What if Google were to go Pay-for-Inclusion

[Marcia]

Putting a few things together over several months - just speculation, of course - I'm beginning to wonder if PFI could be happening some time in the future.

Months ago, maybe even a year ago, there was something accidentally noticed that was just "testing." There was one listing at around #8 with a plain text notation next to it, something like AV's recent refreshing note, that indicated that it was *not* a free regular listing. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but planted a seed of suspicion that's always kind of been nagging away ever since.

Then, there's the "Fresh" updating, with results shifting, so it appears there's some fluctuation possible in between the Page Rank updates. Plus new sites being included. True, they may disappear, but what if they don't? I'd always assumed that there couldn't be PFI because of the interval between PR recalculations; but that doesn't now appear to be totally so.

Now the latest seems to be showing the meta description for some sites instead of the regular snippets, in some cases part of the description and part of the page contents. This was first noticed this past June, but is more prominently noticeable since this last update.

[webmasterworld.com...]

It occurs to me that once the "Fresh" update process is perfected, it could be withdrawn just as easily as it began, going back to monthly spidering for all with update several weeks later, giving a turnaround time of sometimes close to two months for sites.

If that happened, then having had a taste of Fresh updates, some would possibly be willing to pay to have frequent spidering and almost instantaneous updated results or inclusion.

This is just speculating, but I'm wondering, having gotten used to Google being free, what the decision would be if it went back to the old cycle and there were a 24 or 48 paid option. I'm wondering how people would go for it, what the reaction and impact would be.

[chiyo]

While there are other search engines that are "free", and providing relevant results with substantial databases i dont think google will do this. Im pretty sure that testing "mistake" was to do with how their results would be presented in partners. And im pretty convinced that Google's revenue model is mainly about franchising out their databases and getting adowrds revenue from partners (one model being myway)

There is one reason people go to Google and that is their useful search for information. They can sell everthing off the side and top, and make new features like catalogues, google shopping!, news (GG already has suggested they are thingking of making this subscription based), but to me the main index is their main strategic USP. Its what continues to make them different from others.

If it was pay for freshness, it would be a similar move to inktomi's PFI introduced several years back. I think the subsequent problems suggest that this may not be a good move.

I wouldnt pay for freshness, and i would be less liable to search in google as i know the index is commercially influenced. While there are alternatives I might try Fast/Teoma/Wisenut as the gap in good results would narrow significantly.

[martinibuster]

I can see a "Pay for Freshness". Inktomi doesn't have a PFF, it's pay for inclusion, with the downside being that any currently indexed pages get wiped out if you opt to pay them.

That's not "Pay for Freshness" but PFI. As long as you can PFF and not have the rest of your pages wiped out, then this could be a viable thing. Would Google do it? (shrugs) I don't think so. It's like Bob Dylan going electric.

[vitaplease]

[webmasterworld.com...]

Marcia,

I think there is/will be so much potential money to be made with adwords alone.

The PFI-model just does not rhyme with their past behavior.

The extra tab, discussed in an earlier thread I cannot find anymore, with shopping for Amazon, CD-NOW etc would be something I see more in.

[chiyo]

martinibuster.. i would have to disagree. inktomi's PFI is in effect pay for freshness, as long as you are/were already indexed in Inktomi, which was the usual case, and if not, you would be eventually. They guaranteed that your page would be indexed every 2 days - that was the come-on. They also stated that it would have no effect on your actual position. Basically its more similar to Googles freshbot than looksmart's and yahoos PFI/PFR.

[born2drv]

I would DEFINATELY use it, but not as a PFI, more like a...

PTKMAIGAHATSNTCIIGBOD = Pay To Keep My A*s In Google And Have A Tech Support Number To Call If It Gets Booted Or Dropped

:)

[kstprod]

born2drv...

lmao, my thoughts exactly....well put ;)

Karen

[jackofalltrades]

I think Google PFI would be a bad idea.

The big G bleats on all the time about offering the most relevant results - if they were to go PFI then home or hobby sites are less likely to be included as quickly, as the websmaster isnt prepared to pay.

IMHO most hobby sites contain the best content on the subject area as the author has an interest in it, and isn't just churning together a website for a job. They also tend to contain decent specialist / niche info.

Google going PFI would exclude alot of the small guys and give the big corps even more weight than they already have. And we all know that the bigger the site does not necessarily mean the better it is.

Just my 2c! :)

JOAT

[djgreg]

what jackofalltrades said.
Commercial influence on the SERPS directly is not the right way. Big ones get bigger and small ones get smaller. Besides I think they make enough money with the Adwords Campaigns.

[mayor]

>>big G bleats on all the time about offering the most relevant results

Once you dominate the market you can do just about whatever you want and get away with it, at least for a while. Relevancy may not be as important as revenues, especially when Google goes public. When it's time for the current investors to cash out, don't be surprised at anything Google does to run up short term revenues and skyrocket IPO prices.

Greed can easily outweigh relevancy.