SitePoint.com

mattymcg · Apr 13, 2008, 21:07

From Rick Strahl's Weblog:

Quote:

A couple of months ago I started in earnest tracking the advertising hits that Google generates for me. And what I found is not a happy picture. About 30-40% of the traffic generated -- ie. the traffic that I pay for -- comes from link farms

I thought this was messed up:

Quote:

I sent an email to Google Adsense support and asked about Link Parking sites and what their policy is in regards to counting these hits towards paying clicks. The response was essentially a shrug of the shoulder: Yeah, we know about it and they are legal, and sure you have to pay for these links. In fact the support tech was trying to convince me that these Link Parking site links do better conversions than 'regular' links. Better for whom? For Google?

Google AdSense Advertising - eeech...

Tekime · Apr 13, 2008, 23:16

That's quite an interesting write-up... if not a bit heated. I rarely use AdWords but just getting started again so I'd like to see what everyone else has to say.

Not to be nitpicky, but the title seems to read "Goodle Advertising Loves Link Farms"

mattymcg · Apr 14, 2008, 01:05

So it does. Fixed!

sydneyaus · Apr 14, 2008, 02:54

And I always thought that a linkfarm was a bad neighbourhood.

Anat · Apr 14, 2008, 03:52

I still see Goodle in the title

I think a lot depends on where those parking pages/link farms, whatever you want to call them get their traffic. If they get organic SE traffic or type-in's for your niche keywords, they could actually be sending you good traffic.

Colin F · Apr 14, 2008, 04:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattymcg

So it does. Fixed!

You'll need to edit the thread title in the Edit Thread item of the Thread Tools drop-down menu. You only changed the title of the first post

samanime · Apr 14, 2008, 06:59

That's interesting. However, as Anat said, if the links are for a keyword that you are looking for they could be a good link. Not many people know what link farms and parked pages are, so they'll go to them and just hit a link that looks like what they are looking for.

They could actually be pretty good, though a bit shady.

bgray · Apr 14, 2008, 09:39

Are you talking about parked domain pages?

If so, they do actually convert pretty well mainly because people that click those links are searching for something and aren't the most savvy web users. They do convert.

I could be wrong but I read that AdWords was offering the option to opt-out of parked page advertising.

rageh · Apr 14, 2008, 09:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by samanime

Not many people know what link farms and parked pages are, so they'll go to them and just hit a link that looks like what they are looking for.

They could actually be pretty good, though a bit shady.

Pretty good only if your target audience are not web savvy. If they are, they will notice that they are in a "link farm mindfield" with its potential pop-up craziness and try to close the browser as fast as they land there. Most of the link farms(at least those I have seen) are spy-ware ridden and can infect your browser. If someone is in the know, they will run away from it.

So it is not good at all. Google should be discouraging that type of business model.

besttools · Apr 14, 2008, 10:02

Why should Google discourage a business model that brings nice money?

In business it's always about profits vs risks ratio. Almost no risks involved because just several people on forums like this talk about the issue and say that this is lowering the quality of search results.

As the risks for the cr*p to smell bad are very low and the profits high - this is great for Google.

rageh · Apr 14, 2008, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by besttools

Why should Google discourage a business model that brings nice money?

Almost no risks involved because just several people on forums like this talk about the issue and say that this is lowering the quality of search results.

There is a bad image being attached to link farms. And Google's reputation will suffer by association. Also the quality of the search results, as you rightly pointed out, will be effected. People like us in these forums will keep talking about the issue until such time that people in general wise up and stay away from Link Farms. Only then will Google be forced to listen.

PHPCamp.com · Apr 14, 2008, 11:22

I agree with Rageh. I immediately leave any site with google adwords on it. It would be cool, for me, if google had a filter to not show me search results with adwords on it. Of course that won't happen but I have a dream. imo, if someone has to offset their hosting costs or make a profit, yeah right, by getting me to click a link that takes me somewhere else they don't deserve 3 seconds of my time even if they do have the answer I'm looking for. just a thought.

LogicFlux · Apr 14, 2008, 15:27

This is kind of funny. Look at this http://www.google.com/domainpark/ . Aren't these parked pages just MFA sites? Isn't google supposed to be against those?

WorldNews · Apr 14, 2008, 22:49

Excellent post. The problem that you have listed with Google Advertising and their Adwords program is a real serious problem. Adwords is just an invitation to click fraud and spamming the Internet with untold number of sites that have nothing on them but "Ads by Google". I tell you this from experience, I work, well I volunteer work which means I am paid little, by AnooX search engine. And one of the biggest things we have to look for and clean are 1000s of sites submitted to us daily, for Indexing, which have little of any value/content in them but to be a link farm for "Ads by Google".

OTN, that is why I started volunteering for Anoox search engine, because it is a not-profit-motivated search engine that cares little about maximizing revenues, profits or share prices, but looks for every way possible to deliver the lowest cost in search engine PPC advertising and to open up the search engine business/process in as much as possible.

If you guys want to make a difference I invite you to also look into volunteering for Anoox, we are looking for few great guys & gals to program in Java, JSP, MySQL, PHP or (look & feel) HTML.

Cheers,

besttools · Apr 15, 2008, 08:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by rageh

There is a bad image being attached to link farms. And Google's reputation will suffer by association. Also the quality of the search results, as you rightly pointed out, will be effected. People like us in these forums will keep talking about the issue until such time that people in general wise up and stay away from Link Farms. Only then will Google be forced to listen.

Agree 100%. And have to emphasize on one phrase Only then will Google be forced to listen - only after the media is overwhelmed with the stories about it.

And this will take place only in case each of us spreads the news to at least 10 people and they do the same, etc.

WorldNews · Apr 15, 2008, 08:39

Don't think it will happen, that is the (Big) Media to expose the serious problems with way Google is dominating, or at least attempting to dominate, the Internet. Since the Big Media has Big stake in Google, in form of Billions of Dollars of Google stock. But that does not mean we that should at least try what you have suggested, that is at least expose how wrong Google link farm creating effects are in populating the Internet with Junk/Spam.

Quote:

Originally Posted by besttools

Agree 100%. And have to emphasize on one phrase Only then will Google be forced to listen - only after the media is overwhelmed with the stories about it.

And this will take place only in case each of us spreads the news to at least 10 people and they do the same, etc.

mkoenig · Apr 15, 2008, 09:21

With a title like "Google Advertising Loves Link Farms" i had to pop in here.

Thats interesting, however isn't it the domain hoarders that are at fault.

The more sites converted to "parked link pages" the more traffic there is going to be sent by them.

However... i agree i would be upset to if that much paid traffic was coming from parked pages. The #1 reason is that parked page visitors often click 2 and 3 times on the same page after thinking "hey that link must be dead" let me click another one. I know this because i have a few websites parked on "parked.com" and i may get 3 visitors, but 6 clicks?

rageh · Apr 15, 2008, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by besttools

Agree 100%. And have to emphasize on one phrase Only then will Google be forced to listen - only after the media is overwhelmed with the stories about it.

And this will take place only in case each of us spreads the news to at least 10 people and they do the same, etc.

I wish the Tabloid papers take the story further.

What does it take though for the media take interest? Google will be scared to death and will "clean up"

perpetual_dream · Apr 15, 2008, 13:35

never the less, adwords remains the best advertising tool available with the best conversion rates

Subwoofer02 · Apr 16, 2008, 00:04

Info is interesting. Google is highly developed site and having a right do thats better for it)

Hostpitable · Apr 17, 2008, 06:51

Firstly, it's an important issue to raise but Google has shown it's appreciation for link farms for a very loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time now. The whole issue of made for adsense sites has been discussed to death and the end result seems to be that Google is very reluctant to protect the webmasters' copyrights who find their content scraped and syndicated by the MFA blackhats.

I myself complained a couple of times via their spam report forms to no avail in each case.

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Apr 13, 2008, 23:16	#2
Tekime I <3 Internet Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 354	That's quite an interesting write-up... if not a bit heated. I rarely use AdWords but just getting started again so I'd like to see what everyone else has to say. Not to be nitpicky, but the title seems to read "Goodle Advertising Loves Link Farms"

Apr 14, 2008, 01:05	#3
mattymcg Team SitePoint Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 566	So it does. Fixed!

Apr 14, 2008, 02:54	#4
sydneyaus SitePoint Addict Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 236	And I always thought that a linkfarm was a bad neighbourhood.

Apr 14, 2008, 03:52	#5
Anat SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Oct 2000 Posts: 1,709	I still see Goodle in the title I think a lot depends on where those parking pages/link farms, whatever you want to call them get their traffic. If they get organic SE traffic or type-in's for your niche keywords, they could actually be sending you good traffic.

Apr 14, 2008, 06:59	#7
samanime SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: USA Posts: 1,235	That's interesting. However, as Anat said, if the links are for a keyword that you are looking for they could be a good link. Not many people know what link farms and parked pages are, so they'll go to them and just hit a link that looks like what they are looking for. They could actually be pretty good, though a bit shady.

Apr 14, 2008, 09:39	#8
bgray Makin' It Happen Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 608	Are you talking about parked domain pages? If so, they do actually convert pretty well mainly because people that click those links are searching for something and aren't the most savvy web users. They do convert. I could be wrong but I read that AdWords was offering the option to opt-out of parked page advertising.

Apr 14, 2008, 10:02	#10
besttools SitePoint Zealot Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 142	Why should Google discourage a business model that brings nice money? In business it's always about profits vs risks ratio. Almost no risks involved because just several people on forums like this talk about the issue and say that this is lowering the quality of search results. As the risks for the cr*p to smell bad are very low and the profits high - this is great for Google.

Apr 14, 2008, 11:22	#12
PHPCamp.com SitePoint Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 216	I agree with Rageh. I immediately leave any site with google adwords on it. It would be cool, for me, if google had a filter to not show me search results with adwords on it. Of course that won't happen but I have a dream. imo, if someone has to offset their hosting costs or make a profit, yeah right, by getting me to click a link that takes me somewhere else they don't deserve 3 seconds of my time even if they do have the answer I'm looking for. just a thought.

Apr 14, 2008, 15:27	#13
LogicFlux SitePoint Enthusiast Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 62	This is kind of funny. Look at this http://www.google.com/domainpark/ . Aren't these parked pages just MFA sites? Isn't google supposed to be against those?

Apr 14, 2008, 22:49	#14
WorldNews SitePoint Addict Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 394	Excellent post. The problem that you have listed with Google Advertising and their Adwords program is a real serious problem. Adwords is just an invitation to click fraud and spamming the Internet with untold number of sites that have nothing on them but "Ads by Google". I tell you this from experience, I work, well I volunteer work which means I am paid little, by AnooX search engine. And one of the biggest things we have to look for and clean are 1000s of sites submitted to us daily, for Indexing, which have little of any value/content in them but to be a link farm for "Ads by Google". OTN, that is why I started volunteering for Anoox search engine, because it is a not-profit-motivated search engine that cares little about maximizing revenues, profits or share prices, but looks for every way possible to deliver the lowest cost in search engine PPC advertising and to open up the search engine business/process in as much as possible. If you guys want to make a difference I invite you to also look into volunteering for Anoox, we are looking for few great guys & gals to program in Java, JSP, MySQL, PHP or (look & feel) HTML. Cheers,

Apr 15, 2008, 09:21	#17
mkoenig Jewish Juggernaut Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,147	With a title like "Google Advertising Loves Link Farms" i had to pop in here. Thats interesting, however isn't it the domain hoarders that are at fault. The more sites converted to "parked link pages" the more traffic there is going to be sent by them. However... i agree i would be upset to if that much paid traffic was coming from parked pages. The #1 reason is that parked page visitors often click 2 and 3 times on the same page after thinking "hey that link must be dead" let me click another one. I know this because i have a few websites parked on "parked.com" and i may get 3 visitors, but 6 clicks?

Apr 15, 2008, 13:35	#19
perpetual_dream SitePoint Evangelist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jerusalem Posts: 495	never the less, adwords remains the best advertising tool available with the best conversion rates

Apr 16, 2008, 00:04	#20
Subwoofer02 SitePoint Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 5	Info is interesting. Google is highly developed site and having a right do thats better for it)

Apr 17, 2008, 06:51	#21
Hostpitable HAHA! Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 641	Firstly, it's an important issue to raise but Google has shown it's appreciation for link farms for a very loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time now. The whole issue of made for adsense sites has been discussed to death and the end result seems to be that Google is very reluctant to protect the webmasters' copyrights who find their content scraped and syndicated by the MFA blackhats. I myself complained a couple of times via their spam report forms to no avail in each case.