14 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
14 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Sunglasses SERPS Manipulator Arrested

by The Copy Nazi Banned
12 replies
"You Have the Right to Remain Silent"



Remember this Dude? He was manipulating Google SERPS by "creating buzz" - by abusing/stalking/intimidating customers of his online sunglasses business (which I'm not going to link to).

Here's his reality check - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/bu...R_AP_LO_MST_FB


From his (crap) site -

offers a collection of over fifty authentic designer discount name brands of sunglasses and eyeglasses. We offer both new and old models of the most popular designs as well as the most hard to find styles. We have a lab onsite that will fill virtually any prescription order from single vision to no line bifocals. Since we offer over 15,000 styles to choose from you'll have the widest possible choice of fashion and colors to absolutely satisfy your taste bud.
Every pair we sell is guaranteed authentic and you can be returned within 14 days for any reason. Feel free to browse through our models to find the style that you love most.
Have a good time with us, relax and explore through most famous trends. We provide the best possible prices for authentic items, so if someone is selling their item at a more cut-price, they are most likely replica or used!
If you come across a style that you need more information about, feel free to give us a call. Our highly trained customer service representatives will help you every step of the way.
Love that last bit. Yeah...they'll abuse, threaten and stalk you.
#arrested #manipulator #serps #sunglasses
  • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
    But last week, Google published a post on its official blog stating that it had changed its search formula so that companies were penalized if they provided customers with what it called “an extremely poor user experience.”
    Hmmmm......

    How'd they do that? Sounds fishy
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977179].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM View Post

      Hmmmm......

      How'd they do that? Sounds fishy
      Google has already done this many times if they consider a site to be a "poor user experience". They delete Make Money Online Blogger blogs by the thousands, they ban Make Money Online Adwords accounts by the thousands.

      Who really cares if they make this asswipe disappear for good. But since he is being prosecuted by several authorities, it's not likely that his website is going to be his highest priority for a good long while. Bye bye cyber bully. Rot in jail.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977880].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Google has already done this many times if they consider a site to be a "poor user experience". They delete Make Money Online Blogger blogs by the thousands, they ban Make Money Online Adwords accounts by the thousands.

        Who really cares if they make this asswipe disappear for good. But since he is being prosecuted by several authorities, it's not likely that his website is going to be his highest priority for a good long while. Bye bye cyber bully. Rot in jail.
        The fact this guy is gone is good.. but that's not what I am referring to. I just don't see a way that Google could ever accurately filter company feedback appearing on forums, blog posts etc.. reliably in a way that is not open to abuse.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977941].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
          Banned
          Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM View Post

          The fact this guy is gone is good.. but that's not what I am referring to. I just don't see a way that Google could ever accurately filter company feedback appearing on forums, blog posts etc.. reliably in a way that is not open to abuse.
          I don't think they really changed their Algorithm. I think they just put in a filter to eliminate giving links any juice from all review sites such as ripoff report, etc. That's my guess.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977977].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
            If you are foolish enough to make the core and financial bottom line of your business dependent on the whims of any single search engine then you deserve to go out of business....oh wait, you never were a business, intelligent business people don't make such foolish decisions.

            Originally Posted by Diane S View Post

            Sounds like dangerous territory to me as well. If Google can 'penalize' companies 'providing an extremely poor user experience,' then they need to have a way to verify all reviews ever left by customers are real reviews. Otherwise we could have fake positive reviews created for our own sites, causing our sites to rise in the SERPS, and we could also have fake negative reviews created for our competitors' sites, causing their sites to sink in the SERPS. It sounds unbelievable that Google has the ability to tell which reviews are real or fake. So I think their statement is just a smokescreen.
            Originally Posted by ChrisCree View Post

            Yeah. As the online traffic sources consolidate even more towards the big players like Google & Facebook it is only going to be more critical that we diversify our revenue sources as much as possible.
            Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM View Post

            The fact this guy is gone is good.. but that's not what I am referring to. I just don't see a way that Google could ever accurately filter company feedback appearing on forums, blog posts etc.. reliably in a way that is not open to abuse.
            Signature

            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2978065].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Eager2SEO
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Google has already done this many times if they consider a site to be a "poor user experience". They delete Make Money Online Blogger blogs by the thousands, they ban Make Money Online Adwords accounts by the thousands.

        Who really cares if they make this asswipe disappear for good. But since he is being prosecuted by several authorities, it's not likely that his website is going to be his highest priority for a good long while. Bye bye cyber bully. Rot in jail.
        BTW, that was not his only site. He had many more sunglasses sites, some were SEOed and some probably fed by adwords. They all had "front" Brooklyn addresses.

        I doubt that empire is going to die though. It will pass to someone else and he will get a cut.

        Ironically his site states a "risk free holiday extended return policy." The guy may get off on an insanity plea.

        Yet his site remains fully indexed in Google!
        Signature

        Available for article writing or <?php | .net ?> programming work! Article samples available on request.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977966].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Diane S
    Sounds like dangerous territory to me as well. If Google can 'penalize' companies 'providing an extremely poor user experience,' then they need to have a way to verify all reviews ever left by customers are real reviews. Otherwise we could have fake positive reviews created for our own sites, causing our sites to rise in the SERPS, and we could also have fake negative reviews created for our competitors' sites, causing their sites to sink in the SERPS. It sounds unbelievable that Google has the ability to tell which reviews are real or fake. So I think their statement is just a smokescreen.
    Signature
    KimW still needs our help DONATE DIRECTLY
    My First Kindle Book: Ten Days in the Land of Smile
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977242].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ChrisCree
    Yeah. As the online traffic sources consolidate even more towards the big players like Google & Facebook it is only going to be more critical that we diversify our revenue sources as much as possible.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977273].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author FredJones
      Very happy to hear this - had read the horror stories referred to by other Warriors a few days back. These are the guys that make this profession appear to be fraudulent and create all the unfortunate negative images in the minds of the online buyers.
      Signature
      Get funded up to US $2 Million for your business as a JV (not a loan). Keep 80% of the profits.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977436].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author shamabamma
      Google already has what they call a "content diversity" algorithm that mixes good reviews with bad reviews to supposedly give searchers a balanced view of a particular search, so this doesn't sound like a huge leap.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977602].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
        Originally Posted by shamabamma View Post

        Google already has what they call a "content diversity" algorithm that mixes good reviews with bad reviews to supposedly give searchers a balanced view of a particular search, so this doesn't sound like a huge leap.
        That may be, but...

        How do they decide what counts as "good" or "bad"?

        What if there is apparent bias in a customer review?

        What about those comments that appear neutral?

        And, again, who's to decide what that means?

        What about different aspects of products?

        Do some have more weight than others? And the list of questions goes on and on.

        So, while I'm glad the scumbag in the OP may finally be getting his just desserts, I'm not convinced Google's sudden change is something we should be welcoming with open arms.

        All the best,
        Michael
        Signature

        "Ich bin en fuego!"
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977637].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Lauryn
    ... sexual assault threats over (allegedly) fake sunglasses? Serious?
    Signature

    I Go Hard = "Slanguage" for putting forth a lot of effort.

    Don't be an arse and try to flip something you clearly have no knowledge of against me.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2977931].message }}

Trending Topics