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In my opinion, Google has every right to do what it has to keep its results as relevnt as possible. Unfortunately human nature is such that people will always try to find a way to beat the system - in this case, Google's algorithm and so it ends up being another case of the bad eggs ruining it for the good guys. Those SEO optimisers using paid links and link frms to boost their site rankings artificially have made it necessary to have sites selling links penalized and the good go out with the bad it seems.

Tanzanite

 The page rank calculation is flaw and can be manipulate easily by buying hundred of link. Google shouldn’t have published the site rank at the first place.

The point, to me, is really about the fact that Google's algorithm is quite weak. For years, it has relied on mostly inbound links to drive rankings. That, in itself, is a really flawed concept in the year 2008.

The analogy is like the RCMP arresting drunker drivers, but selling alcohol.  Google has the power to stop the issue, but does not for various reasons.

I know I'm taking the other side of the horse by saying this but I think paid Google slamming paid links is a good thing. I've outlined a few reasons below:

1. By cutting down on the paid links this effectively makes the original intent of counting links as relevant for SEO much more meaningful. Their original intent was to be a guide as to the authority and popularity of a website. But buying links you've faked actual authority and popularity. Basically you're cheating the system. And with search engines, especially Google in the end you never win if you cheat the system.
    
2. If an effective stance on paid links is taken and the majority are removed from the ranking this will make a much more effective search engine for the users. Notice I said users, search engines are not all about pleasing the SEOs. They are about making their experience for actual users a positive one. I think that this is a step into the right direction.
    
3. Paid links is actually a black hat technique! Oh, I know this is probably not going to sit right with some people. And I'm sorry about I'm just looking at the facts. By buying links you're altering and falsifying a website's real popularity and authority.
    
4. As a company Google has the right to do what ever they so choose. Image if I starting making a big fuse about how I don't like something you're company does and telling people it should be changed. You have the right to change it or leave it. It's your right as you own the company and if people don't like ti they can get their services somewhere else. The same goes for Google, if people don't like it or disagree they can always not use the engine or reconsider how they use it.

I know a lot of SEOs and website owner have invested a lot of time and money into the paid links. But times are changing and I think  this is a sign that it's time to get out of paid links. This is probably Google's first step in eliminating the effect of paid links altogether. I 'm saying that as I recently reread one of Mat Cutts's blogs on this subject and that was the direction he seem to be point at. Anyways, I think it's a bold one but a positive one.

it definitely stinks when google penalyzes your website for purchasing links after spending so much money. I believe it should be allowed, however only on relevant websites.

I understand why they did it and I guess if the brakes were not put on only the people with big pockets would prosper

"It was us who made you rich Google!"

No it wasn't, it was the user. That analogy is like saying that gas attendants are what make gas prices rise.

Google has the right to do whatever they want, and in this day and age of spam, the move makes alot of sense if done correctly. The real issue, is proper assessment of on topic and relevant non-paid links versus paid links.

You can hardly blame Google for wanting to wipe out any competition,

But I fail to see how buying a link from a website is any different than putting links on your website from Google's Adwords.

I want to advertise and I am willing to pay for it:
If it's with Google OK!
If it's with someone else it’s a Bad Paid Link?

I have a website and I want people to pay me for it:
If it's with Google OK!
If I sell links I will get taken off the search list.

I guess there are people who are abusing this practice somehow, but if I understand this right; Google is using their position as the most oft used search engine to stifle free competition, and that seems unfair.

FWIW: I don’t buy or sell links.

I am trying very hard to understand what is going on here with the Google Page Rank. I promoted my site for 4 years, submitting to 300 search engines monthly (manually). I put together a links page and begged and pleaded with sites with relevant content to exchange links with me and I thought it was paying off because we eventually got to a PR4 Halleluah!! Within days of reading the article on your site, we were reduced to a PR3 along with about 3/4 of the sites I had linked to. Pr4's became PR3's and PR3's became PR2's.

I wouldn't know how to sell a link if my life depended on it..... How can all the work that I have done over the past years be reduced in the blink of an eye???

Do I start pleading with sites to exchange links?? That is a very time consuming job and doesn't leave me much time to devote to my trade of making jewelry and selling what I am so busy promoting. What is the answer???

Shirley Dancing Fox
http://www.indianartandcollectables.com

Let’s get down to basic business sense here. Google is in business to make money lots of money and in order for them to do this they expect to be paid by companies: to elevate web pages to the top of the Google page listings.

If you need to ask “How much” google will be more than happy to tell you and place you at the top of its search on EVERY SEARCH for hundreds of thousands dollars a day. It’s not a problem with them! The problem is with YOU and ME we don’t have the money to do this.

In our zeal to make Google happy we have released lots of information to them. SIT MAPS everybody needs a sight map its going to be universal! And yes we started our Google web master accounts Google is good! They wouldn’t use our information against us. Would they? We gave Google MORE information. Now Google knows how bad we really wanted to be at the top of the listings.

And in Googles eyes we all doing some very stupid things. We are paying people OTHER THAN Googol to try to get us listed on ALL the search engines.

STOP don’t do that Google is the only place you need to be listed. Google is hurt when you list yourself on one of these little guy’s sights don’t list on OTHER search engine and this keeps Googol number one.

The few pages I have listed on my Google webmaster account have actually been placed in a lower position on Google Search.

Don Hopper
San Jose, Ca

Google are really against paid links at the moment and its very hard to know what to do. The future in this area is very unknown but I find it hard to know how they can 100% stamp this out. If fact they have actually created this market by putting so much value on a one way link from a quality PR site.

Future unknown
Adam Stem
website design australia
http://www.globalsolutionsit.com.au

For the small business that is trying to break in to a competitive field, paid links seem to make the playing field very uneven.

Google is getting best my its self- They put reliance on links then the market has changed to reflect this- in asking other webmasters to turn sites in- shows they cant stop it...or detect it all

My website was always on top of search results for fishing in my country. This was the case with ALL search engines; namely Google, MSN, and Yahoo.

About 3 months ago my website's PR was severely demoted on Google, and sometimes totally wiped out of the search results! Other less relevant sites were pushed up. I wrote to Google several times, but no reply, no improvement. Other major search engines still rank me top. I never bought any search engine inclusions to any of them and I don't have external links, selling or non-selling, except for one single page that lists major fishing tackle manufacturers and other fishing websites.

Honestly, hits to my website were badly affected. Now I receive less than half the traffic I used to have before :-( Not to mention the Google Adsense income that was down almost to zero.

I really hope Google will do something about this. Or we all turn our back to them.

YES! I am so glad Google did this. The goal of the web is information not who has the most money to buy links and manipulate the system.

I think what Google seems to focus on with all that they do in this area is integrity of sites in the index. They do not want visitors finding top 10 sites that are fraud.

100% on Google's side. Content and relvancy should be what determines Page Rank -- NOT how big you are or how much you can afford to pay for links!

Greetings,

I know you guys have been following the Google page where you can report other folks who are keyword spamming, etc. I had reported several sites for keyword spamming and they all dropped off today as well with the link adjustment. I reported these almost two months ago. Just an FYI

How is a small business owner and webmaster supposed to compete? Why are sites like Amazon, Ebay, ePinions, Overstock and all the rest ranked so highly. I ALREADY KNOW ABOU THEM. If I wanted to go to Amazon to buy something, I wouldn't bother searching first!

So now you can pay for a link. WTF is that? I can buy an ad in any newspaper I want. I can buy a TV commercial. I can pay for a radio spot. But I can't go to a site I like that is related to my business and pay them to promote me with a link without Google penalizing us both?

So now webmaster won't be able to earn income from selling link advertising. And now web master own't be able to advertise with paid links without hurting themselves in the search engine results. I guess we can all line up at the glory hole and let Google keep f***ing us.

Fair Trade, wherefore art thou?

And how does Google propose to tell the difference between a paid and organic link?

So here's the environment that's going to evolve from Google's stupidity: webmaster are going to just going stop linking to other sites out of a fear that Google might think it's a paid link.

The price you can demand for a link in inextricably linked to your PageRank and status in Google. This latest move damages a sotes value and inhibits a webmaster's ability to generate income.

And think of this you stupid GoogleF***s: Why would I pay for a link that leads to a site that isn't related to what I'm advertising? I wouldn't!

If anything, paid links are GREATER indicator of content and value than organic links, precisely because they are targeted to the audience the advertiser is trying to reach. If I'm paying for a link on Joe's Widget Blog it's becasue I've got something to do with widgets! The fact that I'm willing to spend money for a link shold clue you in that my site deserves MORE relevance to widgets and should rank higher, not lower.

Get a f***ing clue Google!