So Google's Matt Cutts has dropped a bomb on the practice of paid links. The ongoing offensive against gaming Google's algorithm is honorable and is sure to push more SEOs out of the business, thus driving more dollars to paid options such as AdWords. However, a few thoughts:

• Is this a confession of sorts that Google has found an SEO tactic that their algorithm cannot conquer alone? If so, that's a first.
• So, who gets hurt here? The site with the link, the advertiser or both?
• If the advertiser gets targeted, then it becomes very easy to simply a buy a link for your competitor, then report them. A new form of Google bowling, if you will.
• If the publisher gets punished, this seems to open up a whole can of worms, most of all an uprising against Google stopping good bloggers all over from making some money outside of AdSense (of course, that may just be the point).

Google's history is to find major trends in spam (link farms, reciprocals, directories, etc.) then implement sweeping smackdowns. My guess is this will be no different. I can't see Google putting out little fires, Whack-a-Mole style. They're hope is to probably learn more, pinpoint big abuses and act accordingly.

Then it's on to the next thing.

Labels: google