Google Searchwiki Now Activated for AdWords: Bad Idea?
Google’s SearchWiki, which is already meeting with mixed reviews, gives users the chance to infuse a little bit of social media into their search experience. Think Digg for search results. Users can approve or disapprove of certain results and even comment on the pages. While this has previously been available for organic search results, it is now testing the same system on AdWords ads.
Many fear that this is an invitation for fraud. Noting Google’s dubious reputation when it comes to click fraud, what is to prevent advertisers and marketers from knocking down all of their competitors in order to gain an unnatural advantage?
Some may argue that SEO leads to unrealistic results, so more accurate results can be gained by user input. However, this is putting a lot of power into the hands of people who may not care to take the time to rate something accurately. A lot of people like Google SERPs the way they are, why take up time to rate them for everybody else?
In all likelihood, SearchWiki will be used by the people who can benefit the most by using it. We already know this. Will there be enough interest from the general public to override any negative impulses from advertisers/search marketers?
As commenter fantomaster notes in the comments of Search Engine Land’s source post for this, the biggest danger Google may face is an army of bots that are virtually undetectable going all willy-nilly over any opening Google gives it. SearchWiki is an opening to game the system. Thus, somebody out there is working a way to exploit it.
We’ll see how it all works out.
Story via Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Land
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