Google Wants You to Disclose the Paid Links it Can’t Find

I totally agree, he says it is just for data right now and that he wants to broaden his sampling. But that has to be for future changes to the ALGO and seriously what is to stop someone from going and buying a million crappy sitewides for their competitor and then filling out a nice report.

3 Practical Solutions to the “Paid Links” problem:

1. PR block every site that has any outbound links on it, regardless of whether they are paid or not. This will save them frustration in the long run.

2. Quietly Pay webmasters not to sell text links.

3. Acquire all of the link building/ SEO companies out there and pay them to play ping-pong all day.

The big strength of Google is that their search results and rankings are largely based on an algorithm. Meaning, the biases and opinions of humans are largely removed.

To have people reporting paid links introduces a human factor which will be extremely variable (because it’s dealing a money-laden topic), therefore I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Their hypocrisy with this is incredible and disappointing. After all, just a bit less than a month ago they unveiled their own version of embedded text ads, which aren’t disclosed.

So assuming that they know about them (since it’s their link), how does that protect unsuspecting readers from clicking an undisclosed sponsored link and making money for that advertiser?

Seems to me they’re using unfair practices to promote their own programs.

So are they planning to know who’s submitting real paid links for the sake of “search quality” and the ones doing it for their competition, it won’t be long before people start buying links for their competitors and reporting them!

Robert you have paid links almost every day on your blog, going to Podtech and sponsors – you should nofollow them all, and I should really report you for webspam.
I did report Matt Cutts for webspam, he keeps linking through to Google, and as an employee and most like shareholder, he gains a monetary benefit linking through to Google and promoting Google products on his “unofficial” blog with convenient legal clauses.

I have gone a little bit further though and bitten the bullet and reported myself for writing paid reviews asking for an official (not from Matt Cutt’s blog) notification as to whether I am doing something wrong.

Exactly, but then you might not be looking to pitch a startup that might be a potential competitor to Google, Amazon and Ebay to investors, and the FUD severely affects whether such a startup would get backing

Matt-Cutts-Bashing and Other Blunders

Responses to what appeared to be an upfront disclosure and an honest solicitation of industry-input have quickly developed into a slew of Matt-Cutts-bashing. I’ve never met the man but, folks, he simply doesn’t deserve that from us.

That said, I do find horrendous problems for Matt Cutts in finding ways to define, to identify and to monitor paid links. I’ll just give you three examples here.

1. Define What is a Paid Link

At law, compensation doesn’t just mean cash. It also means goods, services and even love. What is a paid link? If I write a 750 word article and allow it to be posted on a Web site in exchange for a link, do you not realize that I have just paid between $220 and $750 in time and talent for that single link even though no money traded hands?

If a philanthropist donates $20,000 to a nonprofit and that nonprofit posts a thank you for the sponsorship on its Web site and provides a courtesy link to the donor’s Web site, is that not a paid link? If it isn’t, than all link farm sites can become nonprofits and give away links for a “donation.”

2. How Will Google Know For Certain How to Identify a Paid Link?

I just finished a backlink campaign for a client yesterday. I submitted 100 links. Not one was a paid link and not one was given a reciprocal link or a “no follow.” If my record holds, 90% of these links will be accepted. But here’s a problem. Five of these links were to directory sites (PR 6 or greater) that also post paid links and links that are paid for by reciprocal links. No one but the sites’ Webmasters and I know for certain which category of link I applied for. I’m certain that the Webmasters of these sites would not want to volunteer how many of their posted links are given for free. Like all of us, they have mouths to feed.

3. How Will Google Monitor and Mediate?

If a competitor of my client’s Website “reports” to Google that I have paid for links, will Google notify me so that I may initiate a slander or libel lawsuit? Will Google mediate so that I have an opportunity to refute the accusation? (How many new employees will Google have to hire to monitor and mediate the accusations and complaints?) Or, are we to be presumed guilty with no opportunity to prove innocence?

So Matt Cutts asked for a discussion, so let’s discuss. I am seriously pleased that he gave us this opportunity to participate. And for all the panicking Web site owners, may I just point out that it is possible to garner a Google Page Rank 7, place #4 on a Google search out of 256,000,000 Results for a 2 word Keyphrase, with a Home page that does NOT contain the Keyphrase and a Web site which has only 20 inbound links. If your SEO expert doesn’t know how this is possible, check http://www.WebSyndications.com next month.