17 Jan 10 Are You Getting Slapped by Google?

When I first heard the term “Google Slap” I couldn’t figure outs its head and tail. I had to do some research before I could understand the meaning of it. And today out of the blue this term popped up in my mind, so I thought to write about it only today. Have you heard of Google Slap?

Well, Google Slap is a financial penalty levied upon an advertiser who pulls visitors to his website that doesn’t have any quality content using Google Adwords campaign (Google’s PPC campaign). Sometimes Google so tightly slap the advertiser that it being a small business owner goes out of business. Actually, Google charges the maximum possible CPC (Cost per Click) rate, which is $10, if the landing page of the ad shown in its SERP (search engine result page) does not comply with the rule set by the search giant.

Does it sound like unfair practice?

Indeed it is. How can a vendor (that is what Google is for Adwords customers) dictate rule about how an advertiser should keep its website. Having content or not should be the PPC advertiser’s decision. He should not be arm-twisted to follow what Google has to say. But we are living in the world dominated by Google, so whatever it does in the name of empowering net users becomes rule, which everyone has to follow.

I am not against Google’s imposing its policy on indexing certain kinds of websites while leaving other either in sandbox or discarding it altogether because search bots is Google’s property and so is its database. Hence, Google is free to do whatever it wants, and make any rule that is necessary related to website’s indexing to please itself.

I have my objection to Google’s imposing its whim on to its customers (Adwords keyword buyers) because by selling keywords Google is not doing any favor to advertiser. Selling Adwords keyword is its business and the company is making money out of it. Similarly, an advertiser who owns his website is in there for profit motive, and he should be free to decide how his website should be.

Then who will decide the quality?

Customers, people who clicks on the ads. People are not too stupid to perceive the quality of the page they reach. Google does not need to be moral police (quality police to be more precise).

What do you think, isn’t Google acting like the Big Brother?  Is it right in your opinion?

Tags: Advertiser, Cost Per Click, Cpc, Giant, google, Keyword, Keywords, Maximum, Objection, Out Of The Blue, Ppc, Profit Motive, Quality Content, Sandbox, Search Bots, Search Engine Result, Search Google, Small Business Owner, Unfair Practice, Whim