Big Fish Caught Spamming

**John Baron** · 02-14-2011, 01:03 PM

Good Read :

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/bu.../13search.html

mosilager · 02-14-2011, 02:01 PM

wow, that's a very interesting story, just goes to show you that Google are adamant that spammy back-links will get you in trouble!.

pit · 02-14-2011, 02:41 PM

I thought it was interesting also. What surprised me was the popularity of the story in the Business Day section. #1 spot for most emailed. #2 spot for most viewed. Looks like the word is getting out.

Smiler · 02-14-2011, 04:16 PM

Interesting read. At least now we know that Google does not play any favoritism for deep pocketed retail stores like Penny.

**NPQueen** · 02-14-2011, 04:39 PM

Thank you for sharing that very interesting article. It's a shame people can't just earn money honestly, that they have to try and cheat their way to it

~Rachel

HostMantis · 02-14-2011, 05:05 PM

“J. C. Penney did not authorize, and we were not involved with or aware of, the posting of the links that you sent to us, as it is against our natural search policies,” Ms. Brossart wrote in an e-mail. She added, “We are working to have the links taken down.”

I don't buy that at all. So a bunch of webmasters just decided to add keyword specific text links to their websites, linking to JC Penny out of the kindness of their heart?

**NPQueen** · 02-14-2011, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by HostMantis

“J. C. Penney did not authorize, and we were not involved with or aware of, the posting of the links that you sent to us, as it is against our natural search policies,” Ms. Brossart wrote in an e-mail. She added, “We are working to have the links taken down.”

I don't buy that at all. So a bunch of webmasters just decided to add keyword specific text links to their websites, linking to JC Penny out of the kindness of their heart?

I think that it was more referring to they didn't know that the SEO company they were using was getting them the rankings via that route.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/search-engines/702297-big-fish-caught-spamming.html

~Rachel

HostMantis · 02-14-2011, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by NPQueen

I think that it was more referring to they didn't know that the SEO company they were using was getting them the rankings via that route.

~Rachel

They could have said the SEO company they were using, SearchDex, used methods they don't approve of and will no longer be using them or something to that affect. But to just play dumb about it and fire SearchDex without comment, makes it look like they may have known more than they are letting on.

pit · 02-15-2011, 10:35 AM

JcPenney's response: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380306,00.asp

wishbone · 02-15-2011, 10:26 PM

I think it is more on manipulation thing that Google didn't filtered before, it is not easy to believe that JC Penny didn't authorized such move yet they sure felt the great traffic being ranked on top for those highly competitive searches. Another proof that Google algorithm is still not as perfect as what internet should be, some deserving sites are being down...

john edword · 02-16-2011, 12:16 AM

This is quite interesting.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful and informative article.

johnarthton1 · 02-16-2011, 09:39 PM

I think that manipulation is more to the point that Google was not the first filter, it is easy to believe that JC Penney did not authorize such a measure was still feeling great traffic they sure most of those at the top competitive search space being. Another proof that the Internet should be the Google algorithm still is not as accurate, some worthy sites going down.

Joe Abraham · 02-20-2011, 10:06 PM

Interesting story. These "Dirty Little Secrets" are really something that we need to think of. It's really insightful.

defaultuser · 02-20-2011, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by NPQueen

Thank you for sharing that very interesting article. It's a shame people can't just earn money honestly, that they have to try and cheat their way to it

~Rachel

What is that flashy ad that I block on the top of Namepros again?
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=702297

200 free links?
Buy PR5 links?

Something like that. At least that's part of an honest days work. Isn't it?

thebutler · 02-26-2011, 04:43 PM

The company that built the backlinks still reference JCpenny on its website. I actually thing some people might hire them based on the article.

synapsis · 02-28-2011, 11:17 PM

I wouldn't be one bit surprised if everyone who ranks for any competitive kw is doing this. Gotta figure, lots of these businesses didn't just build from the ground up on clean money either - so why would they stop there. Either they take the risk, or watch another company who does take the risk and rip through them.

maniako · 03-05-2011, 06:25 AM

very interesting article... black hat in action...

DubDubDubDot · 03-05-2011, 09:11 PM

It's amusing that JC Penny is playing dumb. Legitimate SEO services charge a fortune. I knew a guy a long time ago that was getting $3,000 per keyword per month to keep the keyword in a certain spot in the rankings. So JC Penny was paying out a pretty penny for this project, and they had to of known exactly what that was getting them.

On a side note, this illustrates the difference between the true SEO services and the hack SEOs posting all over the forums. One type delivers #1 rankings for impossible keywords and the other is nothing but empty hype for $47.

**enlytend** · 03-06-2011, 05:12 AM

Quote:

So JC Penny was paying out a pretty penny for this project, and they had to of known exactly what that was getting them.

I'm sure they were paying a small fortune! Might have been a case of "do your job and get results, we don't need to know the details." (And non-technical management is usually happiest just seeing reports of the results, even if what you're doing is strictly white-hat.) BUT, I understand this wasn't the first time Google caught them doing something "questionable."

Quote:

On a side note, this illustrates the difference between the true SEO services and the hack SEOs posting all over the forums. One type delivers #1 rankings for impossible keywords and the other is nothing but empty hype for $47.

defaultuser · 03-06-2011, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot

On a side note, this illustrates the difference between the true SEO services and the hack SEOs posting all over the forums. One type delivers #1 rankings for impossible keywords and the other is nothing but empty hype for $47.

Can you clarify which is which?
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=702297

It seems to me that hack SEOs get #1 rankings but the other doesn't cost $47....

GeorgeS · 03-29-2011, 07:38 PM

Very interesting.. This had been described by an expert as "the most ambitious attempt to game Google's search results that he has ever seen." Although JCPenney denied any involvement, it fired its search engine consulting firm, SearchDex.

WebIntellects - Rob · 03-30-2011, 05:31 AM

Quote:

The company draws a pretty thick line between techniques it considers deceptive and “white hat” approaches, which are offered by hundreds of consulting firms and are legitimate ways to increase a site’s visibility.

Can say that the article is very cognitive and informative.. I picked much useful information from it.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=702297

Thanks!

02-14-2011, 01:03 PM	THREAD STARTER #1 (permalink)
John Baron SEO Optimizer Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 961	Big Fish Caught Spamming Good Read : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/bu.../13search.html __________________ Stay Updated on The Online Marketing & SEO Top Blogs 24-7 ! I'm Buying Premium Domains - Talk to me if you got any

02-14-2011, 02:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
mosilager Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 1,108	wow, that's a very interesting story, just goes to show you that Google are adamant that spammy back-links will get you in trouble!. __________________ Looking For Offers: akl.net/aej.net How To Kill

02-14-2011, 04:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
Smiler Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,382	Interesting read. At least now we know that Google does not play any favoritism for deep pocketed retail stores like Penny. __________________ iPod Touch Tutorials \| Custom Made Wordpress Website \| 24 .edu Backlinks DoFollow Blog Comment Service

02-14-2011, 04:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
NPQueen Executive Admin Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Sin City ;) Posts: 2,862	Thank you for sharing that very interesting article. It's a shame people can't just earn money honestly, that they have to try and cheat their way to it ~Rachel __________________ (¯`v´¯) `.¸.´ .•´¸.•¨) ¸.•¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸. Never Look down on anybody unless you are helping them up

02-14-2011, 05:05 PM	#6 (permalink)
HostMantis Best Web Hosting Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 691 Follow @HostMantis	“J. C. Penney did not authorize, and we were not involved with or aware of, the posting of the links that you sent to us, as it is against our natural search policies,” Ms. Brossart wrote in an e-mail. She added, “We are working to have the links taken down.” I don't buy that at all. So a bunch of webmasters just decided to add keyword specific text links to their websites, linking to JC Penny out of the kindness of their heart? __________________ ██ HostMantis Affordable Web Hosting ██ Shared • Reseller • 24/7/365 Support • Instant Activation ██ CloudLinux • Softaculous • Fantastico • FFMpeg • PHP 5.3 ██ HostMantis on: Facebook • Twitter

02-14-2011, 02:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
pit NamePros Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Was PIT, now CMH. Posts: 165 Follow @sfcom	I thought it was interesting also. What surprised me was the popularity of the story in the Business Day section. #1 spot for most emailed. #2 spot for most viewed. Looks like the word is getting out.

02-15-2011, 10:35 AM	#9 (permalink)
pit NamePros Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Was PIT, now CMH. Posts: 165 Follow @sfcom	JcPenney's response: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380306,00.asp

02-15-2011, 10:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
wishbone NamePros Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 53	I think it is more on manipulation thing that Google didn't filtered before, it is not easy to believe that JC Penny didn't authorized such move yet they sure felt the great traffic being ranked on top for those highly competitive searches. Another proof that Google algorithm is still not as perfect as what internet should be, some deserving sites are being down... __________________ Quality pet beds & heated dog beds on sale!

02-16-2011, 12:16 AM	#11 (permalink)
john edword New Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 6	This is quite interesting. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful and informative article. __________________ gadgets globes

02-16-2011, 09:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
johnarthton1 Account Suspended Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 1	I think that manipulation is more to the point that Google was not the first filter, it is easy to believe that JC Penney did not authorize such a measure was still feeling great traffic they sure most of those at the top competitive search space being. Another proof that the Internet should be the Google algorithm still is not as accurate, some worthy sites going down.

02-20-2011, 10:06 PM	#13 (permalink)
Joe Abraham New Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 13	Interesting story. These "Dirty Little Secrets" are really something that we need to think of. It's really insightful. __________________ PowerPoint 2010 Tips\|DVD to mp3\|DVD to flv

02-26-2011, 04:43 PM	#15 (permalink)
thebutler Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,229	The company that built the backlinks still reference JCpenny on its website. I actually thing some people might hire them based on the article. __________________ Test Internet Speed - Computer Freezes - Slow Internet SEO in Toronto - Slow computer - Internet speed check DSL speed test help

02-28-2011, 11:17 PM	#16 (permalink)
synapsis NamePros Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 134	I wouldn't be one bit surprised if everyone who ranks for any competitive kw is doing this. Gotta figure, lots of these businesses didn't just build from the ground up on clean money either - so why would they stop there. Either they take the risk, or watch another company who does take the risk and rip through them. __________________ Coat Size \| Coat Conversion Size \| Mens Coat Size \| Jacket Size \| Trench Coat Size Womens Coat Size \| Lab Coat Size \| Dress Size Chart \| Suit Size

03-05-2011, 06:25 AM	#17 (permalink)
maniako New Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 15	very interesting article... black hat in action... __________________ There are no coincidences... only the illusion of coincidence... V FOR VENDETTA petaquilla news \| petaquilla glossary \| petaquilla gallery \| petaquilla twitter \| petaquilla foros \| petaquilla videos Last edited by maniako; 03-05-2011 at 06:31 AM.

03-05-2011, 09:11 PM	#18 (permalink)
DubDubDubDot Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,634	It's amusing that JC Penny is playing dumb. Legitimate SEO services charge a fortune. I knew a guy a long time ago that was getting $3,000 per keyword per month to keep the keyword in a certain spot in the rankings. So JC Penny was paying out a pretty penny for this project, and they had to of known exactly what that was getting them. On a side note, this illustrates the difference between the true SEO services and the hack SEOs posting all over the forums. One type delivers #1 rankings for impossible keywords and the other is nothing but empty hype for $47. Last edited by DubDubDubDot; 03-05-2011 at 09:16 PM.

03-29-2011, 07:38 PM	#21 (permalink)
GeorgeS New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 3	Very interesting.. This had been described by an expert as "the most ambitious attempt to game Google's search results that he has ever seen." Although JCPenney denied any involvement, it fired its search engine consulting firm, SearchDex.

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