More than a year ago, I wrote about the high level (as much as 50%) of deceptive advertising in Google’s sponsored search results (AdWords) for the search keyword ‘jobs’. I hoped Google would clean up the spam…
And why should I care about this?
- First, Google is slowly teaching everyone that uses the Internet not to click on sponsored results. As an advertiser, that means I should expect that over time, only morons will click on my ads.
- Second, dishonest advertising competes with my advertising – significantly raising the price I pay.
A year later, the AdWords pollution is all the more remarkable considering the deep suffering of today’s jobless. It’s a little bit like selling healing water or zeolite as a cure for cancer. Sounds ridiculous? People who are suffering want to believe – they do buy this stuff.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s recent message strikes a chord for me – he says:
"Brands are the solution, not the problem. Brands are how you sort out the cesspool"
And I say — just look at these AdWords results – here’s what you’ll find if you click the second one pictured above:
I say the Internet will remain a cesspool until Google stops supporting and enabling blatantly deceptive advertising. Here is a fascinating blog post that goes into more depth on deceptive Internet advertising.
I have never ridden in a private jet like the Google plane (pictured) and I don’t have a multibillion-dollar margin for error. If Google can’t afford to review and reject deceptive advertising, I don’t know who can. And, as Google goes, so goes the market.
The suffering in the recruiting industry is intense – we have let go a significant proportion of our staff as has most everyone involved in the employment business. We have taken significant salary cuts and we are fighting the crisis with sustained high intensity. And through all this, we continue protecting the user experience and job seekers from predators.
Now, I still love you Google and never leave the house without one of my Google caps. So, consider this a hopeful message. I’ve seen your responsiveness. So, follow some of these ads and if your sense of decency isn’t offended, I’ll eat my hat.
Trucker April 27, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Man I wish they would stop that, great job Eric, there are few with balls like you, don’t stop trying to keep them straight!
**es** thanks for the warning, after rereading it I realized it was a little too personal so I edited a little bit and hope it is gentler now. It’s easy to get carried away when you are writing about inconvenient truths.
Huis Kopen July 9, 2009 at 10:07 am
It would be great if making money was as easy as all those scams say it is! I was one of those stupid enough to fall for it but now I know its a waste of time! Better use your time to go to job interviews and get a real job! Best regards, Huis Kopen
eric shannon December 10, 2009 at 12:17 pm
thank you Google team, on behalf of everyone doing honest work in the job board in the employment industry!
wannadevelop.com April 27, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Eric, garbitrage is back bigger than ever before.
Times are hard, on many of us, including Google
They need money. Lots of it.
Garbitrage = garbage traffic arbitrage is back, as well as all of this scams you write about.
Many of the enforced quality standards have been lifted and lots of opportunities currently exist for those who want to exploit the system.
So what else is new?
Round and round we go.
**es** I didn’t know that Mike! while I was writing this post, I noticed that Google doesn’t seem to be enforcing the rules concerning display URLs anymore.
adam April 28, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I’d like to think we will see better times, but with things on the job front heading as they are, I am thinking you will only see more of this Eric. People with no job, lots of time, and an Internet connection – when given really bad direction – will cause more pollution.
**es** well said Adam!
Jeff Dickey-Chasins April 28, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Eric,
Absolutely on target! This is completely aggravating to those of us trying to use Adwords sparingly to hit superniche targets, with limited budgets. Thanks for the post!
**es** thanks Jeff!
yul April 28, 2009 at 3:33 pm
you are the most honest, gifted and humorous entrepreneur of all!
much love and success to the LatPro Family,
y
**es** and to you Yul, thanks:)
Cade Krueger April 30, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Eric…You made some very good points. Thanks for that. It seems like Google is branding themselves as a junk advertiser. How are legitimate companies responding to this? Is there significant confidence that is being lost in Google advertising?
**es** I really don’t know. I’m surprised at the lack of interest in this topic. However, in a private forum, I read about website owners declining to use AdSense because of the quality of the ads… maybe it’s something people don’t want to talk about in public.
WILLIAM CADENILLA May 1, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I’ve seen many of these false job or make money scheme advertising not just with Google. Craigslist seems to have a good number of part time jobs which pay a lot of money. Some of them, if not most, are just simply too goodn to be true.
One of the reasons I commenced a blog about job hunting (http://www.blogs.chowjobs.com) is to provide real job leads. I don’t have many – but these leads are real.
Thanks for posting this concern on your site. ‘Looking forward to reading more of your blog.
Joe Hyde June 2, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I work in recruitment advertising. I see a ton of customers posting jobs where they have no intention of even looking at the resumes. They are collecting CVs for contingencies. Worse, there are those that buy access to the major job board resume database and telemarket their sorry-assed "pay me $5000 to find you an executive-level job" ripoffs. So the level of snake oil goes much deeper than just Google. The jobs boards are in on the scams too.
**es** Some of them are Joe. At LatPro we hand review every job and decline the ripoffs.
John Leshem June 26, 2009 at 8:29 pm
There is also the problem of the affiliates of CPA networks spamming Craigslist users with fake job offers in order to trick them into filling in a CPA offer (for example a credit report request pay per lead offer) How this works.
Some of the CPA networks even encourage their affiliates to spam Craigslist users as witnessed in this thread where the owner of the network not only encourages his affiliates to contact Craigslist users with Govt Grant or Google bizop (scam) offers but also suggests the writing of fake testimonials! (He says don’t write it yourself but get a friend to do it so if the FTC investigates there is someone to contact!)
Unbelievable
**es** thanks John!