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If Google chose the volunteers carefully and monitored each step, I would think it would improve the quality of Google all around. I know they already have a spam report, but it seems like it would be a good idea to have some sort of method that would have a higher priority.
Any thoughts?
AAnn
Google already does that. The spam report URL gets dropped around here about once a week, and several million people have a toolbar with a vote button on it.
I'm not talking about random people reporting. I'm talking about people who have been trained and whose reports would be more important than "several million people [who] have a toolbar with a vote button on it".
AAnn
Random people don't fill in spam reports. Random people don't know what SE or SE spam is. It is webmasters (and SEO professionals) who use it. So what you are proposing works already.
Also, if google cared enough they could easily track the origin of spam reports and assing 0 weight to those abusing thesystem.
Googles spam is caused by outside influences and always will you have three options as i see it.
A) do nothing and let your site suffer in the SERP's
B) fill in a spam report and let you site suffer in the SERP's
C) Get with the program and out do, copy whatever it takes to promote your site in google and the other SE's.
In the real world I moved up through the ranks of a multi-national from trainee sales to the Bus Development manager/Trouble shooter by using the same tactics as i do in SEO.
If you are the sort of person who sits a back and lets the world go by so be it, if you are the sort of person that goes around wingeing to the senior managers about other managers just so you look better than them well fine.
I believe you need to bend the rules to get to the top sometimes and to get to the top it's your's and no one else responsibility.
Let google worry about the spam you worry about your sites.
DaveN
DaveN"
I second that. all month long I have to here the "snitching" and "cring" going on about how so many people are getting over on google or how your site got a PR0 and you have been waiting 6 months to a year to get back in google's grace. NEWS FLASH the internet is changing everyday and for you to hope that things will stay the same is just crazy.
buttom line, if you call yourself a "SEO" then do what you need to do with "ALL" the search engines and directerier's to keep your listing on top of the search terms you want <snip>
teeceo/SEO.
C) Get with the program and out do, copy whatever it takes to promote your site in google and the other SE's.
I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. I'm not going to do something that's blatantly banned, completely harmful to search engines and just offensive in general. When 19 of the top 20 searches in just one of my categories are complete nonsense, I'm unwilling to "copy whatever it takes" to be the same. That's like saying that there's a really successful bank robber and if I want to earn money like that, I need to do the same thing.
As for someone saying my suggestion would be like DMOZ. Yeah, I guess if DMOZ editors couldn't approve a single site on their own, but only recommended sites. I'm not saying that any volunteers would have any power except to submit reports.
I guess I'll just sit around and wait for Google to sort out the mess. I cannot change my sites to compete or they would be contentless. If you guys are willing to do that, more power to ya.
AAnn
When 19 of the top 20 searches in just one of my categories are complete nonsense
I just don't see that in google, sorry
cannot change my sites to compete or they would be content-less
google loves content if the other 19 out the 20 had no content they would not be there.
Sticky me the area if you want. but I find that content filled sites will out perform any non-content sites.
How well is your site SEO'd and i don't mean by a pro but the little things like headers, links on page etc etc.
DaveN
google loves content if the other 19 out the 20 had no content they would not be there.Sticky me the area if you want. but I find that content filled sites will out perform any non-content sites.
No, it's true, the sites have zero content. Someone has purchased hundreds, perhaps thousands, of expired high ranking domain names. They've put up non-adult stories with lots and lots of text, added adult keywords into the middle of the stories and then made the sites redirect to an ad. If it was a site or two per category, I wouldn't be bothered. There are literally thousands of results like this. Lots of them are still in DMOZ because of their previous content in non-adult categories, like clothes or toys for instance.
I'm not going to sticky for two reasons -- one, I don't feel comfortable sending non-adult webmasters adult searches; and two, I've become completely paranoid about letting anyone here see my sites. :)
How well is your site SEO'd and i don't mean by a pro but the little things like headers, links on page etc etc.
My sites all have good links, headers, content, etc. I make sure that when someone searches for adult widgets, they find adult widgets.
I also have non-adult sites. I was number one for a great keyword last month (20k in sales last month to $700 so far this month. lol)and this month dropped to the second page. In that case, I agree that most of the sites above mine have more content and deserve to be higher. I only want semi-fair results for all categories. I'm not asking or assuming I should be # 1 for every site I own.
AAnn
I agree with you the area you are in is most probably one of the hardest,
FYI I have one client selling adult products pvc, latex and toys and we advised his best way to market his products and helped out a little with the SEO side ( mainly creating a fully indexable site ) with some targeted doorways.
but his site is product rich not content rich.
Daven
It is human nature to shaft thy neighbour. I think the only people who should regulate google's content is their employees who do not want to kill off the competition.
It is human nature to shaft thy neighbour. I think the only people who should regulate google's content is their employees who do not want to kill off the competition.
Okay, I can see that it wasn't a popular idea, but my suggestion was to *help* Google's employees, not do their job. My idea was that reports were sent to Google by qualified people, but that *Google* had to make the final decision. It wouldn't be any different than the reports you can send in now, just a higher priority for them.
I don't have a problem with competition, when it's actual competition. If things continue as they are, eventually no one will use Google at all for adult searches because they won't find any content. Really, I suppose that would be much better for me because my sites rank highly in all the non-Google search engines. Hmmm, maybe I should keep my big mouth shut and start advertising other engines.
AAnn
It doesnt have to be ODP style, where categories have gone downhill due to the editors - Google could still maintain the same level of service they are offering today - it would just be harder for spammers to get away with dirty tricks. It would just been interested professionals reporting spam - the bane of all our existence - its up to Google whether or not it is acted upon.
So what if Im the one checking up on my competitors? You can be damn sure ill do the job down to the last letter! :)
Its not like the volunteers would be hand picking sites for Google index or influencing SERP´s - if you were breaking Googles TOS and got caught you´re outta there, simple as that.
This way it would be web professionals taking an active interest in weeding the scum out of the web.
As for the "if you cant beat them, join them" mentality - dont do it. The one thing that your competition cant take away from you is your professional integrity - its what stands you out from the scummy spamming websites that are just out for a quick buck.
If you join them then your credibility goes - would you hire a SEO whos sites were grossly interlinked? Would you have your site designed by someone who has spammy keywords all over the site? NO!
These people dont care about their subject area or their visitors - just want to make some money.
Your unique selling point is that you can offer a site and content that is primarily designed for users and not search engines - you have credibility!
Just my rant!
JOAT :)
The truth is that the amount of spam complaints they get now are more than enough to point out all of their algorithmic weaknesses. Relying on individual reporting and hand-applied penalties is just not a strategy that will work long term.
They need to program their way out of their current spam problems, not recruit a larger army of spam police.
