an image of having control over its own ranking system.
The fact is, it is unlikely paid link reports get very far.
See Through the Smokescreen
Let's face it, what is really going on has nothing to do with Google actually verifying or validating paid links reports. The move was likely done as a scare tactic so that people considering links in the SEO field as a tactic for clients would think twice. Ultimately this scares and prevents about 94% of the SEO's out there.
The other 6% are well ahead of the game and could care less because if they bought links, they did so in a manner that had no footprint, paper trail and only did it on authority reputable sites - the kind of website you have to pick up a phone and call.
Google AdWords
Paying to other webmaster is not allowed. Paying to AdWords is welcome. Google is KING!?
No Choice My Friend
Google will just grow more
Google will just grow more Nazi-like as time passes anyway. There is no way any corporation can not do "evil" sooner or later. Behemoths will always end up stepping on random innocent people.
Soon they will become the evil empire they used to stand against, and something small and unanticipated will become a new safe haven. At least I hope so because Google certainly gets more annoying every year.
Is it time for a bit of spite?
I have to say that telling me not to sell MY ad space to others shows exactly why we don't allow socialism and communism in America. Centralized power is ALWAYS Abused.
What is up with MSN? I would gladly put their ad box on my 100,000 + pages if they would issue the program just to spite google at this point. I have tried to work with Yahoo but they have a staff who can't tell the difference between quality perfomance and the garbage they have.
One of the big things Google can do is STOP paying Foreign website owners for US traffic. If your sending 20 million a month to the CZech republic and China it might give you a clue to poor search results problem.
If they use the list of WHO snitches as a way to find people trying to manipulate the listings it would be better than punishing those that got snitched on.
Now as a website owner I have to have fears about selling advertising and buying it from anyone but google? Why does my search engine want me to fear them?
Reporting Paid Links
Hmmm...let's all bombard Google with reports about ALL of the Adwords links we find.
Might send them a message if they got a few million of those.
;-)
Here here!
My competitors' paid links just gunk up the SERPS. I'm reporting 'em!
Matt Cutts and Google
This latest move on paid links has really pushed me over the edge. I will be dropping my Gmail accounts, Google Analytics accounts, Adsense account and generally not using the search engine (hello Yahoo, MSN and Ask). This is my little way of not buying into the Google monopoly. I hope that others will follow.
It (Google) all started out so innocent, but so do so many dictators....:-(
Right on
http://www.braintrove.com
If people live in fear of losing their Google rank just because they shared links, then what's the point?
Well someone agrees with you
Well someone agrees with you so much that they've reprinted your article verbatim without credit - as is the same for most of their site;
http:// adsensere venuepro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208
Do No Evil?
I thought it was evil to fink on someone? Okay, we're not talking about breaking the general law, but Google's perception on how the web should be developed.
I see a backlash brewing against Google. They are getting a little too big for many of us.
MattK
http://www.thearticlewriter.com/blog
Link report
I see a purpose behind it, but from my experience with any report option Google has given us in the past, the results have been more hurtful than helpful for them as well as the community of webmasters and web searchers.
Mike Damman
http://www.frogengine.com
MONOPOLY investigation
If google is using it's market position to intimidate people from doing business with each other (i.e. buy/sell links), google should be INVESTIGATED FOR ANTITRUST practices and should be BROKEN UP into smaller competing companies.
If they don't want that to happen, they should stop being so GREEDY.
Since they asked for it, let's REALLY give it to them...
Since they asked for it, let's give them a report of every bloody site on the Internet that has paid links on it...
And that includes AdSense, Yahoo! Search Network, DoubleClick ads etc etc. Basically, i'd love to see Matt Cutts and Google flooded with emails showing ALL the sites in the world which actually use paid links!!
That'll teach 'em "Do No Evil unless it benefits Google" fellas!
Paid links suck
Rich, in the WP newsletter you stated that nobody likes this idea, that's not true. If you read the comments there are a number of people optimistic about this potential development, others are not getting in a tiz and waiting for FACTS. There are however a large number of sheep that have been scared into thinking it's bad by the talentless whingers who's businesses SURVIVE on extracting large sums of money from businesses with big purses. A few links and enough ££s gets you to the top of the SERPs with almost zero effort and if this level of manipulation was reduced or eliminated maybe people will actually have to start doing some real work such as improving the content and maybe even the product, to get the site ranking well. Yes I am an SEO, no i don't buy links (don't start getting silly asking for definition of what a paid link is - you all know exactly what they mean!), yes i have bought links in the past (for riduculous £££s!) and yes i do still enjoy excellent ranks for my very well deserving clients. As for the snitching, there have always been spam reports and plenty of you won't hesitate snitching that top ten ranking website for using less than google friendly methods, dont start claiming 'loyalty to your brothers' now.
sucking links
I agree! I am also not sure that everyone here has actually read what Matt said. He must have really hit a tender spot, touched off some guilty feelings or something! The bottom line is that a page should stand on its own merits,if you want to spend money, to get more people to click on your site, buy advertising, (that is what the paid links are)just don't cloak it with fake popularity, to get it through page rank. The playing field has been unleveled by the paid links!
Search Engines Monopoly
Hi
Hmmmm, i smell it is something cooking in Google's Kitchen. Let's watch, and wonder if their is anything to eat for us (SEO).
Cheers
Nawaz
http://my.opera.com/SEO_Specialist
The sky is falling!!
Do Google Adsense links pass PR from the site hosting the links to the site paying for the links?
No, of course they don't so those claiming hypocrisy need to look for a different bone to pick.
Does having Google Adsense on one's site knock one out of the SERP's?
No, of course not so those thinking that selling links will no longer be allowed need to look for a different cause for the end of the world.
Does using Google Adsense as an advertising tool knock one's site out of the SERPs?
No, of course not so those thinking that they could knock a competitor out of the ring simply by placing a link to their site on yours and then reporting it to Google need a different excuse to claim the Apocalypse is coming.
Would any of you Doom-n-Gloomers NOT rip a blogger to pieces who it was found out reviewed Microsoft Vista and DIDN'T also happen to mention they had been given a fancy pants laptop free?
Why is that? Maybe because you deserve to know that so as to be able to make an informed opinion about the credibility of the review?
If the credibility of what a blogger happens to review is dependent on full disclosure, why shouldn't links, which in effect are a positive endorsement for the linked to page?
Has not Google, for some time now, made it possible for people to report Adsense being used improperly or being used to gain benefit from sites that scrape just about all of us and by so doing, reduce the quality of the ewb in general not to mention the SERPs themselves?
Does one think that a simple report is going to get any given site wiped off the face of the earth simply due to the report itself?
Did one see any mention at all that reports would even be used in a way that would negatively impact any site reported?
Is one a "snitch" when reporting scrape sites effectively spamming the SERPs with their ad filled auto-generated shyte?
Some valid questions have been mentioned by others, such as how can it be determined that a link is indeed paid for or what will be the effect or resulting value of a link determined to be paid but I for one do not believe Satan is soon to walk the earth torching and burning all the Netizens in his path and that some of you would seem better off just chilling out a bit and engaging mind before engaging the reply button.
The sky isn't falling, but....
Craig,
Thanks for your comment, but I think there are legitimate concerns that matter because Google has tremendous market share. We don't sell or buy links at WebProNews but I don't like the idea of the Web's most powerful internet traffic driver asking us to send in "crime watch" type reports on our internet neighbors.
They probably have the best of intent, but it is simply wrong to ask web surfers to send in reports of paid links when obviously they have no way of knowing these links are truely paid for. Since these reports are not proof ... why ask for them?
Additionally, you stated that links are a positive endorsement of a page. Actually, that is not true. Sites simply link as a way of giving more information to their visitors. Links were never intended as a vote or recomendation.
Lastly, if Google removed its scoreboard in the Google Toolbar the game would be difficult to play.
Thanks,
Rich Ord CEO, iEntry, Inc. Publisher of WebProNews
Yes, but...
So you would also have a problem with the existing spam reports, right?
If that is the case, we do not have a problem as each is free to their own opinion as long as they are consistent and I just happen to have a different one so, no problem.
Why ask for them, to collect more data. With enough data, both good and bad, patterns begin to emerge.
Links without the "nofollow" rel attribute value are, from a PageRank/SE point of view a positive endorsement. That is one of the basic facts upon which SEs operate. One can dress it up in whatever "clothes" one wants to but when all is stripped away, a given link, without the rel=nofollow, on a given page indicates a positive vote for the page it links to.
Matt seems to have said that a paid link would cause no problems at all if it were nofollow'ed but were that done, do you think people would be buying the links they are buying?
Even if the toolbar e-penis were to go away, which I would REALLY REALLY like for other reasons, it wouldn't change very much.
The value of a given link would simply switch from being determined by PageRank to a given site's Alexa rating, much as it is for AdBrite.
But, with AdBrite ads, one not only knows those are ads but more importantly, search engines do as well so those ads cause no flow of PageRank.
Paid Links
Okay, so I guess I should report Google to Google, because they charge me to effectively place a link on their site that I pay them for each time someone clicks on it. But I guess they want to make sure they are the only ones who can do this? Uh, I guess that's why we don't like monopolies and we fear the power of a market dominator. Please ....
Paid links
My views also entirely
Paid Links
You said, that no one likes this idea, were we reading the same blog?
I think so....
James -- Matt has 303 comments on his blog so far and by far most comments are not in favor of this snitch plan. Maybe you are not looking at the right post . Here is the link again.
Rich Ord CEO, iEntry, Inc. Publisher of WebProNews
paid links
I looked at it again, and I didn't take the time to tally, but it looks about neck in neck. Besides, something needs to be done, this may not be it, but there are a lot of sites out there, with little info of value, and very high page rank. A distinction of some sort, between advertising, which I see as being the nature of paid links, and links which serve as channels to and from real information. I am a novice, and just have a business site, that I never intended to use for advertisement purposes, only as a brochure of my services, which most people will get to by typing in the url from a biz card, and some info sites my customers kan find when they get there, so I don't have an ax to grind. I just think the system needs some work, and this may be their way of doing that. Perhaps a two level system, might work.
Hypocrisy
"6. The hypocrisy of being in the business of selling links and then asking others not to sell them is a bit much.." Period.
I am so glad bigger SEO players are waking up to google getting out of control.
They use OUR web sites as the basis of their entire business model, and then tell us we can't make money when they've made billions.
Not to mention creating search algorithms, and then penalizing us for using them!
They've destroyed me and I'm just one little ol' grandma in the middle of nowhere. No idea what I did to make the google gods mad, but after ten years of a minimal income from a travel web site, I'm bankrupt.
Wake up while you've got the chance!
Matt Cutts
you mention the "average" user . . are you sure?
Matt has targeted this comment at people who are specifically interested in SEO/SEM - not exactly your average user?
For example, how many people know that they can complain about MFA sites? by clicking on the ads by google link.
Google is asking people "in the know" to make a positive contribution to ensuring that the "average user" does not get swamped by MFA sites and scraped directories when they search for home insurance, shopping, and holidays!
Think about it folks . . how pleased are you when you search for something and just get the crap sites that can afford to pay for traffic from any means?
paid links
AMEN!
Paid Links
Here is a link:
http://www.searchen.com
Now how sure are you that I did not pay for the link to be there?
Somewhat Sure?
Really Sure?
Almost Positive?
So what happens if I strategically place a sitewide footer link to one of my top competitors and report them for buying links. Can I effectively ZAP their link passing juice. Will it effect their "trust" passing influence?
Hmm, a relatively simple, effective and clever tactic to negitivelly effect someone elses business...
Now I wouldn't do it, but many will if this is the recipe we are creating here.
Depends...
A single link on a single site? Impossible to know and anyway, what effect is a single link going to have in the larger scheme of things?
A dozen links on a dozen different sites? Still difficult to tell but again, still not that important either way from a PR point of view?
A hundred links on a hundred different sites? Getting easier to tell.
Thousand of links? Positive.
The devil is in the details.
Google bastards Hypocrites
I have a site where google sells links on my site:
http://prepressforums.com
Google sells links on my site actually (brokers) links. If a guy wants traffic he buys links from Google.
For Google to say that this SAME PRACTICE is not legitimate EXCEPT by Google is total hypocracy. They suck. They are taking over the internet and can take your site to no-mans land in a second, arbitrarily.
In any other business venue this would not be legal for a business to arbitrarily influence another like Google does. There must be an anti-google that works with more fair and open dealing.
Like googles ads, back to their selling links. How much profit do they get? They don't disclose that. Oh, really. I wonder why the publishers share keeps shrinking but click costs are rising.. hmmm. Not only do they arbitrarily affect your ability to do business, but they give themselves an arbitrary raise, anytime. It's time for disclosure for google, time for fairness, time to respond to webmasters questions and problems. Who the F#*k do they think they are. Like they have taken over the internet totally, screw matt and google too.
Sewing Their Own Path
How much more of this can we take. Google's paid links are out of control. Now they are hiding even better paid results (ADS to the highest bidder) and organic results. Actions are much louder than words Matt Cutts. Sooner or later the other search engines will learn like Google to give us relevant results not who the heck can pay your corporate conglamorate the highest BRIBE.
Say what?
"paid results . . . organic results"
I think you might be thinking of Yahoo, no?
If what you say is true than some of my competitors are getting screwed because they advertise using Adsense whereas I don't yet I consistently show up higher in the SERPs than they do for just about every single keyword/phrase I've come across.
Maybe they should ask for their money back?
?
what exactly are google's paid links? Adwords?
Paid links are a fact, no?
A listing in the Yahoo! directory costs $299. I believe there is a fair correlation between high rank in Google and Yahoo directory listings, but I do not know if there is a direct causal connections. There are other such paid directories, so banning paid links would not fix that problem. What is the difference between a Yahoo directory link and a paid link at another site? I might be wrong, but it seems to me that there is none.
The other odious idea is that people are encouraged to inform on others.
www.mideastweb.org
Paid Yahoo links
We should report every link on Yahoo for what they are, paid links. Next a lot of the Pac Bell phone books also have website links for their clients, which of cource are paid links.
etc. etc. etc.
Maybe after Google gets a few million ligitamate paid links reported they will see that this really isn't such a great idea.
Are Paid Links Always Bad?
as a noob, I'm sort of lost in this article -
are paid links affiliate marketing links (the kind that spam webpages and blogs)? or are they links where a webmaster buys a link on someone elses site? If it's relevent, and it's a money-making model, than why is that bad?
Are Paid Links Always Bad
There's a farther reaching issue building . . . It has to do with a free market, if there is such a thing. Money has always bought power, position. What if the search engines allowed just paid links?
Numbers would be non-existent for the small guy and would be the catapult for another way than the search engine . . . And maybe that has to happen anyway. One company can be bought by the highest bidder and so goes the market place . . . And I think you know where I'm going with this, an independent search engine, built free and untainted by $$$.
Dan Hanosh
Dreams Are Yours to Share
http://dreams-are-yours-to-share.blogspot.com
This is just dumb. There
This is just dumb. There are so many ways this won't work and yet one more equilibrium that must be met. I can see it now - anyone that has a competitor that gets this will be out tattling on his neighbor again.
Then there are of course those sites that are wrongfully judged vs. those that do it but are never caught. Google already has their hands full and problems with these so I seriously doubt they need yet one more way to screw with websites that are just out there selling what they can and where.
Paid in cash? How about paid for in bartered advertising, link back, or just beer? How about those companies that sell web software and put a link back to their own site into the code? How about WMW where you have to pay to join, but then you can link to your site?
A bit too big for their britches?
Couldn't agree more with your article! I think it's about time Google started worrying about all the blatant spam coming up in the first 3 pages of a search and stop worrying about some poor slob just trying to build a little traffic and PR!
It's bad enough that just about ANY search in Google these days gives you the old 'buy this on eBay' nonsense (I just love 'buy dog poop on eBay') along with 15 or 20 results that are so obviously spam but now they want to (again) hurt the little guy that's buys a link or two in an effort to attempt to level the playing field.
Come on Google ... you want to do something to help make your searches more effective? How about you start with fixing the existing problems instead of trying to hire an army of snitches!
Advertising Sucks?
http://www.adblockplus.org/
Try that - and you'll be surprised how nice some sites are - and also how many of them really just have 2 lines of information and then there was supposed to be googlicious ads around it.
What's my point? - Users already have an option to block out advertising - in the form of adblock plus and similar programs - which really, really make the internet a nice place again, now, if google should do something - they should advertise for this - eventhough it would completely ruin their revenue and income everywhere.
And yes, I advertise for adblock on my website, since I want to ruin google and the usual boring advertising companies which has made the internet look like a spamsite and not information site
It seems to me that as soon as business comes to something - it gets ruined. Like blogs, myspace and soon to come youtube ,wikipedia and stumbleupon.
That were my comments on your article, good luck, have fun and enjoy advertising free internet!
Yes, Yes, Yes!
There have been many times I have searched for info on a product only to get paid links on the first couple of pages returned by Google. I don't even get the product's homepage.
When this happens, I automatically say NO to the product. In reality, paid links hurts the product.
Paid links should go away......
Paid liks = power to big enterprises
"Paid links should go away......"
I agree. When i make a search i want to see relevant results and not "paid" results.
Here Here
I agree. Google was suppose to be about better search results not just who can afford to "buy" better results.
Paying for links is buying something that a good site should get naturally.
Google Paid Link Snitch Program
Sounds kinda EVIL to me, but I guess evil is a relative term!
Google equal to extortion
Does google management not realize that paying to snitch on pay per link (other than paying google, they are a pay per link) is equivalent to extortion. If google drops a site (and google will cover there tracks on dropped site) because it has paid for a link, google is no better than a mobster. I have found that over the years google has become non-business consumer friendly. Just like when they say that there are no fraud clicks with google. While I am not God, I truely believe Karma will catch up to them. Maybe only internet karma, but Karma all the same.
Google DoubleClick Relationship Building
"Acquiring DoubleClick expands Google’s business far beyond algorithm-driven ad auctions into a relationship-based business with Web publishers and advertisers.” writes the New York Times
Let's hope this new aquisition will make google become more business and consumer friendly.
Right on the money
Your article is right on the money. How many more clues are we waiting for to see what Google does for what it is. Google is building an internet world order with Google as the master, the judge, and the executioner. They need to know all, own all, control all while they don't owe any information to anyone except perhaps the chinese government. live.com, yahoo.com, we need you.
insert my search box please
internet explorer 7 release default it to Google search box please - to kill Microsoft the owner of IE7
default Google search box in firefox to kill microsoft on search market
report all paid link except Google adwords and adsense - to kill webmasters small business
Download the Google Gear API and ask developers to help Google kill Microsoft business
Make the instant search of Microsoft disappear so that Google desktop search can take over it
Please US Government help us insert Google search box please
Always complain MONOPOLY or anti-trust to MICROSOFT please and dont look at us because we are a DO NO EVIL company
Let our Google bot indexed your content for free but we will kill your paid link business cause we want to monopolize this business model with double click
Please follow our new internet order or else we will ban your website and make you out of business in 2 days
DO NO EVIL please except for GOOGLE
wow , finally .. i thought i was the only one noticed how GOOD GOOGLE is in DOING Evil and crying like a baby when Microsoft moves.
IS Google really a microsoft killer ? we now realized that BILL GATES down played Google as its main competitor and IBM really is.
Go ... ogle ... Go away .. EGO LOG ... EGGLO ... GE ... LOG
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