Text links that say "rival portal" but link to our portal - allowed or not allowed

[Paul_2000]

Hi,

Please can someone tell me if google is ok with this.

We have about 500 members and each member has an indexed website.

We are launching are own portal.

Up until now members have used a rival portal that has been over charging members. However the rival portal is well known.

Is it ok with google if we have a text link on our member’s home pages that say 'rival portal' but link to our new portal?

The idea being our new portal will show in results when the rival portal is searched for.

Please help

Paul

[artistnos]

To suddenly introduce 500 new links to your portal might well trigger a google penalty against the portal. In my experience I have learned never to turn the ships wheel too suddenly, a slow roll out mightbe a better option.

All the best

Col :-)

[Paul_2000]

Thanks artistnos

Would about 20 a month be about right?

[tedster]

The idea being our new portal will show in results when the rival portal is searched for.

I think the big name rival might not tolerate that. In any shooting match between you, Google just might be on their side, since this action might well be seen as a kind of trademark abuse.

[hutcheson]

Don't forget the legal potentialities. Your domain registrar might be ordered to turn over your domain name. If you're in the United States, the federal marshals just might show up at your ISP and start confiscating servers.

This is definitely NOT a "get some advice in an online forum" situation. This is a "consult your lawyer, and when you tell him exactly what you're thinking about doing, make very sure he's sitting down with hands free, and breathing passages unobstructed" situation.

[hutcheson]

You might want to think about what kind of masonry your clients are going to excrete (and which way the fan will blow the shards) when the established directory starts sending out DMCA takedown notices to everyone who links to you under their trademark.

[Paul_2000]

I'll take that as full steam ahead then!

[Marcia]

>>I'll take that as full steam ahead then!

Paul, I assume you're joking by saying that.

It's misleading to visitors, it's fraudulent, it's playing dirty pool. And you'll get yourself kicked around the block.

[artistnos]

If Google don't sniff out the game play ... your competitors will be writing to them with complaints. Having said that I've got away with similar in the past, but I've always used unprofitable (nothing to lose) sites to try and boost. Also, I always make my changes individual (i.e. non-search/replace all the same) and have stuck to 15-20 page changes per site per 2 month period to limit time spent ... should I get hammered for my games ;-)

All the Best

Col :-)

[Paul_2000]

Hi,

Yes, I was only joking and I do take the advise on-board.

There are lots of generic keywords we can use anyway, so it is no big deal if I can't target their TM. However as their TM is made of up of two english words stuck together can I put a space in the middle?

I remember in adwords they now alow the targeting of TM's. So its seems a little odd to me. I do also recall the BMW MERC beef and would like to avoid such an issue.

Best wishes to all

Paul