Google's spam team slaps chrome page over sponsored posts issue

[faceblogger]

Full story - http://searchengineland.com/google-c...d-posts-106551

Searches for “browser” no longer bring up the Google Chrome home page after Google applied a penalty against the page because of Google’s own sponsored post campaign.

Google said even though it felt there were no “remaining violations” of its guidelines, the search engine’s spam fighting team was going to reduce the PageRank value of the Google Chrome home page, which in turn lead to today’s ranking decrease.

From the statement Google sent us:

We’ve investigated and are taking manual action to demote www.google.com/chrome and lower the site’s PageRank for a period of at least 60 days.
We strive to enforce Google’s webmaster guidelines consistently in order to provide better search results for users.

While Google did not authorize this campaign, and we can find no remaining violations of our webmaster guidelines, we believe Google should be held to a higher standard, so we have taken stricter action than we would against a typical site.

HA HA HA!!! Nice drama going on!

[yukon]

I'm betting that's fake.

Google trying to BS people into believing they follow their own rules (fake Public Relations).

I would drop a single page for a few extra $$ in earnings any day of the week.

Why would they tell the public If it wasn't fake, it's no ones business besides the Google Chrome Dept.

[UMS]

Priceless!

It's a bit like kicking yourself after you caught yourself doing something naughty.

[WiFi]

Has to be fake, leading them on then hitting them back down. Google at its finest.

[faceblogger]

Originally Posted by yukon

I'm betting that's fake.

Google trying to BS people into believing they follow their own rules (fake-PR).

I would drop a single page for a few extra $$ in earnings any day of the week.

Why would they tell the public If it wasn't fake, it's no ones business besides the Google Chrome Dept.

Not fake.

1. The chrome page is not ranking for the key word "Browser" now we can check it. (Until today it was #2 next to Mozilla Firefox - for that key word)

2. Page rank of the page has been changed to 0, We can check this too

I too thought it's fake in my first glance but after reading the full article (from other sources too) realized it's not fake.

They may have some other hidden moves to just recover this 'loss' behind the scenes though.

[yukon]

Originally Posted by faceblogger

Not fake.

1. The chrome page is not ranking for the key word "Browser" we can check it. (Until today it was #2 next to Mozilla Firefox for that key word)

2. Page rank of the page has been changed to 0, We can check this too

I too thought it's fake in my first glance but after reading the full article (from other sources too) realized it's not fake.

You misunderstood what I was trying to say.

What they do with the page in the SERPs is totally irrelevant.

Why in the world would Google tell searchengineland.com something like that, except to spread some fake BS, to gain trust in new & existing customers.

Trust = $$

Google doesn't owe an explanation to searchengineland for anything. One of them is a BSer, doesn't matter which one, but I'll never believe that Google would just out of the blue offer up inside info. unless it was scripted to earn another nickel.

A business like Google doesn't offer up incriminating evidence unless they get something in return. Here they are clearly getting on the good side of existing/potential clients.

Watch, that story will go viral on SEO sites, which in return builds trust & higher earnings for Google.

Clever free Google Public Relations, If the searchengineland.com article/quote is legit..

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by yukon

I'm betting that's fake.

Google trying to BS people into believing they follow their own rules (fake Public Relations).

Doubt it - not from searchengineland. What it is is a very quick cover up response to being caught doing what they claim should never be done.

Google's Jaw-Dropping Sponsored Post Campaign For Chrome


They were manipulating sponsored links without utilizing the nofollow tag in a marketing campaign. Essentially buying links with pagerank benefits.

They are acting like its a big mixup but like I have said before when people claim its morally bad to link to sites for SEO benefits - I have seen links from Google properties to financial partners without the nofollow tag only this time its links back to their site.

Their own marketing implicated them and they got called on it in the article linked to above a day ago so had to respond

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by yukon

Google doesn't owe an explanation to searchengineland for anything. One of them is a BSer, doesn't matter which one, but I'll never believe that Google would just out of the blue offer up inside info.

Yuke it wasn't inside information. Danny Sullivan And Aaron Walls reported on this a day ago.

http://www.seobook.com/post-sponsored-google


They got caught in a public campaign doing what should not be done. If they didn't respond it would blow up even bigger. Its a move to save face.

[JoshuaG]

Pretty funny all the same.
Nothing like a little mud on googles "pristine" face.
Thanks for the share

[wgn_white]

But when people type "google chrome" wasn't they intend to find the browser. lol...

What happen to their "web history". lol *facepalm*

[BigNorm]

Psssh, doesn't change the fact that for product searches they're preferred pages get top ranking which just happen to be 99% Google revenue driven opposed to organic. Let's see if they do the same for their shopping results.

[yukon]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Yuke it wasn't inside information. Danny Sullivan reported on this a day ago. They got caught in a public campaign doing what should not be done. If they didn't respond it would blow up even bigger. Its a move to save face.

Google could have easily swept it under the rug without a response (to anyone). Google has no reason to say anything publicly about what they do or don't do.

If they would have instantly dropped the ranking on the Chrome page, searchengineland or their readers would have created an update to the first post on their site how the Chrome page dropped in the SERPs, end of story.

It all looks scripted to me.

Lol, this part cracks me up.

While Google did not authorize this campaign, and we can find no remaining violations of our webmaster guidelines, we believe Google should be held to a higher standard, so we have taken stricter action than we would against a typical site.

[cough / BS... ]

[dp40oz]

This is one of the stupidest PR stunts I have ever seen.

[4morereferrals]

so we have taken stricter action than we would against a typical site.

Yeah sending your own crappy page to SE Purgatory for 60 days and then re-applying your PR and SERPs. That strict punishment is a pimple on a gnats a$$ to google - but would slaughter most other marketers. So higher standard my ache'n arssssse Google .... thats abhorrently laughable.

They engaged a SEO firm to get links to their landing page for chrome. The SEO firm paid bloggers to post spun tripe by the bushel ... apparently it worked?

What's also between the lines here ... theyre claiming their reduced PR caused their serps to plummet? huh?

the search engine’s spam fighting team was going to reduce the PageRank value of the Google Chrome home page, which in turn lead to today’s ranking decrease.

News fodder for newbs? Decrease in PR means Serps decrease ? since when?

So then once we get beyond that stuff .... So google needs to hire a SEO firm to get content "out there" ? What exactly is it that Google engaged these people to do actually? Paid links - but they;re supposed to be No Follow? ... LOL. Its ok because they just made a few no folllow by mistake - even though they were encased in SPUN bandini?

Ohhh and google - did you also de index the SEO firms entire domain? What about the kooky bloggers who put the obvious spun web-junk up on their sites in order to get a bit o' payola from your SEO vendor? Did they also get the Big G's axe to the dome on their PR and de-indexed like you seem to do to all the other link farms you get spam complaints on?

... Putrid hypocrites - the lot of them.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by yukon

Google could have easily swept it under the rug without a response (to anyone).

That would be ridiculous given the stature of the SEO Organizations reporting this. Google especially with recent congressional inquiries into its practices cannot ignore public relations. Sometimes you guys make Google into this big corporation that answers to no one. Even MS at the top of its power could not claim that.

Bottom line is if you believe searchengineland and SEObook would run PR stunts for Google you love a good unfounded conspiracy story or you don't know the organizations in question. This is a cover up move due to embarassing reports with Google getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar - not a PR stunt.

Would be a pretty lame publicity stunt for Google to admit they were essentially buying links regardless of the outcome - lame and stupid.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by 4morereferrals

Yeah sending your own crappy page to SE Purgatory for 60 days and then re-applying your PR and SERPs. That strict punishment is a pimple on a gnats a$$ to google - but would slaughter most other marketers. So higher standard my ache'n arssssse Google .... thats abhorrently laughable.

On the money Steve. you and I admit to a campaign of buying and manipulating links and it would be a permanent deindex don't even think of a reconsideration not a 60 day slap on the wrist. They are in major spin mode to detract from what Google itself was caught doing.

[dp40oz]

I wish my penalties would be lifted after 60 days.

[jinx1221]

Sort of reminds me of the whole Rodney King thing.. cops put on 60 days suspension for beating someone half to death, but if I did that, I'd probably get a life sentence without parole!

[ArwenTaylor]

If I didn't know it was January, I would have thought this was an April Fool's Day joke. I agree that this is just a PR stunt to get more people interested in using Chrome and other Google products.

[yukon]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

That would be ridiculous given the stature of the SEO Organizations reporting this. Google especially with recent congressional inquiries into its practices cannot ignore public relations. Sometimes you guys make Google into this big corporation that answers to no one. Even MS at the top of its power could not claim that.

Bottom line is if you believe searchengineland and SEObook would run PR stunts for Google you love a good unfounded conspiracy story or you don't know the organizations in question. This is a cover up move due to embarassing reports with Google getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar - not a PR stunt.

Would be a pretty lame publicity stunt for Google to admit they were essentially buying links regardless of the outcome - lame and stupid.

Yeah, I'll never believe this wasn't a scripted Public Relations stunt.

I guarantee that every single Google product has a quality dept., this crap is fake, no way would they let this happen without banking on the fumble.

[Talen]

So Google got called out an penalized their own website...I bet the Chrome team will be here on the forums shortly bitc*ing up a storm because their adsense account was banned for " posing a significant risk to it's advertisers"?

[martyJames]

...damn spammers!!

[rslaing]

Google caught paying bloggers to promote its Chrome browser... breaking its own rules

Read more: Google caught paying bloggers to promote its Chrome browser... breaking its own rules | Mail Online


hehehehe...............

[Fernando Veloso]

And yet Google expects people to play fair with them...

[sbucciarel]

|Yeah ... I LOL'd when I read that Google manipulates serps to promote Chrome and then Google slaps Chrome when they are outed. ha ha

[nicktyler]

Google is like many bodies with power in this respect. They have the opinion that if they have the power to make the rules they have the power to flout them.

Also the point is really who is going to stop them or give them a slap that they will feel? After all you cant tell mummy and daddy Google on them

[sbucciarel]

Yeah ... then they had to slap themselves silly after they were found out. Priceless

[didyouknow]

very interesting..

to the people stating that this is a stunt or fake; what do you think 'really' happened? That the PR department came up with the idea of first running a paid post campaign with links, so that Google could penalize itself later on?
I doubt that...

[Nikolas]

I guess the "do no evil" times has passed for Google...

[nicktyler]

I think that time probably passed long ago. They are way too good at what they do (making money). The slogan is a bit outdated in todays world. This is the first time anyone has been brave enough to call them out publicly on it.

Also it entirely depends on your definition of evil.

[YourProfessional]

Google can do whatever they want. =) But it's nice to see them caught with their pants down... haha.

[Torreylee]

I think that it's real. Google doesn't need to put on a show for ANYBODY, they are the biggest thing on the net. I think it shows great integrity to penalize an entity of their own company.

Don't get me wrong, Google is still mighty hypocritical in many of their actions, but this is cool.

[Bofu2U]

the search engine’s spam fighting team was going to reduce the PageRank value of the Google Chrome home page, which in turn lead to today’s ranking decrease.

Ohhh reallllly *rolls eyes*

[egrovesys]

Originally Posted by dp40oz

This is one of the stupidest PR stunts I have ever seen.

What a dangerous answer. if he says like this then how much he affected by this worst SE.

[Fernando Veloso]

We’ve investigated and are taking manual action to demote www.google.com/chrome and lower the site’s PageRank for a period of at least 60 days.
We strive to enforce Google’s webmaster guidelines consistently in order to provide better search results for users.

Keyword: taking manual action. For those saying for months Google doesn't have manual actions... there you go morons.

[GeorgR.]

It's true that "chrome" doesnt appear anymore on page #1 in the SERPs...but there is STILL this huge "sponsored" Google Chrome Adwords Ad on Top dominating all other results... so..hardly a penalty because effectively Google Chrome is still on Top in Google.

[GeorgR.]

[Oranges]

LOL! Those posts were for advertisement or for link building? If it was for link building and moving the page on serps, then why can't they manually tweak the algo to show their page on top? Weird Sh*t! or i missed the catch?

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by yukon

Yeah, I'll never believe this wasn't a scripted Public Relations stunt.

Believe what you want. Been on here too long not to know people believe what they want regardless of the facts. Facts are violating rules that you tell other people to adhere to is not something you do in a PR stunt.

That would be like Murdoch setting up wiretaps and outing himself for the publicity.

Perhaps you are impressed with them penalizing the chrome team but for most SEOs they gave themselves a black eye by doing what they claimed should not be done and getting caught on it.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso

Keyword: taking manual action. For those saying for months Google doesn't have manual actions... there you go morons.

also deals a blow to those who say Pagerank has no value whatsoever and Google doesn't use it anymore.

[paulgl]

Google did not break their own rules. People just don't
read them. Buying links to shmooze PR is a violation.

But google bought ad links for business traffic, not PR.

Like google needs to buy PR...

I knew this was going to get posted. Made it through
yesterday when the "story" broke, but knew someone
was going to jump on it.

I find it so funny that people just hang on every story
about google...must make them chuckle as well. Just
pumps up more publicity for google.

Chrome is really taking off and people just can't handle
that. MS people, that is.

Get serious here. Chrome is not website. It has no PR and
needs none.

I've said it before as well. Searchengineland has their own agenda,
not that it was the only site to break the so-called story.

This thing really tore up the internet yesterday. Pity people have
so much time on their hands.

Paul

[rslaing]

Originally Posted by paulgl

This thing really tore up the internet yesterday. Pity people have
so much time on their hands.

Paul

I always make sure I have plenty of spare time on my hands.......and strongly recommend it for everyone.

[neil_patmore]

Keyword: taking manual action. For those saying for months Google doesn't have manual actions... there you go morons.

LOL, love it! They'll still be reciting the same old tripe this time next week though ...

[neil_patmore]

Google did not break their own rules. People just don't
read them. Buying links to shmooze PR is a violation.

But google bought ad links for business traffic, not PR.

Like google needs to buy PR...

yeah, but they inadvertantly created ONE dofollow link which searchengineland located before it got pulled and BOOOOOM! priceless!

Even with the whole 'we wasn't buying links to influence rankings' response, the irony lies with the crap spun content which is 'apparently' OK for them to encourage, but not us.

[faceblogger]

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

Ha Ha Ha..Good one!

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by paulgl

Google did not break their own rules. People just don't
read them. Buying links to shmooze PR is a violation.

l

Paul the practice for buying traffic is to use the nofollow attribute. Google preaches that all over. If this wasn't a violation Google would have just said so and not tried to cover it up.

This thing really tore up the internet yesterday. Pity people have
so much time on their hands.

Paul

yeah man glad you are above it. Not like you had time to bother commenting on it in a forum

[paulgl]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Paul the practice for buying traffic is to use the nofollow attribute. Google preaches that all over. If this wasn't a violation Google would have just said so and not tried to cover it up.

yeah man glad you are above it. Not like you had time to bother commenting on it in a forum

LOL!!! Touche, Mike!

Google only did some bandaid work, just to look um, contrite? Who
knows. They wanted to pump up use of chrome, buying links is not
against TOS in that regard. After all, as stated, they could care less
about PR, SERPs, etc. So it's silly to say they slapped themselves.

Chrome is readily linked on all their pages. So a real slap would be to
delete all links on THEIR pages. Aint gonna happen.

I mean if people search for "web browser," and google drops the
chrome to say, page 3, who cares? The person searching already
has a web browser...and if they search for google chrome, I
guarantee you will see google chrome #1.

Sure enough, their google chrome gets top 4 spots, as well
as the "sponsored" link on top. Go figure.

The whole thing is silly, actually. Which is my point.

Silly that google chrome will get even more downloads and
use now. I myself recently started it.

MS hasn't made a dime online, IE sucks, and yahoo is
just terrible.

Google gets all the publicity and takes it to the bank. The
off-shore bank.

Paul

[yukon]

Originally Posted by paulgl

I've said it before as well. Searchengineland has their own agenda,
not that it was the only site to break the so-called story.

Paul

Exactly, everyone wants to be the whistle blower.

Wasn't it searchengineland that blew the whistle on JCPenney, then WSJ & a few big sites made the story go viral.

The guys over at SEL act like a bunch of narks, good grief.

They would have been the hall monitor in high school that only narked out other kids just to be the teachers pet, ha, ha.

Just like Paul said, they have their agenda, which is obviously stirring up the seo community to get traffic back to their site.

Again, Traffic = $$

We don't even know that quote supposedly from Google is real. Anyone have that same quote directly from a Google press release? Just because SEL said the quote was directly from Google doesn't mean it's the truth.