Hidden links

[commandos]

Most people understand hidden text is something like white text on a white background, and know to steer clear of it. Let me show you an example of a hidden link. Normally a hidden link could be in several forms:

- hidden text that also happens to be hyperlinked, e.g. white text on a white background, and the text is a link
- using CSS to make hyperlinks that are tiny, like 1 pixel high text
- hiding links in something like the period in the middle of a paragraph of text

http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/hidden-links/

Google is going to be looking at paid links more closely in the future

[CountryBoy]

Clever as Google are, how can they tell which links are paid and which aren't? Surely only the webmaster and advertiser can know that.

[GTech]

Originally Posted by CountryBoy

Clever as Google are, how can they tell which links are paid and which aren't? Surely only the webmaster and advertiser can know that.

Speculation, but they could fairly easily look at links within an html container that said "sponsored" or "advertisement."

Another scenario: A high PR page, for example...a PR8 page about weather, that links out to a casino website. High PR page linking out to a non-themed site.

These are speculative, of course, but given what Google has achieved over the years, doesn't seem unreasonable that they could do it, if they choose to.

[commandos]

Originally Posted by CountryBoy

Clever as Google are, how can they tell which links are paid and which aren't? Surely only the webmaster and advertiser can know that.

Good point

Originally Posted by Matt Cutts

To make sure that you’re in good shape, go with both human-readable disclosure and machine-readable disclosure

So they want us to show it clearly for both

Someone ask him there :

Originally Posted by Bob Gladstein

April 14, 2007 @ 3:10 pm

This may seem like an odd question, but I assure you there’s a real world example: what should I do about an unpaid link that looks like it must be a paid link? The word “sponsor” even appears directly above it. Its purpose is twofold: to promote a site owned by a friend of the owner of the site that’s linking out, and to suggest to users that the opportunity to sponsor other sections of the site (with real paid links) is available to them.

I don’t want to tell Google that it’s a paid link via some machine-readable indicator, because it isn’t. Its real purpose is to recommend a site to the reader. I could take away the “sponsored” note, but it’s a banner. It’s going to appear to be an

[designcode]

Google is the big boss, Its not a big thing for them to find if a link is paid or not,

Speculation, but they could fairly easily look at links within an html container that said "sponsored" or "advertisement."

Thats what I read on Matt Cutts blog I guess.

[CountryBoy]

Is it just me, or are other people getting slightly pissed off at the way Google think they can meddle with the content of people's sites? Talk about 1984.

[grg]

But this is nothing new, we all know about black hat seos like hidden elements or -xxxx positions which can penalize sites which use this. Now they are going at irrelevant links, so most of the directories will go down and especially all sites like link clouds, as sites without any added value will be not counted as good back links (at least, if it will not cause a penalty)...

[simey]

Google can make an 'educated guess' about which are paid links, but they will never know with anything close to 100% certainty. So I think they will generally 'discount', but not penalize paid links.

Besides, there will always be ways to buy improved SERP rankings. Money makes the world go round.

[footballboy]

Is this the end of paid directories?

[commandos]

The start of the end of paid links (anyone want to buy a sig link ? )

[mad4]

Not only that, they now want us to report people who are buying and selling links.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-report-paid-links/

Imagine if Matt Cutts ever heard about this. Most DP'ers would be screwed.

[CountryBoy]

I propose a mass boycott of Google!

[ndreamer]

Originally Posted by GTech

Speculation, but they could fairly easily look at links within an html container that said "sponsored" or "advertisement."

Another scenario: A high PR page, for example...a PR8 page about weather, that links out to a casino website. High PR page linking out to a non-themed site.

These are speculative, of course, but given what Google has achieved over the years, doesn't seem unreasonable that they could do it, if they choose to.

what if you have content management site for example and link to your customer sites these sites may not appear relevant to google but they are to your viewers.

[grg]

Originally Posted by CountryBoy

I propose a mass boycott of Google!

What you say, if Google will boycott us?

[CountryBoy]

Sounds to me like that's what they're trying to do - I'm lucky because I'm small scale - there's people on here who need to sell advertising to feed themselves.

Originally Posted by grg

What you say, if Google will boycott us?

[RECEP]

What about hidden texts in web sites ? l was also using hiddent text on my olde sites like about 2 years ago, they were also good ways if you want to hide some keywords, also l may say l was tring to cheat the crawlers with that.
But nowaways these techniques are very dengerouse and google can very easyly take you our of the line. and we dont try black seo : ) Thanks for the article. its great.

[Monty]

Originally Posted by mad4

Not only that, they now want us to report people who are buying and selling links.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-report-paid-links/

Imagine if Matt Cutts ever heard about this. Most DP'ers would be screwed.

Agree, this post is BS. They are trying to find paid links by themselves with theirs algorithms, fair. But asking peoples to inform them...

[commandos]

Originally Posted by Monty

Agree, this post is BS. They are trying to find paid links by themselves with theirs algorithms, fair. But asking peoples to inform them...

Well i'm sure a lot of people will report links .

especially if you have competitors

[grg]

Originally Posted by CountryBoy

Sounds to me like that's what they're trying to do - I'm lucky because I'm small scale - there's people on here who need to sell advertising to feed themselves.

I don't take it as anything against 'us' (whatever it could be - 'us'). We all could predict this - it will come sooner or later. All black, gray or yellow-hats... It all mean this same, content is the king - all but good content.

[guerilla]

Hopefully lots of people report sites with Adwords as being paidlink. That should slow those guys at Google down...