BAH... Apple uses nofollow on iTunes

PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
edited November -1 in iPhone and Android Publishing
After working very hard on Commove, my new iPad game, I wanted to make sure that the iTunes listing was perfect. I noticed that the wording for the links was reversed. I went to update them, to ensure proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but then I realized this was futile. Apple sets the links to my site as nofollow - very insulting to me!

I posted up more about it here...

http://photics.com/nofollow-apple-thats-not-nice

This annoys me a lot. I spent money on Apple hardware/software, I make games, I promote my games... but Apple can't have the courtesy to allow search engines to acknowledge a link between our two sites?

I can see defending their site against spammers, but they know who I am. They have my personal information. They approve the listing. It's like they're the rich folk who don't want to be associated with the commoners.

Comments

  • EastboundEastbound Member, BASIC Posts: 1,074
    Well, I read this post and your blog post, and to be honest; I still don't know what you're talking about? :/
  • BarkBarkCoBarkBarkCo Member Posts: 1,400
    This hatred* will subside once Apple features Commove all over the place... ;-)

    *Too much? "strong dislike" better?
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    This page might help...
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nofollow

    Basically it works like this... right now... at this very moment... Google, Bing and other search engines are indexing pages on the Internet. These "robots" go to a page and then they use algorithms to rate it. Depending on things like keywords and sites that link to you, your page has a better chance of appearing in search engines. It's called Search Engine Optimization.

    However, black-hat SEO webmasters took advantage of this knowledge and they would spam websites with links to sites that they wanted to boost in ranking. The search engines countered this method by introducing "nofollow" in hyperlinks.

    Nofollow says to a search engine robot... don't follow this link. Now, the robot might follow the link anyway, but what usually happens is that the linked website doesn't get a bonus. Search Engines don't just judge web pages by their content, they judge web pages by their friends too.

    For example, I have a link to gamesalad.com on my website. It basically says to Google... hey... Photics.com is a site about gaming and it has been around for over a decade... so gamesalad.com must be OK too. The more sites that link to GameSalad, the more popular GameSalad becomes. So when you search for GameSalad, it's more likely to beat out competitive websites.

    But in the situation of iTunes, Apple doesn't want to make that association. It doesn't want to say to Google, "Hey... Photics is alright, you should go check out his site." Instead it's saying, "don't follow that link!"
    barkbark00 said:
    This hatred* will subside once Apple features Commove all over the place... ;-)

    *Too much? "strong dislike" better?

    I'm annoyed because it seems that Apple doesn't like me. If they featured my App, then that would change my opinion. But now it feels like there are the "cool kids" on the app store, and then there are the independent developers that have to fight like Conan the Barbarian to get ahead.
  • peachpellenpeachpellen Member Posts: 977
    I understand the nofollow thing; only too well. (Haven't got anything up with Apple yet so I wasn't aware of this; but it is very sucky to say the least.)

    Hope that they consider changing it in the future; if you pay $99 a year you deserve a link - to say nothing of the cost of an iPod Touch/iPhone and a Mac.
  • design219design219 Member Posts: 2,273
    Is Apple treating everyone the same with this "not follow?" Or is it just for independents or new developers?

    How do you tell?

    _______________

    Tickle Stones http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tickle-stones/id363484260?mt=8
    Food Fight! (free) http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/food-fight/id352646643?mt=8
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    design219 said:
    Is Apple treating everyone the same with this "not follow?" Or is it just for independents or new developers?

    How do you tell?

    That's a good question. They seem to be setting the external links to nofollow for large companies too. For example, I checked out the iPad listing for Pacman. The links to Namco's page are nofollow.

    So, it's not just an independent developer thing... but it's still annoying to me.

    To check this out for yourself, go to the web version of your iTunes app page and then view the source.
  • JamesZeppelinJamesZeppelin Member Posts: 1,927
    Seems like a minor detail.
    I cant imagine having some edge over other apps or a huge boost in sales
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    I used to work at a company that spent millions of dollars on marketing. I walked in, pointed out flaws that hurt the site's Search Engine Optimization, and boom... tens-of-thousands of additional visitors every month. From my perspective, the entire department combined (if not, really close to combined) wasn't bringing in the traffic that my web work was achieving... not radio, not print, not public relations, not annoying little cards in the mail... organic search (not even paid search) was the number one source of traffic.

    It may seem small to you... and probably to a lot of people... but to me, this is an issue. Online, like in life, you are judged by your friends. Google sends a lot of traffic to my website. Yet, I've seen how much better it could be. Would you rather have hundreds of visitors from Google a month... or would you rather have thousands?

    ...and think what Search Engine Optimization costs... it's basically nothing. NOTHING... besides some web development work. Simple decisions like not using a flash navigation system or creating SEO friendly hyperlinks can mean the difference of customers finding you.

    It's very frustrating, being so close to success, but seeing so many obstacles. Apple is in their right to choose their hyperlink policy. Yet, it's annoying to me... knowing that unobstructed links from iTunes would have been a nice boost for my site's standing.

    It's hard to make a good name for yourself in such a competitive market.

    Heh... but I suppose that also makes it fun :)
  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474
    I now know who to contact in regards to SEO and pushing my movie and book... LOL. I might have to email you, Photics ;)
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    I consider myself an excellent web developer. Surprisingly, I don't do a whole lot of freelance work.

    SEO is basically two parts... making sure your website is built properly and having good links to your website. The second part is not so easy. That's why I'm annoyed. Multiple game related links from iTunes might have been a great boost for my site.

    I have my own books and games that don't seem to be doing as well as they should. The problem is building a brand. A great comparison is Bing... Microsoft is spending a lot of money to gain ground in search. Yet, people are familiar with Google. They don't say "Bing it". They say "Google it".
  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474
    I simply don't use bing because it's crap... the results are always the opposite of what I want... Google seems much more accurate.
  • PhoticsPhotics Member Posts: 4,172
    I like Bing. It's not too bad. It still has a lot of catching up to do, in order to be better than Google.
  • ORBZORBZ Member Posts: 1,304
    Bing always reminds me of the sopranos The strip club where Tony's office was in the backroom was called the "Bada-Bing"

    Suffice to say, i can't really get that image out of my mind when I see Bing advertised by Microsoft it makes me think of gangsters and strip clubs.

    That and... well, I just don't see what Bing offers that Google doesn't.
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