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A few days ago, Microsoft Bing launched another advertising campaign on the domain name scroogled.com.
It basically explains how Google has always said their search results will be unbiased and the ads would not play a role in the organic search results. But now, Google switched their shopping search to a purely paid model. Yea, Google is being pretty hypocritical if you look at their past statements - but they are not hiding that it is paid.
In any event, Danny Sullivan explains that while Google is doing this, Bing is calling them out for the same thing Bing Shopping does. Danny writes:
Bing is attacking Google over its shift to a pay-for-play shopping search engine through a new "Scroogled" site, pledging that Bing has "honest search." Great campaign, if it were true. It's not. Bing itself does the same things it accuses Google of. It’s also another indictment of how little the FTC is doing to protect consumers from “search results” they might not realize are ads.
You can check out the scroogled.com site out to see how Bing goes about it.
Forum discussion at Cre8asite Forums.
Comments:
G is a Criminal Enterprise
11/30/2012 02:19 pm
Danny Sullivan, the Google hitman, is wrong. I have my merchandise on Bing and pay zero. Google scroogles users even in "organic search, " now almost every top ten commercial result (buried among 50 ads and Google junk) belongs to an advertiser. Google's entire MO is fraud, fraud at every level and Amit Singhal is the king of it, with Matt Cutts being the Minister of Propaganda. Barry and Co are just kamikazes. Google scroogles small businesses, Adwords customers, partners, users that think Google is honest and that ads are "organic search" and virtually everyone else.
ethalon
11/30/2012 02:49 pm
Hitmen, Kings and Kamikazes, oh my!
Jaimie Sirovich
11/30/2012 09:57 pm
Danny has it wrong to a degree. Yes, Bing takes money — but only sometimes — and when they do it's a simpler per-category model. You choose or don't choose to advertise at a certain price. It's similar for eBay and Amazon because the payment isn't for listing it's for the conversion. Paying is _not_ the problem, it's what you're paying _for_. Google makes it more complex and murkier. You pay to rank better, and that's more problematic because the consumer doesn't know the ranking isn't objective. You're paying to rank, not for inclusion. I think that's more problematic, and while most consumers understand that you might pay to be on eBay or Amazon, they would not understand exactly what's going on with Google Products. eBay will rank you a little better for being a better seller, and they'll let you buy a different color or better pictures for a listing, but all of that is more transparent. They also are very forthcoming with a sort option for lowest price. My 2c. Correct me if I'm wrong or you disagree.
bobbob12345
11/30/2012 10:29 pm
Need to add this phrase and some nice logo to all websites to let peoples know.
bobbob12345
11/30/2012 10:35 pm
also ftc not doing anything based on fact what both search engines cheating us and surfers. But i think lot of things will changed soon, may be some new big player.
ChuckFinley77
12/01/2012 12:22 am
If this ad campaign is successful, it will be because of lash back from the online community supporting Bing's position -- because it's true! google said one thing and did another. google is being asked to be truthful and honest, and they haven't been.
Leo Lungay
12/02/2012 02:20 am
what if they its starts just for shopping search, then eventually to normal searches? what happens to the small sites, bloggers?
fakebuck
12/02/2012 04:25 am
Google shares going up again after they fix the results more! But this can't last forever because soon enough a large group of advertisers will wise up.
Ryan - Owner
12/02/2012 08:35 am
So, I went ahead and made my vote at www.googleorbing.com
rambo
12/03/2012 07:28 am
I was fan of Google from last 7 years, Now I Know they are biased not thinking about users anymore... their Algos are fake...no relevancy anymore...only Big sites getting ranking.... same website has 10 results on the first page....