Radio 5 Live

[lloyd]

Did anyone else hear the report on 5 Live last night about Google and the big corporate travel companies, setting up a cartel on travel brand keywords i.e the top rankings will automatically go to the corporate companies.

Was this just a case of bad journalism on the part of 5 Live or have the big corporate travel companies got into bed with Google.

Personally I think it was an issue about the new Adwords policy but if it wasn't then this is a worrying development in organic listings on Google.

[highman]

Do you know what show? - think you can re-listen via the website

[lloyd]

Yeah it was on the drive home last night. Just before 1900.

[TravelSite]

There is a report on the BBC website ( [news.bbc.co.uk...] ) about the top three travel operators stopping travel agencies / affiliates bidding on their brand names - perhaps the report was about that.

If so its nothing new - Google has stopped people bidding on trade marks many times before.

[rj87uk]

yes,

I saw that on travel weekly this morning.

I personaly think its terrible! it cant work...

we will see

[highman]

TravelSite - you are correct

[donovanh]

I would think the report is talking about Adwords, as opposed to Google selling top spots on natural SERPs. Google has taken steps to stop multiple affiliates promoting the same company on the same page, and this would fit in with that approach. Essentially it's just the same as bidding through the Adwords system to appear on certain searches.

Edit: On second reading, the article is quite ambiguous; however I'd be surprised if they are actually talking about selling natural result spots.