Matt Cutts on Paid Links

[kyle422]

Anyone else check out the powerpoint presentation that Matt did at SES?
From the powerpoint file at http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/ses-sa...2007-write-up/

You can buy links within search engine guidelines
AdBrite
Quigo
IndustryBrains
adCenter, YPN
any site that doesn’t pass PageRank in links

Buying paid links that pass PageRank violates our quality guidelines
Paid PageRank-Passing (PPP) links

Which seems to go directly against what is said on the Google Webmaster Guidelines here: http://www.google.com/support/webmas...y?answer=35769

Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites.

Yahoo directory passes PR and is $299 a year for business sites.

[mpilatow]

In reading some of Matt's discussions on that specific issue Yahoo (and other high quality directories) are OK because they are not being paid for the link but the review of the site. Basically, he said that if a directory rejects a fair amount of sites they will be OK but if they accept everyone there could be issues.

[webmaster]

A little extra clarification - if they reject a fair amount of the sites AND if the sites they allow are of high quality, then they are OK - You could arbitrarily reject 50% and let 50% crap in and you would not have an expert directory

[Morristown]

My thinking is that they are getting a little to powerful for any ones good. Wish some of the other guys would get their acts together. Not Yahoo or MSN though, because their directories are irrelevant at best and at worst bought and paid for, in my opinion anyway.

[Jay Griffin]

The session, "Are Paid Links Evil?" at SES was probably the most "interesting" of the sessions. It was pretty much Matt Cutts on one side of the issue and Michael Gray, Todd Malicoat, Todd Friesen, and Greg Boser on the other side. None of them were easy on Matt.

[erogers]

That is the fundamental issue with filtering for paid links. There is no black and white. Eventually G will end up penalizing sites wrongly because of this. When G got into the penalization business they took a turn to the dark side.

Mark my words: it is only a matter of time before one or more lawsuits enter the fray over this and what might be construed as a move to stifle the competition of Google's highly profitable Adwords marketing program. How can you sell text links while at the same time find any excuse available to penalize your competitors who do the same? Microsoft got sued for much less and lost (or settled or whatever).

[avonreal]

Anyone else check out the powerpoint presentation that Matt did at SES?
From the powerpoint file at http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/ses-sa...2007-write-up/

Which seems to go directly against what is said on the Google Webmaster Guidelines here: http://www.google.com/support/webmas...y?answer=35769

Yahoo directory passes PR and is $299 a year for business sites.

doesn't exactly go against it; Open directory is free and yahoo offers a free submit for non business websites.

[kyle422]

doesn't exactly go against it; Open directory is free and yahoo offers a free submit for non business websites.

In Google Webmaster Guidelines "Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites."
Industry specific sites? How many industry specific sites on the web are there that are non business sites?

[Jason Painter]

My thinking is that they are getting a little to powerful for any ones good. Wish some of the other guys would get their acts together. Not Yahoo or MSN though, because their directories are irrelevant at best and at worst bought and paid for, in my opinion anyway.

Be careful or you may get struck with a Google lightning bolt! Don't take the Google name in vain like that!

[MikeDammann]

In Google Webmaster Guidelines "Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites."
Industry specific sites? How many industry specific sites on the web are there that are non business sites?

Google is right now at a stage where they want to select who can benefit rankings and who can't. I have been to the conventions and whoever hangs out with the employees (yes, Matt is only an employee who doesn't make decisions impacting the mainframe of Google) from Google will benefit. Best thing to do is watch for the sites which have Google's blessings and submit to those only.