I’ve been saying something very similar for years. Google likes to talk about how the organic and the paid listings are “independent”. However, this just ain’t true. While they might not mix any actual links, the one side exerts not-to-subtle pressure on the other side, and vice versa. What happens on one side definitely affects what happens on the other.

Andrew Orlowski has a great piece, aptly entitled The worse Google gets, the more money it makes? (See page 2 for the meat of the argument.) You could see this coming from the day Google sold its first ad.

What exactly does all this jargon mean?

Their moves into social networking are also a sound move, they need to have a grasp on where that area of the internet is moving. I would imagine in coming months we will see a rival to Flickr – one of the main areas they still don’t compete in.

If sites resort to Link buying or establishing their link netorks, it is because of the pervasive inherent problems that are only getting worse.

He disapproves of their SEO tactics – but what alternatives are there? To eternally buy ADWORDS for the rest of their company’a existence?

One analogy he gave was the presumption that when seachers search for VIAGRA – they looking for infomational sites not sales sites, and when they were searching for CREDIT CARDS – they were seeking Master or VISA or AMEX – not a directory of card business.

What is wrong with his argument, is that he is making an extreme generalization about CASUAL searchers. Searchers who use a one word of simple search terms, can NOT be generalized like that. They are potentially as varied as any consumer could possibly be. Only personalization could indicate what direction they might be leaning towards.

The ultimate irony is that a site that markets itself very aggressively for a keyword – is in fact illustrating that it is VALID for that keyword. It is expensive and time consuming to market, would any reasonable firm do it for non valid terms.
Webmasters are doing that because they have NO OTHER CHOICE. If a small commercial site waited around until a quality site volunterily added a one way link to them….well….

The problem with the Google decision makers is that they are too removed from everyday harsh realities – and probably surrond themselves by others would would not want to stir the pot with controversy.

What percentage would it be to be an advocate for the commercial nobody trying to get rankings ….LET THEM BUY ADWORDS!!!!!

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It is intereting to compare the Video portion of the interview of Google’s CEO with the just release Video of Yahoo’ CEO – so similar in many ways

newyorker.com/videos/060511onvi_video_semel