On February 13, 2007, News and Media Blog posted about Google’s change in algorithm to address the Google Bomb. For the longest time, if you were type in “miserable failure” into Google’s search box you’d find the White House bio of George Bush in the No. 1 spot. Then Google flipped the switch.
But the search giant didn’t address other Google Bombs. Well, as it were, Google Bombs have quietly made their way back again. This time, through an unexpected source.
Who Is The Real ‘Greatest Living American?
Stephen Colbert, on his TV show The Colbert Report, asked if he could be No. 1 for the phrase “Giant Brass Balls.” Well, his fans decided to help him out. But instead of giving him a yank in the direction of “Giant Brass Balls,” the blogosphere went nuts over “Greatest Living American” instead. Guess what? He’s No. 1 for that search phrase.
But he’s got a little competition. Some buy named Brandon Wirtz also wants to be the Greatest Living American. Wirtz posted a blog entry on his blog offering copies of software programs to anyone who links to his blog post with the proper anchor text and ranking in the Top 10 searches for that phrase. Wirtz went so far as to even post photos on his blog using Greatest Living American alt tags.
Two days ago Wirtz was ranked No. 4 or 5 for the phrase “Greatest Living American.” Today he’s in the No. 2 spot. Having moved up a notch or two he could very well be in position to overtake Colbert before hitting the home stretch. If that happens, will he secure the Greatest Living American title, or does it go to Colbert by default for the being the first to hit the spot? In other words, in the SEO world, does Top Rank go to the person who hits it first or to the person who secures it the longest? Or maybe it’s like the old game “King of the Hill,” where the winner is whoever is on top right now. I’ll let you decide.
Who Else Is Weighing In On The Greatest Living American Debate?
Some peckerwilly named Joe Griffen who thinks he has the balls to win the title is getting in on the action as well:
Stephen Colbert wants to rank #1 for greatest living american. But, I Joe Griffin, should really have the title. I should take the #1 spot on Google for the keyword phrase “greatest living american,” or if nothing else at least come in at #2. So, I might as well try my hand at it. After all, I’ve been managing an SEO firm called Submitawebsite for what seems like an eternity - I should be able to fair pretty well - at least I’d hope so.
Sorry, Joe. You’re just not cutting it. First of all, you need to take that godawful picture of yourself off of your website. I know it’s there for the alt tag, but geez, it’s too fricking huge. How about just a thumbnail? Same SEO benefit, less in your face. Besides, how about checking out the competition first? Mr. Wirtz had the same idea and posted three photos (none of them as hammer headed as yours of course) with the Greatest Living American alt tags and that’s probably why he’s at No. 2 and your stuck down below the fold. Sorry, dude, you’re just downtown.
A lot of these SEO geeks seem to think they’ve got it. Search Engine Land voted for Colbert. SEOmoz voted for Colbert with effusive phrase. Then, Search Engine Watch followed suit.
Unfortunately, not all SEO studs think it’s such a good thing. Pronet Advertising blasted Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz) for his part in the prank. He likened it to the reason people have a dislike for SEOs. Rand fought back with a comment on Pronet’s blog:
Muhammad - you’re a very smart guy and one who probably knows well that things like that aren’t why the community that hates SEOs hates them. Actions like the Colbert report google-bombing actually probably help the SEOs profile in the community that hates them most - developers and tech-savvy bloggers (who love Colbert).
Well, I don’t presume to know why people don’t like SEOs. But I do know that Google Bombing works. These kinds of pranks prove it. And I’m not the only one who thinks so:
But the fact that some people do create Google Bombs is proof that link building works. As long as Google places high value on inbound links people will continue to Google Bomb with great success.
So Is Google Bombing Really All That?
I don’t know who will end up being the Greatest Living American, but I do know that Google Bombing is still alive and well. Google may eventually figure out how to prevent SEOs from manipulating the playing field. But I doubt it. For every rule there is a dozen ways to break it and two dozen ways to exploit it. Those who game the system will find a way to do one or both. Call it black hat, gray hat, or just plain fun, I don’t care. But the fact is, Google set the playing field and established the rules. Others are playing by them, having fun, and scoring points. The only question that remains is will you join them?
