Coca Cola Buying Links?

[janeth]

Google seems to be against the whole pay per post blogging thing.

Coca Cola handpicked 9 prominent bloggers, custom made their homepage and gifted them a fancy USB mini fridge with the new product to be tested.

Where’s the Buzz: Coca Cola’s “Rent a Blog” Strategy

I am sure Coke is doing it for the publicity and not for the backlinks, however, these guys were still paid to blog about a product and Coke received a link back for the gift.

Did Coke just buy backlinks?

[Big Juice]

Perhaps but I do not see anything wrong with it. For me I see little difference between that and sending out Press Releases, if you do them right you can get many great 1 way links from authority sites.

[deepsand]

Hm-mm; certainly does appear to be so, does it not?

BTW, can you translate the cartoon for us?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by Big Juice

Perhaps but I do not see anything wrong with it. For me I see little difference between that and sending out Press Releases, if you do them right you can get many great 1 way links from authority sites.

I agree but if this is ok then why is it so bad for me to give them money for the same write up?

Is it not the same thing?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by deepsand

Hm-mm; certainly does appear to be so, does it not?

BTW, can you translate the cartoon for us?

I only speak Spanish, I have no idea what that says.

[incrediblehelp]

Hmmm, arent reviews like this done all of the time?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Hmmm, arent reviews like this done all of the time?

Yes and I believe Google has banned sites for doing them.

[incrediblehelp]

Sure Janeth I wont argue that they havent in the past. The thing is life is not fair and they are never going to ban big websites like Coke. This is the same as the BMW thing. People expect to see BMW in the SERPs so banning them (no matter what they are doing) will never last or probably ever happen considering it hurts Google's search experience to do so

[crankydave]

Jaan... While "banning" coke may be a far fetched notion, I believe BMW made some changes to satisfy Google and this situation is different than the BMW one. The bloggers are not "Coke" and could be affected easily if that's what Google chose to do.

Dave

[lspence]

The cartoon is Portuguese, not Spanish. Until someone someone gives us a better translation, here's the translation provided by Babelfish.

Frame 1: At its time, Mr. also burnt beggars, paizão?
Frame 2: In my time, these cretinos died of bullet. It was not this barbarity, Nelshino.
Frame 3: Vocês the poor persons had been flabby now are more violent.

[incrediblehelp]

Sure i agree Dave, but if they did the bloggers would cry foul and state that Coked should be banned as well if that is the case. Like I said nothing will happen here at all.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Sure Janeth I wont argue that they havent in the past. The thing is life is not fair and they are never going to ban big websites like Coke. This is the same as the BMW thing. People expect to see BMW in the SERPs so banning them (no matter what they are doing) will never last or probably ever happen considering it hurts Google's search experience to do so

I guess it is a matter of reaching a point where you matter so much that the rules are no longer for you.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Sure i agree Dave, but if they did the bloggers would cry foul and state that Coked should be banned as well if that is the case. Like I said nothing will happen here at all.

And when has Google ever cared about people yelling foul?

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Sure i agree Dave, but if they did the bloggers would cry foul and state that Coked should be banned as well if that is the case. Like I said nothing will happen here at all.

I'm not so sure Jaan.

I don't know if any of the bloggers are bigger than Forbes or any of the other bigger players Google "dinged" last year. Technically, the bloggers have sold links. The one blog I looked at had a direct link that did not have the nofollow tag. I don't see doing nothing as a viable option.

I think "foul" was cried loud and clear already when Google decided to take action. Didn't change much on Googles end. There'll be a much bigger "cry" if they do nothing.

Dave

[janeth]

Originally Posted by crankydave

I'm not so sure Jaan.

I don't know if any of the bloggers are bigger than Forbes or any of the other bigger players Google "dinged" last year. Technically, the bloggers have sold links. The one blog I looked at had a direct link that did not have the nofollow tag. I don't see doing nothing as a viable option.

I think "foul" was cried loud and clear already when Google decided to take action. Didn't change much on Googles end. They'll be a much bigger "cry" if they do nothing.

Dave

It is sad that Google has reached a point now where everything seems unfair. If you talk about the fact that Coke gave you the product and link to their site then you have broken the rules.

How messed up is that?

And how messed up is it that some will get away with it and others want?

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by janeth

It is sad that Google has reached a point now where everything seems unfair. If you talk about the fact that Coke gave you the product and link to their site then you have broken the rules.

How messed up is that?

And how messed up is it that some will get away with it and others want?

I have to agree Janeth... very messed up.

The 800 lb Gorilla trying to change the evironment (the "interweb") and not what they "do" to discount what they don't want.

I'm trying to think of an example where the evironment did not eventually win that battle. I can't.

Dave

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by janeth

I guess it is a matter of reaching a point where you matter so much that the rules are no longer for you.

Bingo. Money talks; big money talks loudly.

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by janeth

And when has Google ever cared about people yelling foul?

This is s trick question, right?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by crankydave

I have to agree Janeth... very messed up.

The 800 lb Gorilla trying to change the evironment (the "interweb") and not what they "do" to discount what they don't want.

I'm trying to think of an example where the evironment did not eventually win that battle. I can't.

Dave

The internet is fast moving and constantly changing, and Google seems to get stronger and stronger through each change.

I am not sure of any other company who as weathered as well as Google has (online).

The environment may eventually win but until that time Google is the king of the net and they enjoy flexing that power.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by deepsand

Bingo. Money talks; big money talks loudly.

In this case it goes beyond money. You have to have something that enough people are looking for that by your not being there Google would be hurt.

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by janeth

In this case it goes beyond money. You have to have something that enough people are looking for that by your not being there Google would be hurt.

And, does that "hurt," whether direct or indirect, not ultimately come in the form of lost revenues?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by deepsand

And, does that "hurt," whether direct or indirect, not ultimately come in the form of lost revenues?

If people search Google and do not find what they are looking for then they will look some where else.

Once they start looking else where, it's just a matter of time before someone else become #1

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by janeth

If people search Google and do not find what they are looking for then they will look some where else.

Once they start looking else where, it's just a matter of time before someone else become #1

Which brings us back to the money, does it not?

Those with big bucks get to play by rules different than those for the rest of us.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by deepsand

Which brings us back to the money, does it not?

Those with big bucks get to play by rules different than those for the rest of us.

It's more than money. Amazon didn't make any money for a long time but not listing them would have hurt Google.

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by janeth

It's more than money. Amazon didn't make any money for a long time but not listing them would have hurt Google.

Yes, and that harm ultimately would have been in the form of a financial one, would it not?

As for Amazon, such serves to highlight the fact that one need not have a large, in the black net worth on ones balance sheet, or net revenues from sale on the profit-and-loss statement, in order to control large cash flows, be it directly or indirectly.

When I say "big money" I refer to the ability to control money, not merely or even necessarily the possession of such.

[edhan]

Originally Posted by deepsand

Bingo. Money talks; big money talks loudly.

Yes. Big money will not be too concerned about Google since they can advertise their URL offline for people to come online.

[John]

Originally Posted by janeth

Did Coke just buy backlinks?

Nope, they just got people like us to talk about them: priceless.

[markrchisholm]

I think that the point here is that Google does not own, run or police the web. Webmasters are free to cloak, spam and buy links as they please (with in the law).

Of course, if you want your website to rank well in Google the you have to at least appear to abide by their guidelines.

In this case Google can see that the intent was not to buy links and it would probably hurt them more than Coke if they removed their site from the index. So where would the logic be in removing them.

[ronchalice]

If I owned the Coca Cola brand name and associated brand recognition, I don't think I would care much about SEO --- or being found on Google for that matter.

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by ronchalice

If I owned the Coca Cola brand name and associated brand recognition, I don't think I would care much about SEO --- or being found on Google for that matter.

Nope; just sittin' on the beach with a rum & Coke!

[kevsta]

and at PR8, really, what do they need links for?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by kevsta

and at PR8, really, what do they need links for?

Links are the reason why they are a PR8, without links they would be a PR0.

[kevsta]

well yes.. but as they obv already have a few, it wouldnt be worth risking a banning for a couple, more would it? ..what are they trying to rank for anyway? kind of have their main keyword covered, no?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by kevsta

well yes.. but as they obv already have a few, it wouldnt be worth risking a banning for a couple, more would it? ..what are they trying to rank for anyway? kind of have their main keyword covered, no?

I never said there intent was to buy links, the point was that Google has banned others for doing the same thing.

[janeth]

As a matter of fact it's as simple as reading my first post.

Originally Posted by janeth

I am sure Coke is doing it for the publicity and not for the backlinks, however, these guys were still paid to blog about a product and Coke received a link back for the gift.