Matt Cutts and the paid links

Ive always told other web directiory owners that adsence on directories makes no sense at all.
But unfortunatly you will have those in third word countries that will add regardless in hopes that
someone clicks the links which i refuse to do as i am against this and always have been....

Again you guys dont be going on witch hunts...
the type of site makes no difference its the quality of the site that does...

It would seem that casino sites and viagra were the biggest misbehaviors but again
its about the quality of the site as you will have many sites from different catagories
that are under construction and very poorly designed and those should be the ones that
are rejected so do try to keep that in mind...

well i speak in general and for myself

Ive never used adsense and have no use for it on any of my sites
or yahoo or any other as i just dont like it as i feel it makes the pages
look trashy and see that that space is better utilized for other purposes.




thx
malcolm

 

Your choice. But it seems clear that there is no justification for the statement that using AdSense on a directory page is any different than using it on any other web page.

 

I'm not sure that people will jump on that but I do support the idea that all webmasters should unite forces and try to battle with that issue. I don't really care if I have AdSence or other program and Google should respect that we are paying their salaries!

Malcolm, You said you don't use AdSence for your dirs. What are you using? can you give some good suggestions on alternative programs? I'm interested to switch my publisher network....

Cheers,

Venetsian

 

I apologize minstrel as to an extent you are correct...
Ive always been the type that doesnt feel that i need a middle man
were i can just pay the owner of the site rather then the ALL powerful
google. I will not make this thread in a carnival of adsense bashing
as that takes away from the true meaning of what this thread is or was
before they merged us together...

It is simply my choice not to use such services .... nothing more

thx
malcolm

 

Very true, many submitted sites change content as soon as they have gotten into something like 50 directories. Especially many of the health info type of sites with 3 or 4 pages.

 

If you're approving those types of sites, you're probably not running the kind of directory Cutts was talking about.

 

Never said I approve them.

 

Then what were you saying? That you're running a link farm directory without human review?

 

I fully agree! I mean, why on earth would Google want to place their own goals over someone else's. Completely insane to think so... I mean, it's simply ludicrous to think a company such as Google would place their own aims over their competitors.

It's outrageous anyone could even think such a thing!

Exactly! They just want to control paid links, and since your site has "advertisements" you are safe...because there is a difference. You are not trying to pass PR or anything, only good quality traffic! I mean, your link to spa and pool filters is certainly relevant to Mental health!

 

Yes it is.........

If the pool guy is a institutionalized and/or later committed to the funny farm or mental health ward

heheheheh just kidden

thx
malcolm

 

Give it up, Q. Face it: You were wrong. You know it. I know it. The whole damn forum knows it. Now you're just bitter because the Google anti-spam department is cutting into your link-selling business.

 

Hahah --I just love this.

Come-on Q: face minstrel! Do you want him run away with the trophy? You can do better than that.

 

My link selling business is limited to this forum and another forum, neither of which are my sites...it's kind of odd how your link selling business is limited to your own sites. It's also odd how you've pointed out that so many people are tweaking the serps via their link sales and are therefor wrong, when you are doing it as well. It really seems to me you are a hypocrite.

As for me being wrong, what was I wrong about? That the use of PENALTY is a common term for what is happening to paid links? Yeah, you've certainly have given proof on that... hand me another opinion, as that all you've shown thus far.

 

How am I a hypocrite? I accept advertising. Depending on the site, that may include AdSense, AdBrite, TLA, or other advertising.

Please enlighten me. How does that contradict anything I've said in this thread or anywhere else? How does that contradict the spirit of what this thread is about? We're all ears, Q. Go for it.

[/QUOTE]As for me being wrong, what was I wrong about?[/QUOTE]

As far as I can tell, that's just the wrong question. The correct questions is, what have you been right about? And the correct answer is, not a damn thing.

 

I run just two main directories, and we review the new links every couple of days, as well as try to add some quality links ourselves. My sites are indexed pretty decent, and they get some adsense revenue. I haven't bought a lot of links for the directories to pump up the pagerank. I had considered doing that, but now that I have read what Matt Cutts said, I would at least be more careful who I would choose to advertise with.

Actually, I did buy some directory links, and also one sitewide on a site about search engines and directories. I hope that this would be within the realm of acceptability.

I understand that:
1) Google protecting the manipulation of pagerank by people buying links on high pagerank sites helps increase the need for other forms of advertising like Adwords.
2) Google needs to protect pagerank anyway, because it is one of root elements of their algorithm

I'm glad though that submitting to directories is okay, and also it was good that he clarified that directories can charge for the review process, but it is better not to think in terms of "paid links".

 

I think what Cutts said went beyond that. I think he said that there SHOULD be a review process, paid or not, so that the directory is not a "list all sites submitted" link farm.

 

I think it's about useless footer links and things like that, and not being on the subject. It could be called spam. But I don't think every paid link is spam.

 

I totally agree. I've always tried to vocalize the need for quality links in directories. I remember we even had a contest for the directory with the best content.

 

Ok, now where does the back link to PhpLD fall?

I am talking about the powered by link

Is that spam? What about 2 other links on the templates - Sponsored by?

If they are classified as spam, then we don't get free Software.
We don't get free templates?

Can some one shed some light on these links please?

Basically: if my new directory is sponsored by my old directory/Directories is that OK?

 

That's an interesting point. A lot of freebies on the net, not just directory scripts and templates, are created on the basis that the backlink is worth something. It's a paid link, in the sense that it is being paid for in kind by someone who has built a free template or piece of software. If these links no longer pass PR, that would certainly stifle a lot of the creativity we are seeing, and it could become more common to ask webmasters to pay for services such as scripts and templates.

My guess is, this is one of those grey areas that perhaps Google are not aiming directly at when they talk about targetting paid links, but it might affect this kind of link as well? Sometimes footer links go directly to the template or script creator, and sometimes they are bought outright by a sponsor.