• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
SEO

Google Exec On Board Of Company That Might Pollute Google Results

Bottom Slurping for Google Juice from Kate Kaye ClickZ is a fairly jaw-dropping story of Associated Content, a site cofounded by Google vice president of advertising sales Tim Armstrong, that might very well be generating the type of AdSense-powered crud that pollutes Google and other search engines as I just mentioned earlier today. Armstrong is also a board member of the […]

Danny Sullivan on April 6, 2007 at 2:24 pm
  • More

Bottom Slurping for Google Juice from Kate Kaye ClickZ is a fairly jaw-dropping story of Associated Content, a site cofounded by Google vice president of advertising sales Tim Armstrong, that might very well be generating the type of AdSense-powered crud that pollutes
Google and other search engines as I just mentioned earlier today. Armstrong is also a board member of the company. [Postscript: Also on the board is Yahoo board member Eric Hippeau]

Kate highlights how the site employs freelance writers to create content that is used by other sites. Nothing wrong with writing! Well, she then points to some less than stellar examples of the content in action, content where the main purpose seems to be having fodder for AdSense ads rather than actually helping readers. [Postscript: This content, she’s updated, did NOT come from Associated].

I’ve spent a little time at the Associated Content site itself now, for subjects I know, such as SEO. Here’s one page that stands out. The content is OK. But virtually every use of the word “SEO” is a hyperlink to a page internally at the site about SEO, here. Suffice to say, one hyperlink was enough. Fourteen repetitive links isn’t explicitly against Google’s quality guidelines, but they’re clearly designed in hopes of just manipulating Google’s rankings, rather than help human readers.

When you get to that SEO page, I was intrigued to discover a sponsored links box on the right-hand side. You can see one on the home page and elsewhere throughout the site.

The sponsored links are not flagged as nofollow, as Google recommends, nor do they appear to be delivered through JavaScript or have any type of redirection that I can see to prevent them being purchased for ranking purposes. They appear to be sold by Associated Content directly.

Postscript: I’ve talked with Tim Armstrong now, who stresses the long-term vision of the company is designed to be an content exchange system, where people are buying content for use elsewhere, rather than the site itself being a destination. He also said that the company will look into the sponsored links issue.



About The Author

Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land, Marketing Land, MarTech Today and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Related Topics

Channel: SEOGoogle: EmployeesSEO: Spamming

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

April 13, 2021: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • The 7 Phases of a Website Redesign
  • Rearchitecting Revenue: Accelerating Demand Through Data
  • Save Your Marketing by Fixing Bad Data, First
  • Precision Demand Generation: Create Meaningful Connections With Your Buyer
  • The Media-First Approach Why visual media must be a primary consideration for e-commerce businesses
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • The AI Revolution Is Coming to Every Stage of Your Buyer’s Journey
  • The Fundamentals of Link Building for E-Commerce & Affiliate Sites in 2021
  • Your Customer is Calling: Make the Most of Your Marketing Spend with Call Tracking
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok