Google’s Hypocrisy On Paid Links

By Vlad Zablotskyy October 13, 2007

I have tried to keep this discussion away from my blog, mostly to see what other more experience people have to say first. I do not care if Google is to damage my reputation or destroy my business and take away my earnings, abut I completely understand outrage of many who have been affected by recent Google’s dance.

What I do not understand is the hypocrisy in affiliate marketing circles regarding the issue. Are you guys are trying to suck up to big G? It certainly looks like it.

There so much has been said about the issue but here is what is my feeling about it. As affiliate marketer of often link to my merchants with what is known as naked links with all SEO benefits and stuff. I do get paid only when a sale or any other action is produced, however I do get paid and my merchant gets SEO benefits. I do not place “nofollow” on those links because I trust my merchants and often use these services myself. It does not look like Google’s gurus has a clear answer about this kind of links.

I extensively use press releases to promote my websites. Not only Google is not penalizing press release websites, it often picks up press releases to feature them in Google News. Can any one tell me how a press release different from a paid review on Andy’s or Yaro’s blogs?

Finally I was not able to find out if Google’s stand on Yahoo! Directory has changed, I understand in the past they recommended to submit your websites to that directory at $299 a pop.

Since Google is trying to bring users the most relevant search results it should find a way to do so regardless of whether or not links are paid for- this would solve all problems.

Other (Fom Old Blog)

David

It seems the debate is never ending. I do a lot of press releases as well. As for Yahoo, I think the $299 is a little much for a very small amount of love from Google. I have found that a mixture of links seem to work just fine.

Andy Beard

Looks like a scraper link slipped through.

I know a few sites that sell the ability to post "press releases", where the owner of a blog then has no editorial control over the links used.
Those sites haven't been hit, and quite happily charge $60 to have a press relase that doesn't even appear in the main blog feed.

Vlad

Thanks for the heads up about the scraper. He gave me a link but with a very strange anchor text.

What about those who slipped under the radar and those that Google does is not going to touch because it would made them look stupid?

Now in affiliate marketing most of the "e-books" I've read, advise "buying links" as link building strategy. They better be revising that part of their books quickly.

I was disappointed in ReveNews article on the subject.

Valentin

Vlad, there`s another tiny aspect of this issue which - on purpose or caused by careless - is allmost missed to be mentioned, specialy by some of so called "more experienced guys".

Side note : here in Romania, we have a word : "shirt is closer than coat". Which is true technicaly point of view, yet coat is one protecting from cold ...

I accept I didn`t pass thru many "gurus" articles related to subject, yet I know most of them - if not all - have a lack of pointing clear who are the ones who are realy affected by latest google actions.

First, let`s remember who started this shit google fight back now.

Yes, right answer, Vlad, google started this issue and same google is now (one of the) "victims".
In them fight to "take the market", google`s guys started to extend themself in areas not so related to a search engine. PR which they invented was, is and (in this form) will stay as a goal.

Goal to be reached in many ways, all related to ... number of link-backs.

What is google PR ? A math calculation of number and quality of popularity. Build on linkbacks.

Bla bla bla .. you know the shit.

Problem now is that they are so concern about them loosing money while they fall in the trap they set, so worried to take control, that they now running on a route where they`ll be forced to have "collateral damages" in the mass of small to low-average peoples.

They stick equaly against all ?

Sure, PR maybe droped 1-3 units to everybody. Yet to fall from 1 to 0 is not equal to to fall from 6 to 4.

Whorst : on long terms, high-average and up marketers would resist to this threat, they won`t be affected more than some limited time.
Because google will NOT want to loose them adwords costumers.

Small guys ?
Well, as any TRUST, MONOPOLY, google have very very NO care about.

Have you read this (http://iamned.com/blog/2007/10/04/are-the-most-...) ?

Fact is that all wrongs comes out, on this level, not from google`s latest action, but from third parties unability to have made researches to find real reliable ways to "rank" a site.

A simple solution is "boycott `till colapse" systems based on google PR to pay for advertisment. Valid for any third party system based on ranking and automation to categorise sellers or buyers.

Josh Spaulding

There certainly is some hypocrisy going on at Google. I wrote a very similar post on my blog a few weeks back. I spoke of Web Directories especially Yahoo directory. Since then they've penalized several web directories, but I don't believe they've penalized Yahoo directory, the biggest paid directory on the net.

I don't do a whole lot of press released, although I should, but that's a valid point as well and one I hadn't thought about.

They're going to do what they please in the ranking factors for their search engine and I suppose that's fine. But they need to do it across the board and not just penalize certain sites.

Vlad

In the past I hoped that both Yahoo and MSN could if no knock the big G out of the throne at least they would put a good fight.

The problem is that Google has no real threat in terms of competition and as long as this continues no matter what decision they make as long as investors are happy and are making money Google will never listen to a small guy....

Call me a pessimist but unless a company comes up that can put out some real competition, no boycott will make a dent.

Vlad

Josh,
As I wrote above, if no other search engine is going to put out some real completion or Google finally makes some crazy mistakes that would affect their investors, they will continue to do as they wish.

I agree if they wanted to send a message, they could have do it across the board. But I guess then the message would not have been "felt", so make a few suffer to send your message. Sort of a public execution, some places around the world still have those ;)