I am quite baffled at what exactly Matt Cutts is trying to prove. As if that was his real name, just adding salt to the wound if you ask me. Sure I understand that the big G wants to lower the search engine ranking on crappy sites, but why do they really care if a site has affiliate links on it or not. They have ads all over their site, pretty much the same thing isn't it. As long as the information on the site is exactly what the user is searching for. Why should they care if a domain is an exact match domain or how long it has been on the net. A brand new site may have much better info than a site that is 10 years old. I thought giving the searcher exactly what he wants is the important thing. It seems that he and his team are doing what they can to rid the internet of marketers. Don't feed me that bull about there focus is on providing the user with the best information possible. Why should they be focusing on the links a site has going to it, good or bad. The user searching doesn't care. They just want the best information they can find for their search query. If you ask me, they pay way too much attention to what doesn't really matter, like trying to annihilate affiliate marketers. I truly believe that one of his main objectives is to get rid of affiliate marketers to leave more income for the big G with their advertising solutions. What do you think he is trying to achieve and do you think he is succeeding?
They mind if a site has affiliate links in it because that is one of the characteristics of spammy sites that are created low quality content and for the sole purpose of making money. They also care about whether a site is old or new for the same reason. Most fly-by-night sites are new while old sites are more trustworthy. Why do they care about the links to a site? Because webmasters are manipulating the results by building unnatural links to their sites - and by doing so, they have the ability to rank stuff Google and it's users wouldn't like to see at the top of their results. I'm not in support of Google's actions against webmasters, but I'm sure we would all do the same if we were Matt Cutts.
That's a total bit of crock. Because a site has affiliate links on it is a spammy site. That is ridiculous. That is a person trying to make money and they may have quality content on that site that a visitor may find very valuable. But I agree that is the way Cutts thinks. If he is the Judge at my trial I will opt for a jury, thank you very much. Whether I am innocent or guilty, I will be found guilty by that judge. Maybe sites which sell ads with the sole intention of making money can also be called a spammy site. Oh, wait a minute, that would be Google for one. Have you checked the content behind some of those ads. Funny the quality of content they are showing their visitors isn't so important when it comes to their own benefit. They say that a social presence is important to the Big G, they say that high authority sites linking to a site is important, all this can be manipulated. What I am trying to say is that they are too busy tying to come with ways to favor a site or ways to penalize a site, when they should be focused on the content the site has for the visitor. Is it what the searcher is looking for, or is it not. Don't be focused on the someone building links whether they are good links or not, be focused on what the searcher is looking for.
@slinger I agree with what you have to say. The big G has conveniently changed the definition of spam (to favor their actions) and now all those "spammy" sites have to pay THEM to live another day or... quit existing.
I totally agree with you slinger! Just because a site has affiliate links, doesn't mean that the site is providing low quality info. Almost all sites out there ARE THERE for some or the other business. I understand if they have to penalize websites with "thin" content or that offer no value to the readers, but why should sites which have great content be kicked in the process only because they are affiliate sites. And if affiliate business was so bad, why have affiliate programs? I am sure Amazon and eBay must be earning a lot through their affiliate networks. Big G always say that we are trying to give good results for your query, but honestly good results are buried deep down in the 5-6th pages!
I have done searches not related to any kind of marketing, information on a certain subject, and had to go deep into the pages to find the information I was looking for. Not only with their web search but on youtube as well. The information on the 1st page wasn't exactly what I was looking for. The reason I think is because the Big G is too hung up on webmasters targeting exact keywords. If the webmaster is going out of his way targeting that keyword why should Cutts and team care? It's the content and what the searcher types in the search box they should be concerned about.
I honestly think some day Google, the search engine, will just become one big ecommerce site. They don't like competition, and internet marketing affiliates are competitors selling products that Google could be selling. The Google results for certain products, like movies, music and concert tickets, are already now setup to give you instant access to purchase through THEIR own advertisers (making them, technically, affiliates with ads on the Google SE for the advertisers products). Same with translation services. Google translator comes right on top with an instant input, so you don't even need to go anywhere else. Not just a link, but the box itself. It used to be just a few Adwords ads on the right side, but now its all over the place. They want to be the ones selling products and services online, not us. But, ya know, they'll put our ads up if we don't mind paying crazy amounts per click, right?? All those websites putting up Adsense ads are affiliate sites as well, as they are providing ad space to someone else's product, but it's ok as long as Google profits from it, and gives us a few cents with a pat on the head for being a "good boy". Yes, there are crappy affiliate sites with awful, spun content, but just as many (or more) good quality sites with well written content that just has a few affiliate ads on it. A shitty site should be penalized because it is a shitty site, NOT because of how the content itself is monetized. That should be the site owner's business, not Google's. They hold WAY too much power over everyone trying to survive online. I've read stories of site owners with really great sites with ads they use to pay the bills and feed their family, and then Google suddenly decides it doesn't like the site and the family loses everything overnight. For some, like me, since I'm disabled, it's their sole source of income. It's the equivalent of owning a physical store and a flood comes along and destroys your livelihood. The irony is that Google will tell you what you need to do to rank well, and then after everyone does it, they will penalize your site in the next update for doing that exact same thing. Google is not God, and they shouldn't try to act like it.
Google discovers affiliate links ,or has a list of affiliate websites and reduce your ranking if you use their affiliate links? someone explain this, tnx
What about Google Just started listening to the speech and he actually said "Bing is a perfectly fine search engine" . It's long I'm half way through it, most of the stuff is cryptic they way he is saying it.
Affiliate links is just something that has been mentioned along with a long list of other things that could hold a website from hitting number 1 in the Big G. The thing is they are concentrating too much on what a webmaster is doing to get his site to the top and not enough on putting sites on top for the content they contain. Webmasters trying to earn a dollar to provide for their families are going to try anything to get their site to the top. It is only normal, any entrepreneur would do it, online or offline in methods to bring customers into their stores. Should they penalized for a mistake they made in the eyes of a so called spam team.? No, that team is harming hard working people trying to earn a dollar. The Big G should be paying attention to what the searcher is looking for and if a site has what the searcher is looking for. They are going overboard on their definition of spam!
Actually Slinger, what I have observed from Google so called algorithms is that they want everyone to go for PPC and adwords, so that they can remain in profit.
Google still plays biggest role in the search and display market share, but in fact if you are running a real business, dont depend on google seo, learn to make the money work to generate more money is the key