So I was thinking today about the whole Goog thought process while sitting in rush hour traffic (making me even more mad ) and I think I have a conspiracy theory that might just be a stroke of genius on the part of Goog. So let me know what everyone thinks of this... As a business, the goal is to be as profitable as possible. G's main source of revenue is advertising via AdWords. Their latest update seems to target people who are able to get good natural placement, like those of us who buy text links or use other linking programs to boost link popularity. Lets focus on those paying for links...this group of marketers will do anything to be up on top, including spending a lot of money. So lets say their new update destroy's people who pay for links. What is the only alternative? AdWords! Heh, now that I put this down, it doesn't sound as good as it did in my head sitting in traffic.
I've been convinced of this for a while, what other explanation is there for them sandboxing new sites? it lowers the quality of their search results while making them more money
sorry crazy rob...unfortunately I don't enjoy the luxury to be here reading all of the posts. But thank you for your energetic respose. do you give the same response every time? hee..
Just wanted to let you know that you weren't alone. I'm sure Google's Adwords revenue gets a boost each time there's an update.
Not a new theory by any means. Not since 'Florida' anyways. There is talk that Yahoo are doing the same sort of thing with their updates with the idea to squeeze cash out of poor honest webmasters who deserve their top serp placements.
You're too late. This has already been done to death by Daniel Brandt (aka Everyman): http://www.google-watch.org/ - in particular, the "Google is Dying" thread (aka Brandt's wishful thinking article, exposing his serious misunderstanding of the world outside his head). After you look at that, look at this to find out why he's so bent out of shape: http://www.google-watch-watch.org/
I am not a conspiracy theorist, and if I were to bet, I'd say that Google doesn't do this. In fact, from a money-making perspective, they should do the opposite: reward the people who pay them the most. If someone reduces their PPC bids, then G should kill their natural ranking too. The best way to encourage people to pay them more is to reward them better for it, and make them afraid to stop paying. You bet that's what I'd do if I owned a commanding market share of something ....
I think you missed my point a bit. I'm talking about hurting the people that spend money on services that are *NOT* Google's. Like someone that goes to a link broker and buy's links to get great natural placement. I think they target these people so they will stop spending their money with the other businesses and only spend it with Google. But, evidently I've jumped on a recurring train and everyone has heard it already...hehe. Maybe I'll be that guy, I'll just start posting the "obvious" things.
see what I mean?! I see you scratching your chin looking in the air while your'e saying that. by the way, are you calling me a zit faced moron?
Here's a slight twist on this theory: If I were Google, I'd dump the sites who obviously weren't going out getting links. Sites that go out of their way to buy links, trade links, etc etc, are the ones least likely to use adwords to replace lost positions. So you promote them to the top of the SERPs and cream everyone else for adwords revenue
Here's my take... I have some affiliate marketing web sites out there that got hit hard by this new update. Maybe its considered as "Spam" and maybe its not, I don't know. Its White Hat all the way though as far as web design goes. But all these webmasters who work for companies like, for example, Ebay, promoting their web site on theirs, making web sites around these companies. Anyways, now these companies are jumping to the top of the rankings while the "affiliate" sites promoting them are now on the bottom. The result is that the companies like ebay do not suffer but the intermediate companies, Commission Junction, Linkshare, suffer because they don't make commissions on sales through their service. I don't make any money so maybe now I try to push this web site through AdWords or find some other means to push it. But in reality, though I have benefited from this in the past, it makes MORE sense to put the authority sites, the companies like ebay at the top if people are going there anyways through the affiliate sites which serve no extra purpose other than to leverage search engines to push more traffic to the vendor. Confused? Don't worry, so am I