Financial Times hidden links
p2pnet.net News:- Using ‘hidden links’ is one of the oldest methods of search engine spam, “so you wouldn’t expect to see them on a respected news site like the Financial times online,” says link building strategist Ken McGaffin on his blog.
Actually, Ken, remembering the way in which The Times has apparently climbed into bed with the Big Four record labels, it doesn’t seem all that surprising.
Anyway, “FT.com describes itself as ‘the world’s leading audited business website, with more than 3.7 million unique users’,” says McGaffin. But I’ve found hidden links on the site.”
Below, what McGaffin saw when he chose’select all’ from the View menu on his browser.
Google will regard a site such as FT.com as a trusted authority and any site that FT.com links to will get a significant boost to its ranking, he says, going on:
“The site will move towards the top of search engine results, bringing more visitors and more lucrative business as a result.”
But McGaffin has four questions for the FT:
1 – Why does FT.com appear to be ignoring one of Google’s top quality guidelines, "Avoid hidden text or hidden links". Such practices are of course also frowned on by other search engines.
2 – Is FT.com selling such links? And if so, who else might they sell hidden links to?
3 – Is buying such links common practice for Moneysupermarket.com? If so, who else might they buy hidden links from?
4 – Why are the links hidden? Six partners are visible on FT.com with links to their respective websites. Why is Moneysupermarket.com not listed visibly with the other partners?
Stay tuned.
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
See:-
blog – The Financial Times Website and Hidden Links, June 10, 2005
climbed into bed – File sharing: The Big Lie, p2pnet, June 7, 2004
June 13th, 2005 at 6:20 pm
Typically I block connections to things like pagead2. googlesyndication.com. Even here at this site it is blocked. I will not allow it to load into my computer. I pay close attention to where my computer is trying to be redirected to or linked to when I go on a site. If that site changes, I change my blocks to go with it. Prehaps it is not important to some, however it is important to me. I would not let my kid go out wandering without some idea of where he would be, nor will I let my computer do the same. I feel that my personal surf habits and personal info is just that. If we do not take responciblity for our privacy and its info, to safeguard it; money hungry corporations will be quite happy to invade your privacy and use that information to their benefit whether you want that information released or not. Simply I am not as trusting that those same corporations have my well being as first place in their scheme of importance.
June 15th, 2005 at 10:48 am
from the latest ZiffDavis newsletter:
“Google Ads Enables Spyware”
from http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1825983,00.asp
“Do Google Ads Help Fund Spyware?”
“A security researcher says Google’s search-based ads play a part in browser toolbars that violate the company’s stand against spyware and questionable download practices.”