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In a blog, Google software engineer Matt Cutts said that Google had removed BMW's German site from its Web index after the site included "doorway pages" that would automatically redirect visitors to a different URL.
Cutts explained that when Google's crawlers visited a BMW page, it saw blocks of text with repeated key search words such as "neuwagen," which means "new car" in German. However, when a user visited the listed page they would be automatically redirected to another page with less text and more pictures, which was more attractive than the page the crawler saw, but would have scored lower in Google's PageRank system.
"This is a violation of our Webmaster quality guidelines, specifically the principle of 'Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users,'" Cutts' blog said.
To regain Google listing status, Cutts expects that BMW.de will have to remove the JavaScript that redirects users around the site in this fashion and then send a reinclusion request to Google's Webspam team, which Cutts leads. BMW.de has already removed some of the redirect pages.
BMW may also have to disclose details of who created the doorway pages--and assure Google "that such pages won't reappear on the sites"--before the domains can be reincluded, Cutts said.
The German site of technology product vendor Ricoh is also due to be removed from Google "for similar reasons," Cutts said.
BMW and Ricoh were unavailable for immediate comment.
Tom Espiner of ZDNet UK reported from London.
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The Internet as a medium is protected by free speech, just like a number of other mediums. But what isn't protected is your right to do whatever you want on someone elses page. It's the same as putting a "Bush sucks" sign in your yard. Unless your 'neighborhood group' doesn't allow it, go ahead. But you can't put one in your neighbor's yard if they don't want you too.
Google isn't and can't make BMW do anything. They can only blacklist them and there are plenty of other search engines out there that would turn up that page.
That being said, I think that there may be situations (like the BMW example) where Google's actions may have been a little harsh.
I don't see why there couldn't be certain situations where redirects are reasonable. Maybe the policy needs a little tweaking.
Google monopoly? Give me a break!
Maybe BMW should ask for their money back. Oh, that's right, Google doesn't charge for inclusion.
Maybe BMW should sue for violation of their free speech rights. Oh, that's right, Google is a publicly held company and they alone decide who they list on their search engine.
Maybe BMW should have read the Webmaster Guidelines. Oh that's right, BMW is a huge multinational corporation and Google's silly rules shouldn't apply.
Ha.
Kudos to Matt and his team at Google.
Robert G. Medford
www.searchengineoptimizationsecrets.com
BMW.de webmaster tried to deceive the web crawler using a very old stupid back doorway trick and they deserved to be moved.Period!
Why shouldn't i be able to create an artistically outstanding page which contains graphics & flash, but no text and then have other pages redirect to it? It's not as though BMW were claiming neu wagen and redirecting you to porn.
I think the Google 'you will play by our rules' attitude sucks
You own the service you get to set the rules. You only have to play by Google's rules if you want to be listed in their database. Google has interest in weeding out cheaters like BMW who try to inflate their page rank with such tactics.
Hey google - ignoring the fact that you're turning into a sleazy company - I _want_ good search results. If I'm looking for info on BMW, I expect BMW.de to show up - whether or not they're following your 'law'. If I have to use Yahoo, so be it.
I noticed 1 thing that was incorrect in the article. ?which was more attractive than the page the crawler saw, but would have scored lower in Google's PageRank system.?
Google?s PageRank system is a measure for how many links are pointed to a particular website. The PageRank number can not be manipulated from on page factors such as keyword stuffing. Bmw.de was participation in website cloaking and that is banned by the Google webmasters Guidelines.
Great article!
I can help you clarify any Search Engine related facts for your future stories.
Spencer Hoyt
President
Comit Technologies
http://www.comittechnologies.com
So now they're taking on a titan of industry in a meaningless, possibly even silly, issue to prove to us that they're tough guys who enforce tough standards after all.
I smell a rat, and I'll bet somebody at Google called up BMW and said, "Excuse me, would you be willing to be blacklisted for a few hours?"
I guess if s few thousand people did that, then Google might start to lose advertising revenue... but that doesn't seem to be an ongoing trend.
I do appreciate that you decided to do something, even if it isn't terribly effective, other than complain like so many others.
It should first Blacklist itself.
It seems to me that for Google an issue like "politics overpassing Human Rights" is a less important problem than "Doorway Pages".
Besides if BMW.de has "Doorway Pages" it's my decision wether I come back to its webpage or not.
This article brought to light 3 important lessons:
1. Google is not the only 'Search Engine Service' out there. NEVER rely on only one if you truly want variety in your search results.
2. As Google becomes a bigger and bigger Company, their respectability becomes smaller and smaller. (Money changes everyone)
3. Google is a FREE service (from a User's point of view), so you'll only get back from it what YOU paid for.
google is tommorrows aol.
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by Mosley789
April 10, 2009 12:22 PM PDT
- I did read about at http://www.rollsrein.de News it is really Intresting such a big company they afford to pay Money for Publicity.
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