I do like a bit of conspiracy theories every now and then. Was doing a search in Google today for something related to .edu domains – and my attention got drawn to a bunch of Google ads that came up with the results opf my search. All those ads read along the lines of “get real .edu links to boost your site’s rankings” and such. That got me thinking: sure it’s not the first time Google is caught talking negatively of things and still displaying ads for them, but could this be part of their plan in this case? I mean, there are several things they can potentially be doing with these ads (besides ripping thie immediate financial benefits):
1. Obviously this is an easy way to locate link selling networks – and if I was running one I definitely wouldn’t have been advertising it in AdWords, no matter how much I want immadiate traffic an sales.
2. OK this one is a bit too far fetched – but what if…. We all know how much info Google is already collecting on its users – imagine that a person clicking an ad is signed into their Google account… First Google tracks if a click resulted in a conversion (i.e. signup) on the link selling site. Then, Google checks the user’s history to see what domain(s) interest him most, thus assuming some of them at least may belong to him. Next, check within some period of time (say a month) if any of these domains acquired any new links since the conversion on the link selling site. All of this happens in bulk of course. Next, add two and two – and you got a complete picture of the network where the link dealer is selling links. No need for footprints even. AdWords as a honeypot.
I am paranoid and it’s a fact but it doesn’t mean they’re not after you.
Conclusions:
– I know – and always did – to make sure I am not logged into any Google acct when searchign for anything important
– I know if I was buying links for my sites it’s best not to buy from networks advertised in AdWords – or at least avoid clicking the links to them directly from the ads
– I know what I would be doing if I was running a link selling network
– I know it’s best not to post it here or elsewhere publicly in case Google folks are still reading my blog
– I will now know if Matt Cutts is still reading my blog hehehe – hey Matt 😉
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