Comments on: Is Google Tricking Users Into Clicking Ads?

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:46:55 +0000

Matt, thanks very much for the clarification.

It will be interesting to learn what led to Rand believing that they were paid relationships. (I have no doubt that you will give him an earful

I do still some have questions about what gives these travel services “merit” over any regular airline, but we’ll likely be discussing those over at the SEMpdx blog over the next few days…

By: Matt Cutts

Matt Cutts — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:04:09 +0000

The links in Google’s flight OneBox were chosen for merit. They’re not paid in any way and no money changed hands. So this is completely different than Yahoo’s paid-but-unlabeled Special K promotion.

By: Kent Lewis

Kent Lewis — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:08:23 +0000

I have to side with Scott on this one…if it’s a OneBox non-ad placement, then why favor Expedia over the other engines? I’d guess because they paid the most, or are the largest advertiser on Google. Either way, it supports Scott & Rand’s belief that placement is correlated to spend directly or indirectly.

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:58:55 +0000

So you believe it’s NOT any sort of paid sponsorship? Fair enough, and I agree that it does not appear to be a paid listing…

However, on this post on my blog Friday, Rand Fishkin commented this –

“Google does the same thing, a little quieter, for travel searches – try Seattle to Denver, for example. Those 4 folks listed have some paid relationship”

I’d have to call Rand a sane and rational person, but perhaps he’s wrong?
On John Batelle’s Blog you reference above, someone commented – “Does anyone know if this is paid or not?” but nobody answered…

So? Is this a paid placement or not, Google?

By: Ionut

Ionut — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:28:02 +0000

It’s not an ad, it’s just a Google OneBox. Google links to six competing companies, so no reasonable person could think it’s an ad.

http://www.google.com/help/features.html
http://battellemedia.com/archives/001964.php