Hey Google Going to Drop the Paid Links Hammer on Coke
Posted on July 7th, 2008by Michael Gray in Google
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Hey Google Going to Drop the Paid Links Hammer on Coke? I’m not sure how sending someone a mini fridge knowing full well they are going to blog about it is any different than sending someone cash for link advertising. Then again you created the two tiered internet justice world we now live in, and I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut.
Eventually though more people are going start using the tactic, so maybe you should get somebody coding a “report refrigerator” link to your webmaster central control panel 
July 8th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Nice catch !!
July 8th, 2008 at 6:00 am
haha, nice one. I would suggest “report a swag”.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:06 am
This adds nothing to the argument. Didn’t you point out similar “paid links” a few weeks ago and have the same argument shot down?
I personally think the Coke ploy was brilliant. I read these tactics on various SEO blogs. A big name pulls it off. The wolf cries…
July 8th, 2008 at 7:15 am
I see nothing brilliant in it. Tactic with sending swag to popular blogers in order go get exposure is nothing new. It even works better in conjuction with a big brand like Coke.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
They’re not giving the product on the basis they HAVE to post a link back to the site.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I think someone’s bitter that he didn’t get one.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
July 8th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
July 8th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
It is true that Google’s algorithms are falling for swag influenced product endorsements currently. The way to patch the hole is simple, those who are easily bribed eventually lower their trust levels with paid posts that are not so under the radar.
Google understands the SEO art of linking (to influence search position) more than you might know. Make a few too many swag influenced posts from your blog and watch your traffic go back to zero and those pages go GRAYBAR!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Regardless of whether this constitutes ‘paid links’, they’ve gotten their product talked about and that was the original objective. I really doubt Coke is concerned about the ‘links’ more than just product awareness.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:57 am
“report refrigerator” - LOL.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
@10: Agreed, I doubt that Coke was salivating over nine backlinks. I can just hear the boardroom conversation: “No one has ever heard of us! How ever will we increase our backlinks? I know, let’s see if we can use mini-fridges to bribe some bloggers into adding links to our website–then we will surely begin to rank in Google!”
Clearly not the point. Now, selling your blog out to Coke seems like blog suicide to me (for a one-drink-sized fridge, even–come on, at least send them on a weekend B & B trip). I’d be willing to bet those nine bloggers probably lost some readers with that move, especially since they let Coke skin their blogs for the promotion. They likely lost a few more from the manifesto condemning their action.
July 20th, 2008 at 2:15 am
I’ve done my good Google citizen’s duty and reported those 9 Brazilian bloggers for selling links. Their minus powerade penalty is on the way since Google is always 100% consistent with penalties.
This reminds of the time that Google sent me an adwords refrigerator, I blogged about it and linked to Google, and Google said, “Tsk, tsk. This amounts to a paid link. Put a nofollow tag on your link back to Google or we will knock you out of the SERPs.”
And yes, it is extremely irritating to hear idiots in the media talk about how innovative this marketing technique is. It’s innovative like putting an ice cube in a drink to make it colder is innovative.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:08 am
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