paid links
DESCRIPTION
Paid Links. Matt Cutts Google Software Engineer SES San Jose, August 21, 2007. Are paid links evil? That's the wrong question. The right question: Do paid links that pass PageRank violate search engines’ quality guidelines? The answer to that question is yes. Disclosing payments. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Paid Links
Matt Cutts
Google Software Engineer
SES San Jose, August 21, 2007
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Are paid links evil?
That's the wrong question.
The right question:
Do paid links that pass PageRank violate search engines’ quality guidelines?
The answer to that question is yes.
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Disclosing payments
Washington Post, Dec. 12, 2006:“FTC Moves to Unmask
Word-of-Mouth MarketingEndorser Must Disclose Link to Seller”
"We wanted to make clear . . . if you're being paid, you should disclose that.“
-- Mary Engle, FTC associate director for advertising practices
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Disclosure on the web
The web is used by both people (surfers) and machines (search engines, etc.)
What is adequate disclosure on the web?
• Understandable by people
• Understandable by machines
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Clear disclosure to machines
Clear disclosure: won’t pass PageRank
• redirect through url blocked by robots.txt
• redirect through url that does 302
• JavaScript
• rel=“nofollow” on individual links
• <meta name=“robots" content=“nofollow" /> on entire page
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Practical considerations
• You can buy links within search engine guidelines– AdBrite– Quigo– IndustryBrains– adCenter, YPN– any site that doesn’t pass PageRank in links
• Buying paid links that pass PageRank violatesour quality guidelines– Paid PageRank-Passing (PPP) links
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Types of paid links
(These are fine) (These are againstour guidelines)
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Examples of PPP links
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Link-buying obstacles
It can be difficult to buy PPP links
• Buy for a limited time?
• Buy “run-of-site” links?
• Buying links from “sloppy sellers”?
• Checking if a link seller cloaks?
• Can a competitor spot your paid links?
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Google’s approach
• Both algorithmic and human detection
• Recent Rand Fishkin post about paid links– Detected all but one link algorithmically
• Google is willing to take strong action against PPP links
• This is an area Google is focusing on
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Further reading
• https://google.com/webmasters/tools/paidlinks?hl=en• http://mattcutts.com/blog/text-links-and-pagerank/• http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-report-paid-links/• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2006/12/11/AR2006121101389.html • http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-
272304A1.pdf
• http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2007/FCC-07-42A4.html