Startpages 'not spam'

6 July 2007

Startpages are not spam, according to Google.

The pages, which primarily feature a list of links with little additional content, differ subtly from 'doorway pages' typically used by spammers, a Google blog post suggests.

WebProNews editor Jason Lee Miller advises that the difference between the two may be seen more easily in practice than in theory.

"On the surface it does seem the two would be difficult to distinguish via technical definition," he writes.

"But just like on the issue of decency, one might know spam when he sees it," Mr Miller claims.

He urges webmasters considering startpages as a means of increasing link content and adding keywords to websites to take into account certain standards to ensure the page does not appear as spam.

Using full sentences instead of fragments and ensuring content remains on the main topic of the website are among the mechanisms webmasters are advised to use.

Google webspam team leader Matt Cutts suggests that while the search engine accepts third-party spam reports, most of its spam filtering takes place internally.

Category: Google