[ocdtrekkie]

Yeah, once you realize the most profitable Google search terms are already the top organic result paying to be on top, you realize Google's business is the guy who shakes down storefronts for "protection" to avoid their windows being broken in by the local gang on a global scale.

"That's a nice brand you built there. Ya know, it'd be a shame, a real shame, if one of your competitors was to end up above you on the search results page. I could, uh, make sure that doesn't happen."

[ClumsyPilot]

Its worse: you search for a government service, like issuing a passport or a driving lisence, that by law and by logic only the government can provide , and the top result is often a scam.

[dazc]

To be fair to Google, they've only known about this issue for at least 10 years and I'm sure they are working hard on fixing it. It's not as easy as you think since the only legitimate domains in such a scenario would be .gov and there isn't any available technology to whitelist this tld - as far as I know?

[IgorPartola]

When my household moved last year two of the adults fell for this scam with change of address. For the record USPS will change your address for free in person or for $1 online (using a credit card cuts down on fraud and they have to charge something to actually use the CC). Well two people fell for bullshit Google ads and paid $85 each. One got her money back. The other did not. I am sure Google will fix it any day now.

[charcircuit]

>Yeah, once you realize the most profitable Google search terms are already the top organic result paying to be on top

What if you aren't the top organic search and you want to drive traffic. For example "mesothelioma lawyer" is a very profitable keyword that'd you would want to show up on top. If there weren't any ads you would need to out SEO other law firms and hope Google doesn't screw you by adjusting the ranking algorithm.

[tempestn]

The problem is specifically with branded searches. When someone searches not "mesothelioma lawyer", but rather, "Kirkland & Ellis LLP.", and they get an ad for some other law firm above that.

[ocdtrekkie]

That's the obvious legitimate purpose of selling the ad space. If that's where Google's money was coming from, I wouldn't be irritated. Well that and if they didn't profit on the malware/support scam ads.

However, I suspect if we were to remove Google's revenue from those two categories, they would not be in the Fortune 50.

[RubyRidgeRandy]

Except your storefront is on Google's land...and people find your website using their services...and you are free to not ever do any kind of ppc or seo work on your site at all.

[rndphs]

It just so happens that Google's land includes all of the main streets where people shop. But, you are free to set up your store on a backstreet alleyway a few miles from the town centre. That way you won't have to pay the protection fee. That's some real freedom right there.

[RubyRidgeRandy]

That's interesting, so google ads don't work yet simultaneously if you don't use them your business will just break down into nothing. How does that work?

[dotancohen]

In your analogy, are not stores on main streets taxed higher than stores on back alleys?