Domainers are all too well aware of the quality scores that Google imposes on publishers/domainers which winds up adjusting the payments that publishers/domainers receive for the traffic it sends to Google.
Google apparently also sets up quality scores for at least some of their advertisers which effect the amount that advertisers are required to pay to Google for the traffic.
This quality score adjustment for advertisers is the subject of a lawsuit that was filed against Google by a comparison shopping search company, myTriggers.com.
The suit alleges that Google unlawfully dropped myTriggers’ quality score as part of a plan “to ensure that Google can continue to exert control over search advertising.”
As a result of the quality score change, the suit goes on to allege, the cost of myTriggers’ search ads rose by as much as 10,000%, a price increase that forced the company to virtually stop purchasing search ads.
Yet the suit goes further and alleges not only did the quality score adjustment negatively effect the rates paid by this advertiser but that Google only requires some advertisers to be subject to quality score adjustments.
“On information and belief,” the lawsuit alleges, “Google enters into agreements with a number of search websites, including rival shopping comparison sites, that allow these sites to participate in AdWords keyword auctions without being subject to the same ‘quality’ scoring Google applies to other search rivals, including myTriggers.”
MyTiggers.com apparently had a monthly credit line as high as $250K per month and ran up a bill of over $350K before Google filed suit for payment in Ohio. MyTriggers then filed this counter suit against Google.
Should be interesting.
Very interesting. I’ve always thought that not all advertisers were subject to quality score. I’ve advertised a handful of sites on adwords before. Sites that are full developped e-commerce sites actually selling product. I experimented with buying adwords to supplement MinkCoats.com (for example) and adwords gave me a qualty score of 4/10 for the keyword Mink Coats, which is obviously crazy. So there is no way that Dell gets a quality score o 10/10 for every computer keyword, yet they are in top position for all of them. Do you think Dell is subject to quality score? I don’t. If I was selling computers on computers.com who do you think would have to bi higher for top spot me or Dell? Me of course. Democratic auction system, fair, do no evil, LOL?
The irony is that G has ranked MinkCoats.com in the top 6 organic results (occasionally higher) so clearly that algorithm thinks the keyword Mink Coats is relevant. Just not the algorithm that has to do with how much they would charge me. Anyone ever hear of the Skinner Box? BTW, both Bing & Yahoo consistantly have the domain in the first organic position (sometimes as low as #3, but usually #1)
“I’ve advertised a handful of sites on adwords before.”
I have done the same and noticed droping in organic position when reducing adwords cost’s after a while. I have a feeling that once you start using adwords and then reduce expenses you start droping in organic search which makes you reinvest in adwords.
Funny thing happend, I reduced a adwords campaign from $100 per day down to $30 and guess what?
1 week later for some reason the site gets punished and doesnt show up in organic search anymore. Hhmmm.
Same thing happend with the same site under the same conditions August last year. It took 8 weeks until it showed back up under organic search.
I have a feeling once you start a campaign with adwords your site is hooked.
All true. I have plenty of tests to prove it in one of my vertical markets. And they are further gerrymandering the search results for the same advertisers.
Search engine for the most profitable listings has been the model since day one. It takes years to perfect but each year they get closer. They are more of a shopping engine now.
Quality scores for advertisers? Really?
Anyone know what the supposed “logic” (note the quotation marks) behind this “thinking” (note more quotation marks)?
they just want to force to use adwords for long time
Hi, I am pretty sure its not MyTiggers.com but MyTriggers.com
Google pulls this nonsense under the guise of “targetting and content quality”. I have battling with them on and off about the use of HIGHLY targeted domains as the display URL. They won’t allow it since the URL directs to a relevant page but not a site with the display URL. Maybe I am wrong but if people click an add for “phishtickets.com” and end up on the Phish page of the main site where is that deceptive? I have alsoted that my per click cost rises during this differences of opinion. Also does help with them sending letters threatening to delete my account over this silly nonsense. Google is getting way out of hand and are for sure playing favorite with publishers. Ooo well …. Not like anything most of can do about it. If they are hassling $250k a month publishers what chance do smaller guys have? I don’t make too many waves … I need Google and would crush me.
I have also noticed my organic rankings go down when I pull my Adwords campaign. Unbelievable….but true. I only advertise during December, and the first year I thought it was a coincidence, but invetable, everytime I do it…my site looses at least one position. Oh Big “G”…why?
Everyone should pay attention to the latest “bug” where a bunch of advertisers had their quality scores suddenly dropped to 3 and had first page bids skyrocket. (We had over 50 keywords drop from 6 to 3 in one day.) This magical “quality score” is another way for Google to charge more for less and then hide the details. There are probably thousands of people being impacted – and then dealing with the email-response-system of the Googleplex.