SEOmoz To Identify Search Spam

[Dan]

SEOmoz is working on their own spam detection project...

SEOmoz is working on software to add to their toolset to help SEOs determine if their pages or competitors pages are spammy in nature. If SEOmoz can figure it out, the purpose would be to tell webmasters and SEOs that Google probably figured it out and thus the links and content on those pages classified as spammy are probably not worth much.

Rand explained that if they classify it as spam, "we're pretty sure Google would call webspam."

Continued at: http://www.seroundtable.com/seo-spam...ion-15118.html

What do you guys think?

For mine. 2 things bother me about the project.

1. Rand's statement that if his project classifies it as spam he's pretty sure Google will. That is a grandiose assumption. That is like saying he knows exactly how Google detects spam and will be using those exact same methods to produce his project. Rand gets into situations where he makes statements where he seems like he thinks he is a lot more important than he really is. He's done this before in relation to the directory industry, and when asked to provide facts and evidence all he could say in response was that it was "his opinion" and that other's should proceed based on their own experiences. That doesn't seem real concrete to me. It sounds like strong marketing speak, followed by wafer thing actual reporting. Not convincing.

2. Intentions. Even if SEOmoz has the best intentions here --- i.e. to provide a private spam detection tool which will help webmasters/SEOs identify which websites/links/pages in their link profile could be low quality or have spam-indicators --- the problem will come when people use a mob mentality to force them to start outing people. Suddenly best intentions turn into scapegoating, backstabbing and ruined lived. Let's not forget that many people rely on their businesses for their livelihood and being classified as a spammer (whether legitimate or not) could ruin their life.

To take point 2 one step further... There are many bricks 'n' mortar businesses in real life that are considered scammy/spammy. How about that last electricity/internet/phone bill you got. Hang on, I didn't subscribe to that how come there's a $20 charge for this on my bill.. What's that $42 charge for? How about pest control services? A guy comes around with a stick and taps all the walls in your house and then hands you a bill for a couple of hundred bucks and says you don't have any pests.

I think SEOmoz are going to open up a giant can of worms by going down this road. As one commentator said, I think they should leave the "policing of search results" to the search engines themselves.

[deryaSavas]

Well said Dan, especially this comment

"Rand's statement that if his project classifies it as spam he's pretty sure Google will. That is a grandiose assumption"
I wonder how Google views such comments, if they view it at all that is.
Also, if those who venture out for link building cannot determine at first sight, the website is spam or not, then, they should simply let their seo projects run by those who actually understand the subject matter.
I for one, do not dwell much on seomoz, or comments made by those who are actually running a seo business, since it's very lame insight kind of thingy (no disrespect, since those who are starting out in search engine optimization may find the information those seo companies provide useful)
As with your comment about their intentions
well, business, business, noise, profits, and something to do I guess :-)

[Dan]

deryaSavas: Your comment regarding how Google views such comments and if they view them at all is a good one, because even if Google doesn't concern themselves with 3rd party comments, they will deal with the repercussions of those comments when an entire community adopts a particular strategy due to an influential voice.

There is no doubt that SEOmoz is a very influential site, in a two-fold capacity.

Firstly, Rand bends Matts ear (I say that in the nicest possible way because most people consider it to be far more like a one-side tongue bath). That means he has access to more direct information and can implement things based on that information (why share it? - I wouldn't).

Secondly, every SEO that exists in the tier below SEOmoz, uses their information, tools and advice for their own strategies. This creates a large community of SEOs, implementing strategies/techniques across an even larger number of websites (you would expect that each SEO has clients - some will have dozens others will have hundreds)

So, you can see that impact of a handful of SEOs, on hundreds, thousands or even millions of websites/webpages based on one voice or one spokesman for a company can create a massive knock-on effect that Google will eventually hear (either in a good way or a bad way).

SEO businesses, have had their strategy changed by Google. Any SEO that thinks they are holier than thou is like that shady kid at high school that reckoned he didn't masturbate. They are the ones you *really* have to watch out for. All SEOs use strategies that work. When Google comes out and says, oh you aren't allowed to do that anymore, all of a sudden these same SEOs come out lauding Google and saying "about time", when really, those who make the most noise are usually the ones engaging in the outlawed practice to the highest magnitude... why? because they have the most to lose, and therefore have to distance themselves from their now-outlawed practice.

The people who defend Google's algorithm changes, or choose to build new tools based on them, are the ones who I think have the most at stake to lose, and therefore their motives should be questioned. Big time.