Will this trick fool Google with faked toolbar data?

[MrFewkes]

Does anyone know of a tool which can run via proxies (or hide the IP) of the PC its running on, which loads a webpage (say the root of a domain) and then surfs the site a while like a user may.

This tool would use a browser inside it (say an activex control) and would download and install a new google toolbar with each load (to kid google that the site was loading on a different machine).

I suspect the toolbar would report back to google that the site was being visited by users who didnt follow links, therefore the site was "popular" due to word of mouth or other offline publishings.

I think this would boost a sites rankings.

Thoughts anyone?

[aristotle]

It sounds like you are looking for something that would help you cheat your way to higher rankings than your site deserves.

[tedster]

I'll bet that Google keeps a solid record of each toolbar download and would quickly see that this kind of data does not represent real web users. The robot traffic would need to keep surfing the web for a long, long time to look real, and that extended surfing pattern would need to line up with Google's metrics for what user behavior is like - within standard deviation.

Not only that - Google is bound to have a solid list of IP addresses that are used by proxies.

[MrFewkes]

@Aristotle - well yes this is actually true for a few sites I could think of having a dabble with this on. I suspect a great % of people try to cheat - my competitors certainly do.

@tedster - you are probably right - could work on a small scale though - especially if run on different PCs already loaded with a toolbar.
That would need a large group of webmasters though who support each other.

[Fuzzyfish1000]

Just because your competition may be cheating doesn't mean it'll be better in the long run to copy them. In my experience, concentrating on good content, layout and structure will pay off much better. It's frustrating when people like you try to cheat the system; it's the mentality that you deserve to get rich quick, without the hard work successful people put in. The world rarely works that way...

[MrFewkes]

@Fuzzyfish.
I would say that 10 years of hard work being shafted by "cheaters" so to speak is long enough wouldnt you?

Or would you rather have my sites die and let the existing "cheaters" win.

That is the situation - not lack of hard work - I can assure you that.

It would be better to direct your thoughts at the spammers who are dominating the serps for the same phrase over and over again in this instance, not the likes of me who are merely considering the options at this stage.

I dont have a get rich quick mentality - I had just hoped that a year on this site (working it) would have reaped around 300 pounds profit a month (about 500$) - thats pre tax. But it just keeps getting slammed by forum member profile spammers.

Its frustrating.

[jimbeetle]

But it just keeps getting slammed by forum member profile spammers.

I seriously doubt that. Though you might see a bunch of forum sigs as backlinks, the likelihood that they're counted in link pop went out the door years ago.

[Fuzzyfish1000]

One thing I've always found odd on here is the number of people building 'content', in an effort to attract Google. I know there can be good money in that, if you work hard at it, and produce enough articles, etc. - but I've still always found it a bit odd. Surely, the better approach is to ignore (almost) Google, and focus on what your user base might want. It makes logical sense, because then you're looking to build the same sort of website that Google wants to promote; you work *with* Google's mentality, rather than against it. You'll also then attract 'higher quality' users - ie, ones that are genuinely interested in your sector. They may even come back (add sticky content). Then, if you're running AdSense - you have a much better chance of them clicking (relevant topic, interested party), and going on to purchase/browse, thus preventing you getting quality scored out.

I get so annoyed when I search for something and find a spammy directory site, or a site pretending to have content. I never click a link on the way out - I just close the tab. If more people followed the 'content built for users' mentality, they'd be pleasantly surprised with the results I think, and the internet would be less full of rubbish...

Just my pennies worth :-)

Mr Fewkes - have you considered dynamic content? Link bait? Tools? User generated content? Have you investigated your sector to see what the ads pay, and average CTRs? Difficult to make a recommendation without knowing the sector, but £300 / month is achievable, if you have the right site...