Google fail: Chrome gets punished for sponsored links

Earlier this month, Google Chrome was in violation of Google’s own Quality Guidelines by using a large number of paid sponsored links on other companies’ websites linking to Google Chrome’s download page. Here is an excerpt from Google’s Guideline page: “Don’t participate in link schemes designed to increase your site’s ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or “bad neighborhoods” on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.”

Unfortunately Google didn’t follow it own rules and is now going to experience decrease Search Engine rankings for at least 60 days before it is able to make a run at increasing it’s rankings again.

While this is most likely an unintended mistake on Google’s part, it must be quite embarrassing for the search giant to have made this sort of oversight with so many people paying attention. It’s good to see them taking action for their own mistakes and taking the initiative to punish their own browser’s site for breaking the guidelines.

What do you think about Google’s run-in with itself? Does this violation make you think any differently of Google, Chrome or both products?.