Is Google a Hypocrite?
Google, not to long ago announced something that people thought was drastic. But, obviously Google thought it was needed. What they did was lower the page rank of most link directories. They said that the reason they did this was because that people were simply using directories to inflate their own page rank. The directories on the web were now categorized as a link farms. People now think that Google hate directories. But, don’t they own their own directory? (DMOZ/OPD) For this simple reason people are starting to question Google for being hypocritical.
They might be, or they might have another idea in mind. Lets think this through.
What are directories used for?
They are used by people on the web that try and find a resource or a website that will help them with a problem. You could use a search engine to find the answer to your problem. But, there might be a great website that has yet to rank well in Google’s search engine. That website might be able to help you out more then most of the websites ranked for the phrase or question you are looking for. But, that site could be found in some directory and when you find it, help you out significantly.
I know that when I was researching a certain topic I used directories to find some good website that I could use as resources.
So, if I acknowledge that directories still have a significance on the web, so should Google. But why haven’t they? Well it could be that they do, and they might be trying to do something else.
What I think is that they do know that directories still have a significance. But, they are just trying to do something else. Maybe they think that they are just way to much directories around. Possibly this new update to page rank has just been a way to try to keep the population of “the pest” known as link directories, down.
They think that there are just too many directories, and that people don’t need them all. They think that because they are lowering page rank they are intimidating people to not make a new link directory. Because, if people do make a new link directory they will not have a good chance of becoming one of the “quality link directories” out there. Also it will make people that are already struggling to increase their directories page rank want to cut their losses and get out while they can. That way after a while the only things that will be left are the quality link directories, like DMOZ, Yahoo Directory, or LII.org .
Also, the second update that they made along side the lowering page rank of directories update is also designed to lower the esteem of directory owners. This update is that if you sell links Google will decrease your page rank. Selling links is how directories get their money. In order to charge more for their links they should have a high page rank. A high page rank is something that they know is now almost unobtainable. So, they will not make any money from the directory. Not making money from your directory is a good reason to shut the directory down, because if you don’t you will be just wasting your time and money.
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This is all a theory but I feel that it is well thought out and almost flawless.
So, now do you think that Google is a hypocrite? You decide. Also, I would like to know your thoughts. Do you agree with what has been said? Do you know something that I missed? Just post it here in the comments
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Its sure they are looking for directories, to penalize them (or serps or pr). My website has no linksubmit option, but is based on a directory script. My frontpage is PR4, inner pages are al PR n/a of PR 0.
All my content is unique.
But i dont care, PR is stupid. Why doesn’t google disable PR for seeing? Only webmaster are (mis)using it, normal people don’t look at it.
So yes, Google is a Hypocrite
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Well Google does say to go and submit to directories right in their guidelines.
I think JoeAnt also just got hit which was a surprise cause it’s a pretty old and high quality directory.
But then again, there’s Live search, which recently just started their version of analytics to rival Google and I guess has pretty much decided that they are going to keep at it until they get a big chunk of the search share.
And Google could fear that, cause any algorithm can be found, broken or simulated using a different instruction set, and Google is quite aware of this fact.
And Microsoft does have the financial resources to enter new markets. If you go to the liesdamnedlies site, it seems that they are working hard and trying to re-assure and gain user trust which could be a step towards success.
The reason Google doesn’t want to take away the pagerank from it’s toolbar, is because it’s an incentive for people to install the toolbar on it’s browser, and with the toolbar sends a wealth of information back to Google, just like Google Analytics.
With the Google toolbar installed, it monitors every site which you visit, every page which you see, every link which you click and how long and how frequently you visit a site or web page making a virtual profile and using that data to improve their search engine.
This buzz on Pagerank is starting to rise and I guess and it’s possible that the justice department or other lawmakers start noticing this and move in with regulatory measures.
March 3rd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Your big brother theory is just that. There’s no conspiracy going on by Google, it is simply a concerted and in my opinion fully justified excercise by Google to rightly play down the fake importance many gave to thier directories by fake overinflated PR.
Someone just posted ‘Flawless’, yes Google’s approach IS flawless, your theory, it has more holes in it than a culender.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Google is also fighting hard to keep Microsoft from gaining track.
One of the patents awarded to Google tells the public that they use and factor in data and viewer browsing history to rank websites.
If your website is bookmarked more then your competition’s, it’s possible that you could appear before your competition on Google’s Search engine.
How does the little directories come into play in all this?
Well Microsoft along with their techniques uses directories quite heavily to rank websites.
You can find verification of this if you sign in to your live webmaster tools and see which of your links are your strongest inbound links.
In my case, quite a few of them are from the small web directories out there.
A lot of websites in the beginning don’t really have a huge directory budget so they go for the lower priced ones in the beginning.
By keeping or making it harder for the little directories to survive, Google could also be fighting with and reducing fuel for Microsoft’s Live search which uses directory listings to power their search engine.
I mean people have to think at many different angles to try to conclude the real motive or cause and effect process of an event.
But in the midst of all of this, Google managed to greatly devalue their pagerank thing altogether.