Death Blow to Minisite-Makers .... what now?

[alien51]

According to an excerpt from the news in CNN:

"In the post, Google describes minisite as sites with "shallow or low-quality content."

Adding the extension will let users create a "personal blocklist." They won't see content from that site again in Google searches done while using Chrome.

It also sends Google a list of all the sites users have blocked."

Personally, I'm not against Google's algorithm punishing websites with poor content by giving low ranking... but asking users to vote for websites that should be blocked from the internet, leaves the door open for people to sabotage their website competitors by voting them out.

And should this mean that your website should NEVER go online, if it has little content yet???

This also leaves a permanent black-eye to "nice" domain names whose previous owner got stricken out of Google search.

 

[gemstar]

According to an excerpt from the news in CNN:

"In the post, Google describes minisite as sites with "shallow or low-quality content."

Adding the extension will let users create a "personal blocklist." They won't see content from that site again in Google searches done while using Chrome.

It also sends Google a list of all the sites users have blocked."

Personally, I'm not against Google's algorithm punishing websites with poor content by giving low ranking... but asking users to vote for websites that should be blocked from the internet, leaves the door open for people to sabotage their website competitors by voting them out.

And should this mean that your website should NEVER go online, if it has little content yet???

This also leaves a permanent black-eye to "nice" domain names whose previous owner got stricken out of Google search.

Finally some positive changes.

 

[firefly]

Finally some positive changes.

Yeah...I'd vote out those sites that are purely Youtube video's with little actual written content(sarcasm).

Lets turn the internt into a popularity contest, where smart manipulators can game the system.

Good one Google...lol.

 

[exsedo]

Hopefully it will knock out all the useless wordpress sites filled with Youtube videos :lol:

 

[gemstar]

Hey better than a useless landing page containing nothing but click ads.:wave:
Entertainment and bringing relevant content to the site is what matters.
I take the time to bring content people are looking for in one package.

Yeah...I'd vote out those sites that are purely Youtube video's with little actual written content(sarcasm).

Lets turn the internt into a popularity contest, where smart manipulators can game the system.

Good one Google...lol.

This coming from a developer pushing WP themes and cookie cutter affiliate programs how ironic! (no sarcasm intended)
:wave:

 

[exsedo]

Hey better than a useless landing page containing nothing but click ads.:wave:
Entertainment and bringing relevant content to the site is what matters.
I take the time to bring content people are looking for in one package.





This coming from a developer pushing WP themes and cookie cutter affiliate programs how ironic! (no sarcasm intended)
:wave:

What you seem to have missed is that your sites fall into the targeted category. :red:

 

[firefly]

This coming from a developer pushing WP themes and cookie cutter affiliate programs how ironic! (no sarcasm intended)

The idea of irony is obviously well and truly lost on you it seems. I never said my sites were great, in fact, I'll freely admit they are not glowing examples. At least I understand what they are which you obviously can't with your sites.

I don't have a problem with your sites per se...more your rather flippant attitude which more than wreaks of the pot calling the kettle black.

Finally some positive changes.

What you seem to have missed is that your sites fall into the targeted category.

Yes...this site is full of irony already...lol. Some are just oblivious to it. :D

I think you missed the point that was being made to you; my sites, your sites and sites like whypark (or any other system like that), with regurgitated content on them are in the firing line.

I don't need your site to look at youtube vids...I can go to youtube...lol. Just like people could find my content elsewhere as well.

See what we are saying??

Can you see the target on your sites now??

 

[RogueWriter]

I wonder how long it will be before a company 'guarantees' black marks against your competitor for $xxx/1,000 marks...

 

[Vito]

This reminds me of Ebay.

Remember when ebay changed the entire system a coupla years ago and they incorporated the "stars" which were given to you exclusively by the buyers?

It changed everything.

You used to always be assured of getting to the first page as your time ticked down. Now the closer you get to the first page of search results is all based on your "Star" rating which is solely determined by the buyers.

So being a new seller you can list 100 items and not even have the possibility of getting to page 1 with any of your items.

This is not idential but it sure reminds me of that whole ebay new star rating importance fiasco.

here is G's new motto...
Google - The new ebay!

This really sounds like it has the potential to hurt anyone just starting out, IMO.

 

[enlytend]

I've said all along that it was only a matter of time before low-content sites would be in their crosshairs. They've never liked that kind of site, and they've been getting a lot of pressure from industry people who have their ear.

I personally doubt they'd going to take action JUST because of blocks - WAY too easy to game that *. But enough blocks may flag a site for manual review, and if they can find a strong correlation between certain features and the sites which are being blocked, it will make its way into the algo.

The final nail for minisites will be when they downgrade the ranking power of exact match domains.

*Though it would be a good project for an experiment ...

 

[mhdoc]

The final nail for minisites will be when they downgrade the ranking power of exact match domains.

Any thoughts on exactly how that might be accomplished?

 

[enlytend]

It was pretty much confirmed by Matt Cutts at Pubcon last fall:

Google will be looking at why exact domain matches rank so well. For example, if you have a site at www.blue-widgets.com it may rank a bit too well for the keyword phrase [blue widgets].

Source: http://searchengineland.com/key-takeaways-from-googles-matt-cutts-talk-at-pubcon-55457

There have been rumblings about this for some time by the same communities that have been outspoken about the low quality content sites ranking highly. One discussion here, plenty more to be found on other blogs/forums/etc.:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/exact-match-domains-are-far-too-powerful-is-their-time-limited

 

[RogueWriter]

This reminds me of Ebay.

eBay went out of it's way to make their affiliate program overly complicated, they were every which way they could to null a valid transaction or minimalize a commission. Sometimes, companies can get too complex for their own good, and that looks like what is happening with Google.

 

[Vito]

eBay went out of it's way to make their affiliate program overly complicated, they were every which way they could to null a valid transaction or minimalize a commission. Sometimes, companies can get too complex for their own good, and that looks like what is happening with Google.

Its a damn shame because I was doing very well over there. I made $10k - 2 months in a row right before the change, then I had some things in my life that made me take a break from it. They changed the whole system and when I tried to re-enter that space I couldnt even get off to a halfway decent start again so I just had to quit since I wasnt able to make any money, and was actually losing.

What it did was hurt the little guys, like me.

Now, I have a similar situation here...
I have a bunch of mini-sites that I threw a little time into, but of course I moved on to the next site. They are fresh content but small.

So, because I havent updatd a dozen or so of my sites in the last few months any of my little mini-sites now will get blocked and the Big Boys will blacklist me?

This is only gonna hurt us little guys and make the Big Dogs that much bigger.

 

[alien51]

So, because I havent updatd a dozen or so of my sites in the last few months any of my little mini-sites now will get blocked and the Big Boys will blacklist me?

Supposedly, your mini-site will never be blocked because it will get pushed down lower and lower and eventually get buried under the heap of millions of other webpages. So nobody can dig up your mini-site to block it. That's supposed to be how Google Ranking works. So if you are 3,000 pages down, how can you be annoying to people with your "low quality" content?

Now, people are complaining why many minisites are ranking at the top wasting their time with "garbage" content. Why blame the minisite owners? Google should fix their algo!

So now, if you have a good domain name with exact match terms --- but half-finished content --- Google algo makes you popular, only to ask readers to block your site because they can't push you down the order????

So now, you'll be afraid to build webpages and leave it hanging around, because somebody might stumble upon your website and block it out from Google.

 

[Vito]

So now, you'll be afraid to build webpages and leave it hanging around, because somebody might stumble upon your website and block it out from Google.

Good point. I agree 100%. At that time, we will be saying why even try? Its all gonna be a waste of time anyways when all of the Wikipedias, eHows, JCPenneys, and BestBuys are gonna rule "G" anyways?

This should be very interesting to say the least.

 

[exsedo]

That is the problem when one entity is allowed too much power. They become a dictator. The whole concept of the internet was not to allow one company to gain a stranglehold on it and become a dictator, it was something for the whole world to use. g00gle are not the nice guys they make themselves out to be. They make billions per year from scam sites and cybersquatting, and have been involved in their fair share of disgraceful conduct. Of course, while enough people are making money with them, nothing will be done about it. If everyone blocked the g00glebot from their sites and switched to say Yahoo/Bing/AOL, then g00gle would have to play fair to get back in favour.
Look what is happening around the world, dictators don't last forever in this day and age.

 

[Kate]

Look what is happening around the world, dictators don't last forever in this day and age.

The problem is not just to get rid of the dictator, but make sure another (possibly worse) one will not take over

 

[DU]

That is the problem when one entity is allowed too much power. They become a dictator. The whole concept of the internet was not to allow one company to gain a stranglehold on it and become a dictator,

it was something for the whole world to use. g00gle are not the nice guys they make themselves out to be. They make billions per year from scam sites and cybersquatting, and have been involved in their fair share of disgraceful conduct. Of course, while enough people are making money with them, nothing will be done about it. If everyone blocked the g00glebot from their sites and switched to say Yahoo/Bing/AOL, then g00gle would have to play fair to get back in favour.
Look what is happening around the world, dictators don't last forever in this day and age.[/QUOTE]

Last time I checked the take over of Google could be started by anyone and at an entry cost of about $8 for a name. You could even crowd source the hardware and software.

To all,

Why sit and complain? Make something happen? Parking and minisites is just relying on others to do hard the work. Why should anyone pay you more in money or kindness?

Google has chosen a method to do something and if the advertisers are happy, the end users are happy and their accountants are happy?

Other search engines already exist - just a question of them getting a pinky toe in the door.

How can you do this ? It's too hard?! How many IT professionals exist communicating in JUST THIS FORUM?!?!

 

[exsedo]

The problem is not just to get rid of the dictator, but make sure another (possibly worse) one will not take over

I totally agree.

The next big danger is Facebook.

 

[DugoohooRep]

the rules are always changing, we can not control google nor visitors. We have to evolve to adapt the rules.
1, minisites builers have to spend more time to make more unique, original contents,more beautiful designs, attractive to visitors.
2, minisite service providers have to work harder to develop more powerful system to help customers easily setting up new rules fullfilled minisites.
3, it is like a game or war, each side has to evolve to survive. If minisites control google, google lose credits to users, if minisites lose ranking in google, minisites owners lose money. All we can do is to improve our minisites and our minisite building system.

Thanks

Lee

 

[alien51]

Its all gonna be a waste of time anyways when all of the Wikipedias, eHows, JCPenneys, and BestBuys are gonna rule "G" anyways?

They actually consider the eHow website as garbage. They say that website is just like asking the man on the street for advice on just about anything.

Wikipedia... ever noticed that you need "citations" for every piece of info you place there? That means you cite the information somewhere else, then put that info in Wikipedia. Talk about "original content". And almost the entire planet get their education from Wikipedia, rather than say Encyclopaedia Britannica dot com.

Wikipedia must be the world's largest AGGREGATOR and SCRAPER of content.

You think JCPenney is a RESPECTED website role model? Read this:

Google caught JCPenny paying for Link Farms
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13search.html

---------- Post added at 05:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:05 PM ----------

I totally agree.

The next big danger is Facebook.

Facebook is what it is, because there is no other competition. People have no where else to go to.

Evenif a competitor shows up, they can't leave Facebook since all their friends are there.

Facebook is in a more commanding position, than Google.

 

[gemstar]

The idea of irony is obviously well and truly lost on you it seems. I never said my sites were great, in fact, I'll freely admit they are not glowing examples. At least I understand what they are which you obviously can't with your sites.

I don't have a problem with your sites per se...more your rather flippant attitude which more than wreaks of the pot calling the kettle black.



Yes...this site is full of irony already...lol. Some are just oblivious to it. :D

I think you missed the point that was being made to you; my sites, your sites and sites like whypark (or any other system like that), with regurgitated content on them are in the firing line.

I don't need your site to look at youtube vids...I can go to youtube...lol. Just like people could find my content elsewhere as well.

See what we are saying??

Can you see the target on your sites now??

:lol: FireFly take it easy! I love a good flame war at times. All in fun brother no offence:wave::lol:

 

[RogueWriter]

Wikipedia... ever noticed that you need "citations" for every piece of info you place there?

Go to wikipedia sometime, and do a search for the "Affiliate Marketing" page. It is amazing how self serving and spammy the links are there, no doubt the editing being done by the surprise recipients of links at the bottom.

Just write a report about some aspect of affiliate marketing, post it on your blog and voila, you can apparently link from that page.

 

[firefly]

:lol: FireFly take it easy! I love a good flame war at times. All in fun brother no offence:wave::lol:

Not a flame war...lol.

Just pointing out that a lot of us have sites that are directly in the cross hairs now.

that's all.

Cheers