Google Docs a bad idea for SEO's?

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sickseo

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Hi,

I'm an SEO and I have been using Google Docs as a way to show my clients the work that we do on their accounts for about a year now. We create a spreadsheet in Google Docs and use it as a workflow chart. We include all the different SEO efforts AND the links we create for them in the Google Docs spreadsheet. It's convenient because the clients can log into the platform any time to essentially look "over our shoulders" and see all the work we are doing. I never need to send emails with ranking reports or link lists, etc...

Recently, I started to re-think that stragagy. I thought to myself: "Am I being foolish? I'm basically showing Google EXACTLY what we are doing and all the links we are creating for our clients.... serving it up to them on their own, propriatary platform (Google Docs)!"

I'm wondering if anyone else has any opinions on this. I would hate to stop using it because it's such a convenient way to communicate with my clients but I'm open to the fact that I might be shooting myself in the foot with Big Brother.

Your thoughs? Thanks!
 
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If Google reads your emails and displays ads that relate to them, then they can probably see your documents.
 
everythingred said:
If Google reads your emails and displays ads that relate to them, then they can probably see your documents.
Click to expand...


I'm sure they can see the docs in Google Docs. I guess I'm wondering if that's bad. I suppose it comes down to what I'm doing for the clients though. You would think that listing every link we create (both white and black hat) is probably not a good idea.
 
Well we can compare it like this. If you're exploiting someone's "system" and you're outlining how your doing it on their network, then it wouldn't be a good idea.
 
Yea,but don't worry too much.There's bilion of people that dose that,and google knows a lot of websites are ranking on their search engine artificially,and they know how exactly.
There's just not enough time to catch with all the loopholes,that usually aren't even discussed in the public.

Anyway,it isn't smart to rise your hand on their own platform and say,hey look what i'm doing to rank some websites!
 
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Would you put all your link wheel urls into a docshare document?

No. Why? Because it can be indexed and all that work you put into creating "unique" properties goes down the drain cause they are all suddenly tied together.

Does google crawl their own documents? They would be foolish not too. :)
 
No need to be paranoid. Google docs is awesome. Could they read your documents? Probably. Will they and then make a connection to what you're doing with those documents? Unlikely.
 
I don't think google reads through your doc's...I could be wrong but that would be creepy...
 
manny521 said:
I don't think google reads through your doc's...I could be wrong but that would be creepy...
Click to expand...

well they read through your personal emails so isn't that more creepy?
 
ahahaha yeah you're a bit paranoid man. Sure they can read anything and they probably do in order to take some marketing advantage, but I doubt they manually check everything to find who's backlinking with black hat methods, they have a easier ways to do that :)
 
I sure do hope they dont read GDocs.. but if I were you I would use a CRM to share docs with your clients and give them a personal view to see whats being done, Although I do not think that Google will make the connection between your links on your Gdocs and penalizing the sites there, I wouldnt put it passed them.. If they are displaying ads, I am sure they have some type of tracking on there for that.. just not sure how the connection or more important the penalty will happen. But I strongly suggest you find an alternative.
 
I know georgebw and botwiz from linkpwn and prblitz are using them as well. Personally I use it as well and never recognized any bad experiences. Versa Vice I think it could help to get links indexed. In the past I used two gmail accounts and sent the report links from one account to the other to get them indexed, as those gmail emails are spidered for ad relevant data - and it did work.
 
I really don't think they'd be able to access your private documents, I'm not too familiar with Google Docs, but when people say they read your emails etc, obviously thats bs. Imagine the privacy uproar if they were found doing that, it's plain illegal for a google employee to go into your inbox without a warrant. Obviously they do use an algorithm to scan your emails and serve relevant ads, but I'm pretty sure theres a high level of privacy baked into that system.
In short, read the T&Cs, but it's probably fine. And password protect them if you haven't
 
Oh for god sake this google paranoia is going way too far it's getting stupid

Yes the bots look at keywords (in emails) to show relevant adverts, yes google admit that

Google would not be sitting there looking at your spreadsheets trying to find the best links to slap

Microsoft upload your computer history and all sorts, apple upload pretty much everything, apps, sims, phones, ipads, tvs, pcs, consoles, cars, mp3 players all track and take more data than you actually know

You guys better get your tin foil hats on
 
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I wish Google were snooping around without bots on my google docs. I would sue them to high hell and make enough cash to quit the seo game. Imagine large companies or goverment organisations who use google docs finding out google was breaking thier tos and looking through docs.
 
You could always use Dropbox and just set up individual folders for each client. I would think it would work just as well and you wouldn't have to worry about Google sniffing around one way or the other.
 
Your docs and email are supposed to never be viewed by human eyes outside of the intended recipients. Now if google ever did decide to turn evil a lot of us will be screwed. I do the same thing with my clients but I do have a few that don't care for G so I have to use an alternative method. For those clients I create a folder on dropbox and share M$ files or plain ole txt files.
 
floombus said:
I wish Google were snooping around without bots on my google docs. I would sue them to high hell and make enough cash to quit the seo game. Imagine large companies or goverment organisations who use google docs finding out google was breaking thier tos and looking through docs.
Click to expand...

Its states it on the terms and conditions and they have announced it on BBC and other TV channels

Bots pick up on keywords and show relvent adverts, that how it works and you agree to that when you use your Google account
 
Use Excel, then you can use the free seo excel tools for things like checking PR, that's what I do.


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