DesignersTalk - View Single Post - Large webmaster forum bans all search engines

Limbo · 24-11-2005, 05:17

Webmasterworld has added a robot.txt file that disallows all user agents - thereby stoppping all Search Engines visting the site. This huge step by the operator and has already sent a ripple across the SEO community. Brett, the site owner states his reason is becasue of rogue bots visiting many million times a day... this is an odd decision - you can ban rogue bots in many ways.

Link: http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum9/9593.htm

This action has thrown up a much bigger question:

Do we actually need Search Engines as a promotion tool?

- or is Word of mouth/advertising good enough (assuming the product is quality)

A paying member in another thread mused that it might be a SE gaming technique to ensure that the site receives so many quality backlinks that he cultures a PR10 site (or second highest after google) that he could sell to the highest bidder.

That's a far fetched theory but the consequesces of this action could actually effect Google stock. Really.

Oli - ever considered this? I doubt it

but as an it's experiment defintely worth monitoring.

24-11-2005, 05:17	#1 (permalink)
Limbo Baskin' Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 5,632	Large webmaster forum bans all search engines Webmasterworld has added a robot.txt file that disallows all user agents - thereby stoppping all Search Engines visting the site. This huge step by the operator and has already sent a ripple across the SEO community. Brett, the site owner states his reason is becasue of rogue bots visiting many million times a day... this is an odd decision - you can ban rogue bots in many ways. Link: http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum9/9593.htm This action has thrown up a much bigger question: Do we actually need Search Engines as a promotion tool? - or is Word of mouth/advertising good enough (assuming the product is quality) A paying member in another thread mused that it might be a SE gaming technique to ensure that the site receives so many quality backlinks that he cultures a PR10 site (or second highest after google) that he could sell to the highest bidder. That's a far fetched theory but the consequesces of this action could actually effect Google stock. Really. Oli - ever considered this? I doubt it but as an it's experiment defintely worth monitoring. Last edited by Limbo : 24-11-2005 at 12:18.