Help Available Reporting Spam to Google?

[blitzen]

Hi,

I've been proactive in reporting spam to Google at Report a Spam Result

However, I'm just one that takes the time to do this. Probably one in thousands or millions.

Can I ask users in this forum for help in reporting spam?

There is one particular company that has several domains with the same products, same description, same pricing, same everything!
And, when I do a search, some of these duplicate websites are on the first page. There is even a link on the first SERP to another page that lists this company's websites.

Can you guys help me report this to Google if I post the information so that you can double-check it and help report.

Thanks.

[Big Juice]

How much is Google paying you to do this again?

Seeing as you like doing work for nothing why don't you come over to my house and clean the kitchen?

Better yet why not go outside and clean up some streets by picking up some garbage?

I am not sure if you noticed or not but Google is a filthy rich company that makes a lot of money every single day. Surely with all of their money Google could easily hire some poor people from a third world country to edit their listings for them. But they don't and do you know why? Because they get people like you to do it for them for free.

Oft times I come across some article that I had written and some ass has used software to rewrite it and gain top ranking for it. The gibberish still carries my name and I should be pissed off about that but rather than be pissed off at the poor schmuck who spun the article I am pissed off at Google for not filtering this crap out. Am I supposed to waste my time reporting to Google how their allegedly superior search engine is giving top ranking to crap or should I let them do it as they are supposed to?

As long as people like you buy into their crap about fixing their problems Google will never have to fix them themselves. Just remember the next time your business gets penalized by Google for allegedly buying or selling links... Google isn't interested in helping you so why should you help them for unlawfull carnal knowledge sakes?

[incrediblehelp]

blitzen can you post some examples?

[fisher318]

No offense blitzen, but I think it's funny how people put so much effort into "policing" the internet when it's not their place. If you don't like the spam, try out a good spam filter like spamfighter.com. I've been using it and it works great. Then you don't have to waste so much time, and you could put that time into something of value such as visiting orphans, or cleaning up the environment and going green!!!! =) lol

I have always wanted to ask people who get all upset over SPAM a question. So do you also call and complain to every company that sends you an ad or a piece of junk mail in your mail box as well? No? How come you do it on the internet then? Why don't you focus on the unsolicited junkmail you get in your mailbox that is killing trees, rather than focusing on something so trivial.

Anyways, we are allowed to aggreably disagree. I hope you find what it is you're looking for!

[datetopia]

Originally Posted by blitzen

Hi,
There is one particular company that has several domains with the same products, same description, same pricing, same everything!
And, when I do a search, some of these duplicate websites are on the first page. There is even a link on the first SERP to another page that lists this company's websites.

Do you consider search engines should ban affiliate websites or sites selling the same product?

Sometimes cloning content is legal and also a recommended standard for certain types of internet websites. The perfect search engine should act as a human internet surfer, accept this and find a way to deal with it.

There are multiple software download sites selling the same software packages with the same descriptions and prices due to PADs:
Portable Application Description (PAD) - Association of Shareware Professionals

This is a standard XML file with product description and any developer can build one and submit it to thousands of software download sites that will publish the content.

Also, another example from the dating industry, people can register profiles on multiple dating/social networking websites. These website could also be banned for having common users that posted same descriptions and details?

The 3rd and most clone-like example is that of affiliate sites. There are websites with affiliate programs that allow their affiliates to build sites with their content or even run clones of their entire site.

Let's assume search engines decide for a 100% unique content filter. Searching for a affiliate product will show 1 store with that title and description and the rest of results will be discussions about it if any. Maybe the searcher is just looking for a store close to home and is not interested in unique content or wants to find a fast website as he needs to download the product.
Another thing, how can the search engine decide which site to show and what sites to throw out of business? The only ethical thing to do would be to ban all but would that be in the interest of users searching for that special content?

Replacing good clone results with worse results just because those are different doesn't make sense in all situations.

Search engines should have an option for users that want to see unique results or one for users that just want to see a list with all sites containing what they are looking for.

[craigmn3]

How much is Google going to pay me for optimizing their search engine results? So we go on reporting spammy sites, and the adsense sites keep lousing up the results. I don't think so. Google has alot of resources and alot of extra money. They can keep their own house.

[Orion]

I'll only bother to report sites that are not just spammy but actually doing things that are illegal like copyright infringement or trademark issues, libel etc.

Just don't have time to actually chase down the millions of sites out there that could be policed.

[blitzen]

Originally Posted by fisher318

... but I think it's funny how people put so much effort into "policing" the internet when it's not their place...

Most of you guys who replied don't get it. This is just one quote from you guys who don't seem to understand the business of doing business.
This issue is from a business owner, not a consumer.
It _is my place to get the competition out of the consumer's face - and there is a SE policy for this when they are deliberately spamming.

As a business owner, I'd like to get my competitor under control, and Google has a tool for this (report spam).

This is the same company, not affiliates selling the same stuff. You can do a whois but they are sophisticated in hiding things.
datetopia: If that software is in use, then why are all these duplicate pages showing up on page 1 of the SERPS?
For many many years, I've known the vendor of one product line that this company sells. I know that they don't have _that many Internet dealers (mostly brick-n-mortar retailers).

Anyway, Incredible Hulk, here is one example.
Search for

"pillar fountain" 5637F

SERP PAGE 1
Three sites are the same company - same layout, pricing, copy, etc.
You'll see another listing site that lists only this company's websites

SERP Page 2
You'll see a listing for site that lists only this company's websites
Go to the third listing (at least the SERP I get), and you'll see that same store listed there, and no one else!

This company isn't the only one selling these products. If G is so anal about duplicate content, then why are they putting all these domains with duplicate content high in the SERPS?

A few years ago, I saw another competitor try something like this and they finally took down the duplicate sites. That competitor didn't hit it nearly as hard as this one today.

[Big Juice]

So in truth you are just trying to get everybody to help you remove your competition. If that is the case one can only hope that your competitors have more morals than you - get it?

[Orion]

The cases that you're talking about though can only truely be reported by the company that is being spammed.. if other sites are coming up and copying their content and site designs then it's up to them to report them. How do you know it's not legit, you can't unless it's your specific industry / website / company / product.

Also what you are proposing is one of the number one tactics used by spammers.. that being get other people to help you eliminate your competition in certain keywords through reporting their sites as spam.

has google blocked your IP for reporting too many sites yet? they do do that if you are caught.

[qh4dotcom]

Well said Big Juice.

I used to advertise in Google Adwords and reported sites with better rankings than mine who were violating their Editorial guidelines. Google did nothing. So I guess goes the same for spam reports.

[pauliii]

Ditto on Google doing nothing. I made a number of reports of sites that posted giberish containing my best keywords. Google never acknowledged getting the reports and never took action. I wasted my time.

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by Orion

The cases that you're talking about though can only truely be reported by the company that is being spammed.. if other sites are coming up and copying their content and site designs then it's up to them to report them. How do you know it's not legit, you can't unless it's your specific industry / website / company / product.

Also what you are proposing is one of the number one tactics used by spammers.. that being get other people to help you eliminate your competition in certain keywords through reporting their sites as spam.

Can't say about Google, but I can, from several personal experiences, say that Yahoo will act on such regardless of who reports it, particularly if PPC listings are involved.