Google bombing, also known as Googlewashing, is a practice of manipulating Google search results for irrelevant, unrelated or off-topic search queries by creating a large number of links.
Google bombing is carried out for commercial, political or humorous purposes — or a combination of all three.
It is a Black Hat SEO technique aimed at artificially influencing the ranking of a specific page in Google’s search results for a given query.
History of Google Bombing
Google bombing began to be used in the early 2000s. The most famous examples are probably the bombing of the query “miserable failure,” which returned George W. Bush’s biography on the White House website (2003), and the bombing of a French query that associated the name of former French president Sarkozy with an unflattering term.
How Does Google Bombing Work?
Google bombing exploits Google’s algorithm, which takes into account the anchor text of inbound links (backlinks) to determine a page’s relevance to a given query.
In other words, if a large number of websites link to a specific page using the same anchor text, Google’s algorithm may interpret this as a signal that the page is relevant for that phrase or keyword.
For example, if many websites link to a page using the anchor text “best restaurant in Paris,” Google’s algorithm may interpret this as a sign that the page is relevant for the query “best restaurant in Paris.”
The Consequences of Google Bombing
While Google bombing may seem funny or harmless, it has serious consequences. First, it manipulates Google’s search results and distorts the relevance of results for certain queries. Second, it can damage the reputation of the individuals or organizations targeted.
To counter these manipulations, Google issues manual actions when these situations arise — and has very likely implemented automated algorithms to prevent such problems from occurring in the first place.
That said, it can still happen, as in 2018, when searching for “idiot” in Google Images returned results featuring Donald Trump.
Google Bombing: Not So Funny After All
In conclusion, Google bombing is a Black Hat SEO practice that can have harmful consequences. Not only can it damage the reputation of the individuals or organizations targeted, but it can also trigger penalties from Google. We strongly advise against this practice and recommend focusing on SEO methods that comply with Google’s guidelines.