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« Check Your Pool Gates!!!!! | Main | Neat Idea for Real Estate Agents & Homeowners » Friday, March 25, 2005New Google Feature May Affect Real Estate WebsitesThe tech world and many internet advertisers are in an uproar over a new feature called 'Autolink' which is part of Google Toolbar 3 (the newest version). If you don't use or know about the Google Toolbar, it's an Internet Explorer add-on that you can download (free) to improve your internet experience! It adds enhanced search functions as well as pop-up blockers and other useful features. The newest version adds a translator and an internet form spellcheck, as well as the Autolink feature. Autolink, which I think is still in beta version, is a new feature that changes US addresses, Package Tracking Numbers, ISBNs (book numbers), and Vehicle ID Numbers (VIN's) into links...links that lead the user to a different website. There is no opt out feature so the only way to stop links from being added to your website is to add links yourself to all 'trigger text' on your website (US addresses, ISBN's, etc.). Autolink will not override an existing link, it only affects unlinked text. You can imagine what a huge and expensive task it would be to add links to every book number on a site like BarnesAndNoble.com, for example. But this is a step the online book retailer recently took in response to Autolink. Otherwise, Autolink would turn all of the book numbers on BarnesAndNoble.com into links to Amazon.com, one of their competitors. What's worse, Barnes and Noble is a Google advertiser! I've also heard that Google is considering adding UPC codes to the type of text that triggers Autolink. So as you can see, while Autolink may add functionality for the user, many techies and online advertisers think it is just plain wrong for a variety of reasons. First, Google is altering the content of websites without the consent of website owners. The links that are inserted by the Google Toolbar are intended to lead the user away from the website they are viewing, to a site determined by the Google Toolbar. Addresses take the user to Google's new map tool; book numbers link to Amazon.com; VIN's link to Carfax.com; and I think package tracking numbers link to DHL, Fed-Ex and USPS. In the case of the map, I have been told you can change the setting so the map links will take you to Yahoo or MapQuest instead of Google Maps. Second, there is no opt out feature for website owners. Anybody who pays to advertise on Google should be especially concerned. For example, if you participate in AdWords, you pay Google to send traffic to your site. But say you are a real estate agent and your website contains addresses. Autolink will change those addresses into links that take your potential client right back to Google, and away from your site. Pretty sleazy, huh? It will be interesting to see how the Realtorâ associations and MLS will handle Autolink. Will they change the online MLS (public access version, aka IDX) and add their own links to addresses so they can control where the links go? The Realtorâ-only MLS should not be affected since all the addresses that come up are already linked to MarketLinx Mapping. Many say that Google is now trying to get away with what Microsoft didn't get away with. Microsoft released a feature called 'Smart Tags' a few years back which was very similar to Autolink. Microsoft, however, had an opt out feature (code that a webmaster could insert into the website to prevent any alterations to their website). Still, public outcry forced Microsoft to abandon Smart Tags. And there is talk that Google may be forced, at a minimum, to make some changes to the way Autolink works. In Google's defense, the Toolbar is a feature which must be voluntarily installed. Additionally, the user has to click the Autolink button when addresses or other trigger text is found on the webpage. While this tool certainly seems to add functionality, I think Google has seriously stepped over the line public relations wise, especially with respect to AdWords customers. I personally refuse to install the Google Toolbar on any of my computers. In addition to privacy concerns, I also have security concerns with any add-on such as this. I did start to install Google Toolbar once just to play with it, and I had various problems with Internet Explorer until I removed it (in all fairness to Google, the Toolbar is easy to install and I think my problems were caused by security features on my network which restricted full installation of the Toolbar). While I hear the pop-up blocker is pretty good, all 'blockers' sometimes block things you might want to see. If I get too many pop-ups on a site, I simply don't ever visit that site again. And while some of the enhanced search features are cool and even seem useful, I have never searched for anything I couldn't find just as easily without them! To read more about how the IT world is responding to Autolink, check out this article by Steve Rubel, a well-respected PR Strategist and blogger.
Posted by Shannon Hubbard, Arizona Real Estate Agent on March 25, 2005 | Permalink Comments
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