I don’t know if I should write this as I am not very knowledgeable in this filed, but this issue has been bugging me, so i will treat this post as another rant to relieve this pent-up. The issue concerns recent fiasco where Google, without any prior warning, decided to drop from their Search Index, many big time web directories. This issue had generated much interest amongst webmasters and directory owners, but personally, the ignorant fool in me fails to see the logic in penalising someone who sells or buy links.
I tried reasoning it out by myself, putting myself in the shoes of the masses that depends on Search Engines like Google to hunt for in formations. Will I be affected in anyway if I was to be led to some directories in my quest for in formations that I want? It will depend on my mood, the intensity and urgency of the information that I am looking for. If it is of utmost importance, then of course I will be very happy if I can get all the relevant information with one single click.
I guess Google must have realised that there are many fouled mood surfers who uses their Search Engine, thereby leading to their obsession in banishing all those Directories from their Index. I think I can live with that reasoning, or is that the real reason for the banishment? Ensuring the quality of their Search Result? I really don’t know. Like I prementioned before I started writing this post, I am just an ignorant old fool, and fools gets stumped by events once too often.
I cannot reason for myself why sites like Text Link Ads gets the same punishment. I also cannot reason for myself why sites like Text Link Ads, that acts as a middlemen to sell links, would be affected or will be affecting Search Results. I mean, Advertisers dealing with Text Link Ads doesn’t place their Links in Text Link Ads’s site, or do they? They just go through TLA to get to us by purchasing a small spot in our blogs so that they will get more exposure or maybe some link juice.
From the little that I know, Advertisers go to TLA. Peruse the sites that interest them, order a spot of that site from TLA, TLA tell the site owner that someone is interested to place an Ad, the site owner says okay, the Ads go online. They share their spoils. Does that affect the quality of the Search Results. Google also sells links in their Search Pages if I am not mistaken. Are those sponsored links appearing on the top or at the sidebars of our Google Search Result Page considered “good quality”? Is Google making much more now that everyone who is interested to buy links will be running to them as that they have banished those who sells those links? I am really a dumb old fool indeed, can someone please enlighten me?
I’m not knowledgeable but do you think it makes sense they’re trying to get rid of their competition a bit?
C’mon, talking about links, Google sell links themselves. They have Adsense and all..
If the crack down is to ensure the sanctity of search results, how come you can buy Google words to propel your site to the top?
I will be the first to die but then, I am like a cockcroach. So, bring whatever, I no sked. Long long time ago, before I joined TLA, a problogger warned me not to earn that kind of income. I earned about 700-800 from TLA per month so who cares lah. So long also no mati yet. I think all those companies who rely on their SEO incomes are just out to create tensions for their clients so these suckers pay even more for other methods of improving their sites. The bottomline is – We publishers are the one earning, right? So it doesn’t matter how Googlestein works.
I’m heavily involved in the webmaster game and run about two dozen sites myself (including directories), so I’ll take a stab at your questions. As a matter of fact, a few of the top private directory owners are clients of mine, and I’m hoping to set up a live interview in coming weeks with one of them about the issue if he agrees to it. Anyway…
1. The real issue causing the uproar isn’t even that the big directories are buried in rankings for search keywords they’re targeting, but many aren’t even ranking near the top for their own NAME anymore. The reason that’s causing issues is because Google keeps claiming they’re working towards offering the most relevant search results. Well, if I search for “Alive Directory” chances are that I want the directory site. It would be most relevant, but doesn’t show up. Instead first you have a directory that’s domain leeching, and very possibly violating the trademark of the “real” Alive Directory (one of the more popular private directories).
2. Frankly, Google isn’t whining about paid links because of directories showing up in SERPS. Their big gripe is that people are buying links for PR value (page rank value) to hype up their own numbers, while Google believes all links “passing juice” should be natural ones. Google wants all webmasters who sell links to use the no-follow attribute on them (obviously it’s not going to happen with many… I refuse to alter my business for Google in that sense personally). Many of the large directories are very active link buyers for promotion. That’s also why sites like TLA are “punished.” They enable paid links based on things like Page Rank.
3. The reason they don’t have a problem with their own ads, is because they’re served via javascript, meaning when you post an adsense block, those links don’t get PR juice from your site. Because they do that, they want everyone else to do things their way (that or no-follow), instead of solving the problem they created by getting rid of the rankings altogether (they gain too much popularity from webmasters’ obsession with the PR of their sites).
4. While they’d never admit it, they really can’t deny that there’s an anti-competitive spirit there too. They sell links in there own way. They’re tools enabled webmasters to start selling their own links for much more money, based on PR value, so A) there’s less reason to use adsense on your site if you can get private advertisers that pay more, and B)There’s an appeal for advertisers to move from Adwords to private ad buying, b/c they’ll get more control over placement, get PR juice from the links, and get more targeted traffic b/c of that control (meaning possibly better conversions).
Hope that clarifies at least a few of the basics.
Jenn
Wow. Thanks Jenn. That was very informative!