J.C. Penney Gets Google Slapped for Spammy SEO Tactics
J.C. Penney had the search game on lock. They dominated a massive amount of relevant keywords and even took over top positions from brands like Samsonite luggage. How did they do it? They cheated. Doug Pierce of Blue Fountain Media, an expert in online search, had this to say:
“Actually, it’s the most ambitious attempt I’ve ever heard of,” he said. “This whole thing just blew me away. Especially for such a major brand. You’d think they would have people around them that would know better.”
They definitely should have known better and their response once they got caught is nothing short of ridiculous. A spokeswoman for J. C. Penney, Darcie Brossart, says they didn’t do it and seem to put the blame entirely on the shoulders of their SEO firm SearchDex.
“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.”
via NY Times
Block Sites from Google Search Results
Google is serious about cleaning up their search results and getting rid of all these content farms. Their most recent move involved an extension for the Chrome web browser that lets you remove any site from your search results.
We’ve been exploring different algorithms to detect content farms, which are sites with shallow or low-quality content. One of the signals we’re exploring is explicit feedback from users. To that end, today we’re launching an early, experimental Chrome extension so people can block sites from their web search results. If installed, the extension also sends blocked site information to Google, and we will study the resulting feedback and explore using it as a potential ranking signal for our search results.
I won’t name names, but I’m sure there are a few sites that keep popping up at the top of your search results that have no value whatsoever. Now, with a single click of your mouse, you can get rid of those spammy domains forever and help Google zero in on the most troublesome. Download the extension and start blocking sites now.
Apple Subscription Service Doesn’t Sit Well with Rhapsody
Apple’s new digital subscription service may be great for magazines and newspapers who really have no other method for distribution or gaining customers, but the 30% cut that Apple wants to take isn’t going to work out so well for other types of subscription services. Namely stuff like Hulu, Netflix, and Rhapsody. Netflix saw a dip in their stock after the announcement while Rhapsody has issued a powerful statement against this move by Apple.
Our philosophy is simple too – an Apple-imposed arrangement that requires us to pay 30 percent of our revenue to Apple, in addition to content fees that we pay to the music labels, publishers and artists, is economically untenable. The bottom line is we would not be able to offer our service through the iTunes store if subjected to Apple’s 30 percent monthly fee vs. a typical 2.5 percent credit card fee.
On the heels of Apple’s announcement, Google launched it’s own payment system, One Pass, that enables publishers to set the terms for access to their digital content. Users can sign up for a subscription and view the content on any of their devices. It lets you set up just about any type of subscription and even offers payments within mobile apps. For those railing against Apple’s policies, Google One Pass could be the solution.
via Engadget, Official Google Blog
Obama Has Dinner With Steven Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Eric Schmidt
We reported on this dinner yesterday, but now there are photos. You can see Obama flanked by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on one side and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on the other. It looks like Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer wasn’t invited, but that could be because he already met with Obama earlier this year. Of course, The Oatmeal has a hilarious take on why Ballmer wasn’t present. Steve Jobs, on medical leave and rumored to be in treatment for cancer relapse appears in one photo. It’s only the back of his head and his hand, so it’s hard to tell if he’s looking well or not.
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You can keep an eye on The Whitehouse photo stream on Flickr for more pics. Search Engine Land has an extremely detailed breakdown of who attended, where they sat, and why they may have been there.
via The Next Web