Mirror starts to remove MoneyExtra links
September 14, 2009
10 Comments
The Mirror's taken out some of the links to MoneyExtra that I recently said looked like paid-for links added for search engine optimisation reasons (which would put the site in breach of Google's guidelines - not that this would make it the only newspaper with paid links).
Of the 11 pages I pointed out, as of 10.30pm on Monday 14 Sept:
- 5 had weblinks to the MoneyExtra credit card page - 4 have had the MoneyExtra links removed. This one still has them, although the page layout has broken - maybe suggesting it's being republished - with the top navigation sitting over the content.
- 5 contained links to the MoneyExtra debt page - all 5 still contain this MoneyExtra link, but all 5 have the same broken-layout issue.
- 1 contained links to a MoneyExtra car insurance page - all these links have been removed.
Before and after
A before example
Before: with links to MoneyExtra
The same page now - without links
Now with links removed
I'll guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with the other pages. And I'm not sure why they've deleted them - couldn't the Mirror just have nofollowed them if they were genuine, editorially-chosen links and it was worried how they looked?
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Smacks of a junior-esque SEO being caught out and crapping his pants. I would guess MoneyExtra's lead SEO spotted all the commotion on your blog, twitter, Sphinn etc and contacted The Mirror post-haste to get them taken down.
You could be right - it was very clumsily done. Maybe that Habitat intern got a new job?!
Quite possible. Careful now though, there are a few people that are going to start rifling through your pages looking for anything that could be misconstrued as "grey" hat and causing a fuss about it... LOL
Too late - the original post has several comments from people claiming the link to my mum's website in my blogroll is the worst bit of black-hat SEO they've ever seen ..!
I know, I've been following with much amusement
I can only assume Malcolm you have never worked on any significant keywords in your time as an SEOer. Here is a fact for you - right now you will not rank for gambling, insurance, finance or travel terms without being one of 2 things... blackhat with your link building, or a major brand. For most the latter isn't something you can manufacture.
You seem to enjoy outing this kind of activity, presumably to try and aid your own financial sites by getting the competition, or their methods, penalised.
Actually, Peter, I have, but it was a major brand. So you can imagine the view we took of people link buying to make their crappy sites do better than our good one.
However, I no longer work for them, so I'm doing this out of general interest, and not out of any ulterior motive. For the avoidance of any doubt, I'm not working for anyone who could benefit in any way by the positioning of Money Extra.
I love the presumptuousness of some people. Can I just say, Peter, that I for one have had a number of sites ranking for probably the most competitive keyword you can fathom, and they ranked using 100% white hat techniques, and not 1 single link was bought.
Hi Peter,
Please share the url so I can scrutinize it. Hell, I might even create a blog and start bellyaching as is the fashion nowdays...
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