Top > Business > 2006 > February > 2006-02-09

Google Blacklists BMW

Google is not only the top search engine on the web, but like all big businesses it can make or break other smaller businesses. Recently the mega-site noticed that BMW was fooling web surfers who were looking for used cars. BMW made sure that they were listed as the top site for used cars when searched on Google, however, when customers clicked on the link they were sent to the main page. Google has blocked the German Web site of BMW after accusing the car maker of trying to manipulate search results.

The company was blacklisted for using so-called "doorway pages," using search terms such as "new cars" and "used cars" to boost its ranking in search results lists. Such pages can be used to trick search engines into sending users to Web sites that are not directly related to the search terms they are searching for. That practice breaks Google`s guidelines, a Google engineer, Matt Cutts, wrote in a posting on his Web site on Saturday.

Google says it will temporarily or permanently suspend any site that breaks its rules. BMW, the world`s largest maker of luxury cars, said the company did not believe that the practice manipulated Google`s search engine. Marc Hassinger, a spokesman for BMW, which is based in Munich, said the company was in contact with Google and was confident that its German Web site would be back on Google`s indexes.