11 replies to this topic

[lisphacker]

Search Rank Easy to Manipulate.

The article reinforces the notion that link spamming is the best way to get desirable results in Google. Boser says, in fact, that it's a necessary evil.

I'd love to see an article hit Wired, or even better, USA Today, that declares the relative pointlessness of link spamming and the importance of quality content.

A pointed question: what happens when everyone in the world is a mass marketer whose only guiding principle is pragmatism? After all, like Boser says, it's just being "realistic" to link spam Google.

[Alan Perkins]

Wired Article: Search Rank Easy to Manipulate

Although Google claims its "complex, automated methods make human tampering with (the) results extremely difficult," that's simply not true. Digital vote rigging is merely part of doing business, according to [Greg] Boser.

[torka]

We interrupt this thread for the following brief announcement:

I noticed we had two threads started on this topic, so I merged 'em rather than having two different discussions going on at the same time.

You may now continue with your regularly scheduled activities...

--Torka

[Randy]

Google just likes their name in the mainstream press.

FWIW, link spamming doesn't have nearly the effect on any other search engine. So when Google has 15% (or less?) of the marketshare in a year or two, will they finally change the heavy reliance on links and linking text so that they're more in line with the others?

Will they wait that long?

[Alan Perkins]

So when Google has 15% (or less?) of the marketshare in a year or two, will they finally change the heavy reliance on links and linking text so that they're more in line with the others?

Spammers will spam anything as long as it gives them a sizable enough return. All algorithms that are based on content, meta data, links or other online criteria (rather than human review, payment or other offline criteria) are open to automated subversion.

[Debra]

FWIW, link spamming doesn't have nearly the effect on any other search engine

Except MSN. All it takes on MSN is a couple of links....

[Scottie]

The whole rationale that Google "asks to be manipulated" is about the same as shoplifters who say a store "deserves to be stolen from" because their security measures can be easily thwarted.

"Hey, Wal-mart created the monster because they use tags that can be easily demagnetized, then I can stuff all the DVD's in my pants. I didn't create the problem, I'm just someone using the system that was created."

Waah, waah, I know someone will be quick to point out that spamming isn't illegal and shoplifting is, but the argument is the same and it's weak either way. Saying something SHOULD be exploited simply because it CAN is ridiculous, IMO.


It's this quote that bothers me:

An entire industry of search engine optimizers, called SEOs, has sprung up, many of which take advantage of loopholes in the way rankings are calculated.

Again, lumping SEO's into the "taking advantage of loopholes" category and ignoring the fact that many of us make real improvements to sites, removing technical obstacles, improving navigation, targeting in on better keywords, and actually building content worth linking to.

Oh, silly me... it's all about loopholes and buying links... I've just been doing it the hard way, I guess.

[qwerty]

At least they said "many of which". That's bound to get the message across that we're not all doing that, right?

[torka]

Yeah, that'll do it, qwerty...

--Torka

[lisphacker]

"Again, lumping SEO's into the "taking advantage of loopholes" category and ignoring the fact that many of us make real improvements to sites, removing technical obstacles, improving navigation, targeting in on better keywords, and actually building content worth linking to."

Excellent point. No one ever mentions that.

Hopefully, the search engine industry will move to such a place that the good kinds of optimizations, especially a focus on compelling content (what I call the three "I"s - interesting, insightful, informative), are the only game in town. Or at least, a place where link spamming is marginally effective at best.

[Debra]

Some of us moved a long time ago.

[Jill]

Greg Boser just set the SEO industry back about 4 years.