Comments on: Act out your sophisticated affiliate link paranoia http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/ If you've read my articles somewhere on the Internet, expect something different here. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:49:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: Advantages of a smart robots.txt file http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-742 Advantages of a smart robots.txt file Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:16:55 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-742 [...] grab the PHP code for crawler detection from this post. In addition to the functions checkCrawlerUA() and checkCrawlerIP() you need a function delivering [...]

[…] grab the PHP code for crawler detection from this post. In addition to the functions checkCrawlerUA() and checkCrawlerIP() you need a function delivering […]

]]> By: Is Google The New Terrorist? | Snoskred - Life in the Country http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-704 Is Google The New Terrorist? | Snoskred - Life in the Country Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:55:20 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-704 [...] Crackdown Is Just Designed To Create Panic Is Google Going to Expand its Punishments of Paid Links? Act out your sophisticated affiliate link paranoia A Slippery Slope: Google Owns a Search Engine Optimization Company Penalized for selling text [...] […] Crackdown Is Just Designed To Create Panic Is Google Going to Expand its Punishments of Paid Links? Act out your sophisticated affiliate link paranoia A Slippery Slope: Google Owns a Search Engine Optimization Company Penalized for selling text […]

]]> By: Sebastian http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-701 Sebastian Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:46:23 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-701 Dror, the point is that it makes no sense to let a spider follow an affiliate link. Dror, the point is that it makes no sense to let a spider follow an affiliate link.

]]> By: Dror http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-700 Dror Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:42:08 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-700 This might be a bit besides the point but why would you want a spider follow a link to your affiliate? This might be a bit besides the point but why would you want a spider follow a link to your affiliate?

]]> By: Sebastian http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-697 Sebastian Sat, 17 Nov 2007 09:52:26 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-697 Martin, I think John Andrew's comment is not without merit, not only from an SEO perspective. I understand this blog's overall message as "more facts than opinions", IOW technology over politics, hence when Google launches a policy I dislike (respectively enforces it late when they can do it), I rant once or twice, or never, and then I try to provide technical assistance. (Ok, there are my pet peeves like the crappy rel-nofollow microformat where I still express my opinion, at least in the source code when I put rel="nofollow crap" when I'm in a bad mood. Although I've to admit that since Google cleared the semantics by interpreting "nofollow" no longer as "pass-no-reputation" --Googlebot once followed and indexed nofollow'ed links!-- it's no longer that crappy, just evil and implemented in an extremely sneaky way.) Coming from Webmaster support and training Web developers, I tend to focus on pragmatical solutions when I don't believe that it's possible to change something like Google's paid links policy (which in fact is old news, it goes back to google.stanford.edu). That does not mean I like it, but Google isn't going to change. I still want to milk out Google's traffic and it makes sense to help others to survive as well. Also, there are enough folks that take care of the political aspects. Supporting them doesn't require a change of my blogging attitude towards more political views IMO. Or should I? Martin, I think John Andrew’s comment is not without merit, not only from an SEO perspective. I understand this blog’s overall message as “more facts than opinions”, IOW technology over politics, hence when Google launches a policy I dislike (respectively enforces it late when they can do it), I rant once or twice, or never, and then I try to provide technical assistance.

(Ok, there are my pet peeves like the crappy rel-nofollow microformat where I still express my opinion, at least in the source code when I put rel=”nofollow crap” when I’m in a bad mood. Although I’ve to admit that since Google cleared the semantics by interpreting “nofollow” no longer as “pass-no-reputation” –Googlebot once followed and indexed nofollow’ed links!– it’s no longer that crappy, just evil and implemented in an extremely sneaky way.)

Coming from Webmaster support and training Web developers, I tend to focus on pragmatical solutions when I don’t believe that it’s possible to change something like Google’s paid links policy (which in fact is old news, it goes back to google.stanford.edu). That does not mean I like it, but Google isn’t going to change. I still want to milk out Google’s traffic and it makes sense to help others to survive as well. Also, there are enough folks that take care of the political aspects. Supporting them doesn’t require a change of my blogging attitude towards more political views IMO. Or should I?

]]> By: Martin http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-695 Martin Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:09:01 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-695 Hey Sebastian, thanks for the interesting article. Been thinking about it as well lately. Regarding John Andrews' comment - I don't think he meant YOU were slimy. He said Google's practices are slimy (forcing us to hide / devaluate / obfuscate ads on our sites). Hey Sebastian, thanks for the interesting article. Been thinking about it as well lately.

Regarding John Andrews’ comment - I don’t think he meant YOU were slimy. He said Google’s practices are slimy (forcing us to hide / devaluate / obfuscate ads on our sites).

]]> By: Sebastian http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-691 Sebastian Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:42:06 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-691 Perhaps I failed to make clear that I'm not exactly happy with Google's paid links / affiliate links policy. "Paranoid affiliate marketers" wasn't meant scornful, the term refers to the multiple protection levels I've explained, and the fact that in many cases a crappy rel-nofollow would suffice. Perhaps I failed to make clear that I’m not exactly happy with Google’s paid links / affiliate links policy. “Paranoid affiliate marketers” wasn’t meant scornful, the term refers to the multiple protection levels I’ve explained, and the fact that in many cases a crappy rel-nofollow would suffice.

]]> By: » Google vs. Innovation - John Andrews - johnon.com http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-689 » Google vs. Innovation - John Andrews - johnon.com Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:27:30 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-689 [...] Side note: Sebastian is a very smart guy. He pays attention, and works hard. He innovates. But take a look at how distracted Sebastian is by Google’s anti-competitive behavior? He’s right on the money about Google’s consideration of affiliate links and content, but because he’s correct he cannot reach a conclusion suitable for recommendation. In trying to understand Google’s business practices, I’m now leaning towards the word slimy. hard to believe that has happened. [...] [Basically he said I'm slimy coz I recommended a pragmatic way to deal with the shit or go underground. At least that's my interpretation. Sphunn anyway.] […] Side note: Sebastian is a very smart guy. He pays attention, and works hard. He innovates. But take a look at how distracted Sebastian is by Google’s anti-competitive behavior? He’s right on the money about Google’s consideration of affiliate links and content, but because he’s correct he cannot reach a conclusion suitable for recommendation. In trying to understand Google’s business practices, I’m now leaning towards the word slimy. hard to believe that has happened. […]

[Basically he said I’m slimy coz I recommended a pragmatic way to deal with the shit or go underground. At least that’s my interpretation. Sphunn anyway.]

]]> By: Sebastian http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-668 Sebastian Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:20:05 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-668 Ads in the last blocks of code positioned with CSS surely helps, also providing the size of DOM elements outputted with JavaScript in the "static" X/HTML code is a good idea. Running ad-servers on slow boxes is not exactly a smart move, since you lose more than you ever could save when you use cheap hosting services. 3rd party adservers are a PITA. Ads in the last blocks of code positioned with CSS surely helps, also providing the size of DOM elements outputted with JavaScript in the “static” X/HTML code is a good idea. Running ad-servers on slow boxes is not exactly a smart move, since you lose more than you ever could save when you use cheap hosting services. 3rd party adservers are a PITA.

]]> By: Igor The Troll http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-667 Igor The Troll Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:33:35 +0000 http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/linking-guide-for-paranoid-affiliate-marketers/#comment-667 Good stuff Sebastian. I like the iframe and disallow the affiliate JS, but not just because of the searh engines, but if the affiliate server is slow or down, your page will not open, because JS is rendered first, on the client side Good stuff Sebastian.

I like the iframe and disallow the affiliate JS, but not just because of the searh engines, but if the affiliate server is slow or down, your page will not open, because JS is rendered first, on the client side

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