MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Google once again is warning webmasters that the gigantic search engine values quality over quantity — and websites that do nothing more than serve as funnels for affiliate programs may find themselves axed from the engine’s results pages.
In a blog posting titled “Affiliate programs and added value,” Search Quality Team member Chris Nelson calls out adult webmasters, in particular, for a practice Google evidently plans to begin smiting soon:
[QUOTE]Our quality guidelines warn against running a site with thin or scraped content without adding substantial added value to the user. Recently, we’ve seen this behavior on many video sites, particularly in the adult industry [emphasis added], but also elsewhere. These sites display content provided by an affiliate program — the same content that is available across hundreds or even thousands of other sites.
If your site syndicates content that’s available elsewhere, a good question to ask is: “Does this site provide significant added benefits that would make a user want to visit this site in search results instead of the original source of the content?” If the answer is “No,” the site may frustrate searchers and violate our quality guidelines. As with any violation of our quality guidelines, we may take action, including removal from our index, in order to maintain the quality of our users’ search results….
[/QUOTE]
As might be expected, comments lambasted Google as unfair and censorial. A few suggested the search giant wants to rule the world by telling people what they want instead of allowing users to find what interests them without third-party intervention. Many asked for clarification, as affiliate websites often act as curators of collections of content obtained from a hodgpodge of sponsors, operating under the theory that allowing visitors to sample a variety of content helps them make buying decisions.
Several commenters accused Google of playing into the hands of illegal tube sites, which Google seems either unable or unwilling to prevent from taking over the search results pages for some keywords. One suggested Google’s apparently in-the-works algorithm adjustment will reward content aggregators and pirates who are smart enough to cloak material that originated somewhere else. Another accused Google of trying to destroy the affiliate marketing model used by both mainstream and adult networks.
Many demanded a more precise definition of “thin.”
While Nelson did attempt to allay fears that Google is bent on turning the internet into Googleville, his responses provided little specific help.
“One way to add value is to create original content,” he wrote. “If you’re re-using videos/images provided from another source, what can you add to your site that makes it a value-add destination? What about common features used across many similar sites that can be improved upon? e.g. tagging, curation, layouts, search, user communities.”
Of more concern, though, is an implication hidden within one response: Google may have drawn a bead on increasingly common white-label programs and content-licensing platforms that allow adult webmasters to create complete, branded websites with little more than the click of a button.
“Curated, niche content can be a value-add for users,” Nelson noted. However, “[i]f this niche content is being generated by a script across hundreds or thousands of domains, the value add is diminished.”
