Being able to identify sites that do take part in advertising ventures is a clear goal Google is moving towards, one that we all know may have significant effects within the SEO community. To my anger, I think some (no names…) of the negative comments on Matt Cutts’ post about reporting paid links were from protectionists and did not benefit any dialog between the SEO community and search engines.
Publisher advertising is a driving opportunity for site owners to capitalise on their sites through inclusion with Text Link Ads, Adsense, link affiliate programs, or sponsored editorials. From growing up as an active Internet user I’ve become accustomed to an “assisted” experience from search engine result page through to my final destination.
Here’s my take on Google’s recent move to gather paid link research.
Q. Does providing rotating links to your visitors benefit their experience, and are those links relevant?
A. If not, you really need to consider a way to implement your ads so they do! Your ads need to be provided in such a fashion that search engine spiders as well as humans can understand and see clear benefits; this will please your visitors, satisfy spiders, and help you remain under the radar of future search engine penalties.
I believe this is a practice we are currently not following and one that will become a driving force in complying with future ‘relevancy’ guidelines.
About the author: Michael Visser is a teen web monkey preaching Internet standards, site development and search engine marketing on his site at michaelvisser.com.au, who also loves SEOmoz.org and desperately wants a free Premium account! 🙂
