Proof That Google Doesn’t Play Favorites

Saturday, May 31st, 2008 | Uncategorized

When I meet with my clients & other attorneys, I often get told of how they are called on by salesmen trying to get them to buy a new website. While I’m all for improving on one’s web presence, what I do not approve of is some of the tactics these salesmen employ.

One of the most common things I hear is that these salesmen will say things like “our company has a deal with Google to list our sites first.” That is an outright lie.

Google (and most search engines) should be looked at like a reference librarian for this incredibly vast library we call the Internet. We use the search engines because we trust that they will give us the best results. We recognize what the Pay-Per-Click Ads are, and how they are different from the organic “library” results.

When I explain this I think that most everyone understands it, but I also like to have them do a Google search to prove my point. I ask them to do a Google search for the term “news”. Have a look for yourself:

Google Search for “News”

Clearly, if Google played favorites with anyone, it would be with Google.  And Google News is one of their big properties.  But where is Google News showing up?   It shows up in the 5th spot, behind CNN, ABCNEWS, FoxNews, and even Google’s rival, Yahoo!. 

So if Google won’t help themselves, why should anyone think they would help another company?  Of course, they don’t.

So the bottom line is this. Getting good search results is a multi-faceted process. There is no scheme to vault you to the top that will keep you there. You need to work with consultants and companies with proven track records.

For more information on my services, click here: Los Angeles Lawyer Marketing Site

*Addendum:  I’ve also been told of companies claiming to have a relationship with Google Local.   It is true that Google Local does scan some directory and Yellow Page types sites to glean information, but this is hardly something worth paying for.   Google DOES NOT give that information any advantage over information they get from other sources, it is simply a way for them to get information that the companies themselves have not supplied.  And the truth is, every business that wants to be on Google Local should take control of their own profile on Google Local to be certain that it is listed exactly as they see fit.   It’s free to do, and really easy.   Don’t get suckered into paying for something that is free – you can find the Google Local business center here:

www.google.com/local/add

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