We Do Search Engine Optimization.

The popular Long Island New York newspaper Newsday was penalized by Google for selling text links that pass pagerank.

Here is a screenshot of the crazy amount of nofollow tags used by Newsday.com

There are nearly 100 no followed links, but it’s quite curious to see which links are still passing PR. Semi related links to small local destination sites are still getting a link boost from this PageRank 8 site including a wedding, travel, health and shopping site.

Links that are directly related to this large print publication including the LA Times, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and other huge newspapers are nofollowed.

The archive shows a section labeled ‘ Featured Links’ which carry sites such as :

• Mesothelioma Lawyer Lung Cancer
• Personal Injury Law Firm
• Buy Mets Tickets
• Buy Yankees Tickets
• Wicked Tickets
• Hamptons Travel

So Newsday.com can boost its fledgling sites while trying to negate the association of major newspapers, and the Hamptons Travel site is still linking with full credit. Hey newsday, i’ll sell you one of my content sites so your PR8 site can link to it and we can dominate the SERP’s.

Google has always been inconsistent in dealing with link sellers. There seems to be no complete method to find out which sites will receive a penalty for selling links that pass page rank. Google has not algorithmically solved the problem of link brokering and must rely on a semi accurate computer model with heavy human intervention.

Loren, WPN, Barry posted about this interesting case.

*update*

The SEO Manager, who was hired after the link selling program was implemented, posted a request in Google Groups and apparently got the problem resolved within 1 week. Newsday.com instantly jumped from a toolbar PR 5 to 8.

Google Engineer Reid

Thanks for your post. I’m glad you’re posting here in the Webmaster
Help Group, because the discussions here help educate webmasters
around the globe. I just checked over newsday.com and compared it to
the most recent version of newsday.com that was indexed by
Archive.org:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070829225145/http://www.newsday.com/

Scrolling near the bottom of what your site used to look like, I see
the following “Featured Links”:
Mesothelioma Lawyer Lung Cancer Personal Injury Law Firm
Buy Mets Tickets Buy Yankees Tickets Wicked Tickets
Hamptons Travel

Please remember that participating in link schemes intended to
manipulate search engine rankings, including buying or selling links
that pass PageRank, is a violation of our Webmaster Guidelines, and
may impact your site’s standing in Google:

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356

If you believe your site was at one point in violation of the
Webmaster Guidelines, and you have since made changes to your site so
that it fits within the guidelines, you can request reconsideration of
your site by following the steps here:

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35843

Before becoming a Vice President, Melissa Mayer used to be Google’s chief homepage officer and among other duties she answered support emails.

When they were making homepage updates a loyal Googler notified them each time the word count changed, culminating with “61, getting a bit heavy, aren’t we?”

The Google homepage now stands at 28 words, enforced by the Don’t Be Evil dynamic duo Larry Page and Sergy Brin.

The post title is very catchy, Mrs Mayer would be great at SEO link bait: What comes next in this series? 13, 33, 53, 61, 37, 28…

Not counting the title (which has 12 words) this post is 613 words. 613 words to tell us they vow to only make users read only 28.

Strunk & White wouldn’t be amused.

You thought Google was cool for being able to return a set of results for common search engine queries? Google has nothing on the engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence beb-based question answering system START.

The MIT computer engineers have created a usable computer logic system that returns readable answers to natural language questions. See this computer answer the following queries:

Natural Language Questions

• what is the largest city in the us
• tell me about gravity
• how are diamonds formed

HAL has arrived, and he knows what you’re thinking.

Udi Manber, a lead search engineer at Google lists the teams that comprise the search functionality.

He discusses the search quality group, which is responsible for the ranking of search results. He

Web search is the most used Google search service, and the same ranking algorithms are also used with some modifications, for other Google search services, including Images, News, YouTube, Maps, Product Search, Book Search & code search.

Teams Within Search Quality

• Core Ranking
• International Search
• User Interfaces
• Evaluation
• Webspam

These core teams manage billions of web pages and millions of daily searches

Google Ranking Philosophy

1. Best locally relevant results served globally
2. Keep it simple
3. No manual intervention

This is a very good PR piece published by the search team. Points 1 & 2 are true and correct, however point 3 ‘No manual intervention’ is false. Google hand edits results all the time. If you do a competitive keyword search on Google it is likely some results have been omitted by humans.

The Google Search Blog discusses details of Google Ranking intricacies and how hundreds of search engineers manage the Search Engine Results Pages.

How many ways can you spell one term? The business of using SEO to rank for misspelled words is huge.
Google jobs has the post for spelling variations of Britney Spears pop star online searches.

Each of these variations was entered by at least two different unique users within a three month period and was corrected to ‘Britney Spears’. Searchers used 593 different variations searching for this female pop singer.

488941 britney spears
40134 brittany spears
36315 brittney spears
24342 britany spears
7331 britny spears
6633 briteny spears
2696 britteny spears
1807 briney spears
1635 brittny spears
1479 brintey spears
1479 britanny spears
1338 britiny spears
1211 britnet spears
1096 britiney spears
991 britaney spears
991 britnay spears
811 brithney spears
811 brtiney spears
664 birtney spears
664 brintney spears
664 briteney spears
601 bitney spears
601 brinty spears
544 brittaney spears
544 brittnay spears
364 britey spears
364 brittiny spears
329 brtney spears
269 bretney spears
269 britneys spears
244 britne spears
244 brytney spears
220 breatney spears
220 britiany spears
199 britnney spears
163 britnry spears
147 breatny spears
147 brittiney spears
147 britty spears
147 brotney spears
147 brutney spears
133 britteney spears
133 briyney spears
121 bittany spears
121 bridney spears
121 britainy spears
121 britmey spears
109 brietney spears
109 brithny spears
109 britni spears
109 brittant spears
98 bittney spears
98 brithey spears
98 brittiany spears
98 btitney spears
89 brietny spears
89 brinety spears
89 brintny spears
89 britnie spears
89 brittey spears
89 brittnet spears
89 brity spears
89 ritney spears
80 bretny spears
80 britnany spears
73 brinteny spears
73 brittainy spears
73 pritney spears
66 brintany spears
66 britnery spears
59 briitney spears
59 britinay spears
54 britneay spears
54 britner spears
54 britney’s spears
54 britnye spears
54 britt spears
54 brttany spears
48 bitany spears
48 briny spears
48 brirney spears
48 britant spears
48 britnety spears
48 brittanny spears
48 brttney spears
44 birttany spears
44 brittani spears
44 brityney spears
44 brtitney spears
39 brienty spears
39 brritney spears
36 bbritney spears
36 briitany spears
36 britanney spears
36 briterny spears
36 britneey spears
36 britnei spears
36 britniy spears
32 britbey spears
32 britneu spears
29 britent spears
29 brittnany spears
29 britttany spears
29 btiney spears
26 birttney spears
26 breitney spears
26 brinity spears
26 britenay spears
26 britneyt spears
26 brittan spears
26 brittne spears
26 btittany spears
24 beitney spears
24 birteny spears
24 brightney spears
24 brintiny spears
24 britanty spears
24 britenny spears
24 britini spears
24 britnwy spears
24 brittni spears
24 brittnie spears
21 biritney spears
21 birtany spears
21 biteny spears
21 bratney spears
21 britani spears
21 britanie spears
21 briteany spears
21 brittay spears
21 brittinay spears
21 brtany spears
21 brtiany spears
19 birney spears
19 brirtney spears
19 britnaey spears
19 britnee spears
19 britony spears
19 brittanty spears
19 britttney spears
17 birtny spears
17 brieny spears
17 brintty spears
17 brithy spears
17 brittanie spears
15 brinney spears
15 briten spears
15 briterney spears
15 britheny spears
15 britneny spears
15 brittamy spears
15 brittmey spears
15 brytnei spears
15 btirney spears
15 rittney spears
14 brinet spears
14 britneyy spears
14 britten spears
12 beritney spears
12 bretiny spears
12 briatny spears
12 brieney spears
12 brinany spears
12 britaany spears
12 britan spears
12 britine spears
12 britnea spears
12 britnes spears
12 britnez spears
12 britnny spears
12 brittenay spears
12 brittneys spears
12 brittony spears
12 brteny spears
12 btitany spears
12 btittney spears
12 btriney spears
12 btritney spears
12 rittany spears
11 braitney spears
11 brettney spears
11 britamy spears
11 britery spears
11 britnary spears
11 brittent spears
11 bruttney spears
11 pritny spears
10 bitaney spears
10 brenty spears
10 bristney spears
10 britay spears
10 britinny spears
10 brittaany spears
10 brittanys spears
10 brittini spears
10 brittniy spears
10 brtieny spears
10 brutany spears
9 bitteny spears
9 brinttany spears
9 britanay spears
9 britinany spears
9 britn spears
9 britnew spears
9 britneyn spears
9 britrney spears
9 brtiny spears
9 brtittney spears
9 brtny spears
9 brytny spears
9 rbitney spears
8 birtiny spears
8 bithney spears
8 brattany spears
8 breitny spears
8 breteny spears
8 brightny spears
8 brintay spears
8 brinttey spears
8 briotney spears
8 britanys spears
8 britley spears
8 britneyb spears
8 britnrey spears
8 britnty spears
8 brittner spears
8 brottany spears
7 baritney spears
7 birntey spears
7 biteney spears
7 bitiny spears
7 breateny spears
7 brianty spears
7 brintye spears
7 britianny spears
7 britly spears
7 britnej spears
7 britneyu spears
7 britniey spears
7 britnnay spears
7 brittian spears
7 briyny spears
7 brrittany spears
7 brttiney spears
7 btiteny spears
7 btrittany spears
6 beritny spears
6 bhritney spears
6 birthney spears
6 breathney spears
6 breaty spears
6 bretany spears
6 briatany spears
6 brint spears
6 britenney spears
6 britian spears
6 britinty spears
6 brititney spears
6 britnsy spears
6 britrey spears
6 britsny spears
6 brittine spears
6 brittnry spears
6 brittsny spears
6 brtanny spears
6 brtittany spears
6 bruttany spears
6 brytany spears
6 btitny spears
6 pretny spears
6 ritany spears
5 bbritany spears
5 bbrittney spears
5 biitney spears
5 bitny spears
5 breathny spears
5 breney spears
5 brethney spears
5 brettny spears
5 bridny spears
5 brigney spears
5 briittney spears
5 brinaty spears
5 brinay spears
5 brinetty spears
5 brinitty spears
5 brinny spears
5 brintery spears
5 britary spears
5 britbney spears
5 brithany spears
5 britieny spears
5 britiey spears
5 britnt spears
5 britnys spears
5 britrny spears
5 brittenny spears
5 brittnee spears
5 brittnt spears
5 brney spears
5 broitney spears
5 brotny spears
5 bruteny spears
5 btiyney spears
5 btrittney spears
5 gritney spears
5 spritney spears
4 bittny spears
4 bnritney spears
4 brandy spears
4 brbritney spears
4 breatiny spears
4 breetney spears
4 bretiney spears
4 brfitney spears
4 briattany spears
4 brieteny spears
4 briety spears
4 briitny spears
4 briittany spears
4 brinie spears
4 brinteney spears
4 brintne spears
4 britaby spears
4 britaey spears
4 britainey spears
4 britinie spears
4 britinney spears
4 britmney spears
4 britnear spears
4 britnel spears
4 britneuy spears
4 britnewy spears
4 britnmey spears
4 brittaby spears
4 brittery spears
4 britthey spears
4 brittnaey spears
4 brittnat spears
4 brittneny spears
4 brittnye spears
4 brittteny spears
4 briutney spears
4 briyeny spears
4 brnity spears
4 brtteny spears
4 brttiany spears
4 bryney spears
4 brythney spears
4 brytne spears
4 brytni spears
4 brytnie spears
4 bvritney spears
4 dritney spears
4 priteny spears
3 beittany spears
3 bichney spears
3 biritny spears
3 birnety spears
3 birny spears
3 birteney spears
3 birthny spears
3 birtiney spears
3 birtteny spears
3 birttny spears
3 bitanny spears
3 bitheay spears
3 bithey spears
3 bitrney spears
3 breinty spears
3 brethny spears
3 bretne spears
3 bretniy spears
3 brettine spears
3 brighty spears
3 brihney spears
3 brihtney spears
3 briiney spears
3 briitnay spears
3 brineny spears
3 brinte spears
3 brintiney spears
3 brintneey spears
3 brinttney spears
3 brirany spears
3 brirtny spears
3 brisney spears
3 britainny spears
3 britaniy spears
3 britanu spears
3 britanyy spears
3 britatny spears
3 britdney spears
3 britemy spears
3 britenty spears
3 brither spears
3 brithne spears
3 brititany spears
3 brititny spears
3 britiy spears
3 britmeny spears
3 britneeey spears
3 britnehy spears
3 britnely spears
3 britnesy spears
3 britnetty spears
3 britnex spears
3 britneyxxx spears
3 britnity spears
3 britntey spears
3 britnyey spears
3 britterny spears
3 brittneey spears
3 brittnney spears
3 brittnyey spears
3 brityen spears
3 briytney spears
3 brltney spears
3 broteny spears
3 brtaney spears
3 brtiiany spears
3 brtinay spears
3 brtinney spears
3 brtitany spears
3 brtiteny spears
3 brtnet spears
3 brytiny spears
3 btney spears
3 drittney spears
3 pretney spears
3 rbritney spears
2 barittany spears
2 bbbritney spears
2 bbitney spears
2 bbritny spears
2 bbrittany spears
2 beitany spears
2 beitny spears
2 bertney spears
2 bertny spears
2 betney spears
2 betny spears
2 bhriney spears
2 biney spears
2 bintey spears
2 biretny spears
2 biritany spears
2 birittany spears
2 birittny spears
2 birnty spears
2 birtey spears
2 birtheny spears
2 birtieny spears
2 birtnay spears
2 birtnet spears
2 bitnet spears
2 bitttany spears
2 bnrittany spears
2 bntney spears
2 bpitney spears
2 brandi spears
2 brattney spears
2 breanty spears
2 breany spears
2 breittany spears
2 brently spears
2 brentney spears
2 brethany spears
2 brethine spears
2 bretnty spears
2 bretty spears
2 brianey spears
2 briatney spears
2 brickney spears
2 bridnea spears
2 brieatney spears
2 brientny spears
2 brietnet spears
2 briettny spears
2 briey spears
2 brighney spears
2 brigtney spears
2 brigtny spears
2 briiny spears
2 brindey spears
2 brindy spears
2 bringney spears
2 brininy spears
2 brinitey spears
2 brinsley spears
2 brinthey spears
2 brinthy spears
2 brintiy spears
2 brintneys spears
2 brintry spears
2 brinyey spears
2 briottany spears
2 brirrany spears
2 brirreny spears
2 brirtany spears
2 brirttany spears
2 brirttney spears
2 britain spears
2 britane spears
2 britaneny spears
2 britania spears
2 britann spears
2 britanna spears
2 britannie spears
2 britannt spears
2 britannu spears
2 britanyl spears
2 britanyt spears
2 briteeny spears
2 britenany spears
2 britenet spears
2 briteniy spears
2 britenys spears
2 britianey spears
2 britin spears
2 britinary spears
2 britmy spears
2 britnaney spears
2 britnat spears
2 britnbey spears
2 britndy spears
2 britneh spears
2 britneney spears
2 britney6 spears
2 britneye spears
2 britneyh spears
2 britneym spears
2 britneyyy spears
2 britnhey spears
2 britnjey spears
2 britnne spears
2 britnu spears
2 britoney spears
2 britrany spears
2 britreny spears
2 britry spears
2 britsany spears
2 brittanay spears
2 brittang spears
2 brittans spears
2 brittanyh spears
2 brittanyn spears
2 brittany’s spears
2 brittanyt spears
2 brittanyy spears
2 brittary spears
2 brittenie spears
2 brittenty spears
2 brittinney spears
2 brittley spears
2 brittn spears
2 brittnery spears
2 brittnety spears
2 brittney’s spears
2 brittneyu spears
2 brittnsey spears
2 britttaney spears
2 britttny spears
2 brittyney spears
2 brityne spears
2 briyany spears
2 brlttney spears
2 brotaney spears
2 brotany spears
2 brottney spears
2 brriney spears
2 brrittney spears
2 brrtney spears
2 brthney spears
2 brtianny spears
2 brtineys spears
2 brtittny spears
2 brttiny spears
2 brtttany spears
2 brydney spears
2 brynty spears
2 brythey spears
2 bryttney spears
2 btiany spears
2 btirtney spears
2 btitiney spears
2 btittny spears
2 btritany spears
2 buttney spears
2 grittney spears
2 prietny spears
2 pritany spears
2 prittany spears

Its likely that these stats are released without Google’s permission, as they have demonstrated a closed source position on internal statistics.