Matt Cutts a Link Pimp?

Recently I mentioned that Google is hoping webmasters will tattle on people who have purchased paid links. According to Google they have a number of ways to determine the use of (or sale of) paid links but they are also appealing to concerned webmasters everywhere to help them out. I am not a fan of Google encouraging people to report on others linking behavior but that’s not the point of this post. Instead I’d like to mention why I don’t think it will really matter much in the long run.

Since Google considers paid links a “sin” I thought I’d compare paid linking to another popular sin - prostitution. The similarities are definitely there:

• There is a system/algorithm in place to try and control prostitution (law enforcement).
• There are also people who do their best to report about areas where this sin is taking place (nosy neighbors, citizen groups, etc..).
• Both are “sins” that many people don’t see anything wrong with.

Which begs the question if prostitution continues to thrive even though people have been trying to stop if for centuries how can Google hope to stamp out paid links? It’s pretty tough to stop an act that people are so eager to be involved in. ; ) I have no doubt that Google will punish some high profile paid link “johns” and some site prostitutes who are indiscreet but all this will do is slow the tide it won’t get rid of the issue.

Just like prostitution paid linking will simply go low profile/underground. As Google has success penalizing paid linking people will simply stop using visible services like Text Link Ads and find new ways of doing business. Buying and selling paid links will become more sophisticated and/or secretive but it won’t disapear. I can imagine a time when you’ll have to travel to the seamier side of town and talk to a link pimp who won’t accept your business unless someone he knows can vouch for you. Maybe Google will even run sting operations like the local vice squad. We’ve seen Matt dressed as Inigio Montoya I wonder how he’d look pimped out?