Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
Just some of Time Warner many areas of business
Magazine publishing
Movie studios
Films
music companies
Music
CNN
TV Companies
Radio
ETC ETC
So looking just quickly you realise the following Time Warner areas with G SEO help could dominate so many areas
Film
News
Celebs
Sport
hobbies ( magazine etc.
Finance
TV
Cable
Internet Access
and the list goes on
Thinking about it if G sends increased traffic to Time Warner Properties through being much higher in the natural serps and adsense is shown they both gain financially
I think if the following does happen G could no longer use the quote " Do No Evil " and if the mainstream press does pick up on this which they may well do as they will be as effected as many webmasters here you could see the largest turn round by searchers since Google first entered the Search Engine Arena a few years ago , and it could very well be one of the biggest mistakes made by a large corporation in many years . It is also possible Governments may start looking re: Monopolies Commision
I would see no problem with G providing a link to time warner properties as part of the deal but not at the expence of G's integrity through manipulation of serps ( and I believe if the same company who produces the algo for unbiased results ) then helps with SEO I can not find any other description than "manipulation for profit "
Will be interested to hear others views
steve
The nytimes is reporting that links to related content on AOL will be provided on Google search and (first time for Google) a graphic, the AOL logo. The ad will be placed on the lower right hand corner of the serp. And yes, there is a lot of categories of content on AOL.
I think Google gave too much in this deal and I believe it will hurt sites and Google's reputation with webmasters.
They also reported that m$ declined to give favored results to AOL citing ethical concerns.
Bizarro world! :)
AOL Travel is your one-stop full service travel resource. You'll find deals on airfares, hotels, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, and last-minute weekend getaways to your top domestic and international destinations. Research your vacation using destination guides, articles, user reviews and other great trip-planning tools.
I suspect that we might see something similar to the way Yahoo Travel dominates their results. Let's face it AOL can provide as good a deal on travel arrangements as anyone on the web. AOLs not even on Google's radar right now in the travel space. This is just one example of how twisted this might become.
steve
IF Google do give AOL technical help with SEO then we'll all know which sites to be analysing. It's been said that the boost in organic listings may come from such assistance, to me that would be letting the cat out of the bag.
Also, IF Google do go down this route, what happens when they change their algo? To keep AOL sweet they would need to make slight changes over time as even AOL could become a victim of a severe change in algo. If there are severe changes and AOL is never effected then we have a situation that points to underhand assistance, it's going to be interesting.
AOL Coaxes Google to Try Busier Ads [nytimes.com]
It also mentions that this is not an exclusive agreement - i.e. others may negotiate a similar deal (although it does not say that this is G's intention).
I wonder if GoogleGuy is around and able to comment? At first glance, this seems to change the rules of the game.
Graphical advertisements, like the common rectangular ads known as banners, have been a feature of most commercial Internet sites for a decade. Google made a name for itself, in part, because it went without graphical ads in favor of small text advertisements linked to the topics for which users search. Google's simple pages, quick to load and easy to read, helped the site build a following, and text advertisements proved valuable to marketers looking for people interested in their products.
One format being discussed is a box, which may include a photograph and a logo, that would appear on the main search results pages toward the bottom of the advertisements in the right-hand column.
Can’t say I am enthusiastic about seeing banner ads in the results, but don’t see what major harm this will do.
Google also agreed to provide technical assistance to AOL to help explain how to make its pages easier for Google - and other search engines - to find and include in its index of the Web. Google has provided similar information for other large Web sites, according to Kevin Lee, executive chairman of Did-it, a search marketing firm. In general, Google will offer an engineer who recites publicly available technical information on how Google's search engine evaluates Web sites.
Lynn Fox, a Google spokeswoman, said that no deals Google was contemplating would allow its search results to favor a particular company.
Appears the results will be the results, every man’s got an equal shot.
At the end of the day I’ll admit I don’t like this development, but I don’t think it’s a radical departure from the rules of the game. But I guess time will tell. (you do get the feeling theres some serious money lying on the table when it comes to search)
Something in my gut tells me you're right - if they were to corrupt their SERPs, it'd be a total breach of what I think Google's about.
Why would Google want to tarnish its brand? AOL is lame. Google is cool.
They are completely violating their own standards. Call it whatever you want this is manipulation of the SERPS. Not cool.
Google's #1 advantage over everyone else is that people who use Google love Google. They are very passionate. And one of the big reasons for that is we believe we can trust Google. I have no trust for Yahoo! or Microsoft. I'm not saying I think they are bad companies, there is just a subtle yet powerful difference in perception. You guys know what I mean.
Google needs this partnership to maintain their revenue and fight off MSN, but they must not sell their soul to get it.
