The other day, I was looking for information on a Dynaudio MW 182 subwoofer. I’m doing some research for a new car audio system, and Dynaudio makes some extremely nice (and very expensive) speakers. Like most people doing research on the Net, I fired up Google and typed “mw 182 subwoofer” into the search field to see what information I can dig up.
While I was expecting to see Amazon.com on the list, I was a bit shock to find that Dynaudio.com wasn’t the top result. In fact, Dynaudio.com wasn’t in the first five pages. I guess they need to work on their SEO more. What really caught my eye was the fourth result from Facebook.
My first thought was, “What the hell? Facebook doesn’t sell speakers!” Clicking the link lead me to a Facebook note created by “Subwoofers3.”
It turns out that Mr. Subwoofers3 has written nearly 100 notes, with each note featuring a different subwoofer. Most of the information is copied and pasted from the manufacturer’s website. Mr. Sub added a call to action with an On Sale, Buy Now, or Special Price icon. He then linked the product to Amazon.com using his affiliate link.
Taking Advantage of that PageRank 10
Because Facebook has a PageRank 10, the highest ranking available, the site ranks extremely well on Google. Mr. Sub is taking advantage of this by creating a bunch of pages/notes that is really nothing more than Amazon affiliate links. I have a feeling subwoofers is only one of the categories. I’m sure there is a Midranges3, Tweeters3 and who knows what else.
The last Google update was designed to filter out content farms that add no value for the users. The update didn’t affect Facebook. It looks like affiliate marketers are taking advantage of this by setting up a bunch of affiliate pages on Facebook, waiting for them to rank on Google and then raking in the money! If you want to get in on it, better do it quick. I have a feeling neither Facebook nor Google will let this go on for long.