Is this bad design or spam?

[SEFL]

I really can't tell in this case, but check out the following URL:

http://www.helpdocuments.com

The technique won't reveal itself until you move your mouse along the page where the text is (don't click and drag; just move your mouse along).

The hyperlinks are all the same color as the text, and there's no underline or anything. I'm really not sure if that's just ignorance (as I suspect it is) or it's spam to try and hide the links.

I can't see anyone wanting to hide every single link on their site.

[g1smd]

I beleive that Matt Cutts is already on record as saying that mystery meat navigation is usually spam.

[Quadrille]

It's a design disease.

Only this morning I had to write to a client explaining that the 'blue / underline' wasn't a convention for fun, but it has a purpose.

At least his links were visible by context - your example really does require the mouseover.

But if you look at the links and read the text carefully, there's a simple logic to it.

It's just bad design. No-one gains from the links being camoflaged; no webmaster, no user, no SE ... no-one.

And you'll never convince me he intended to hide the link to "Request an SEO evaluation of your web site for just $50!". No-one could be that stupid. Stupid enough to hide the link, maybe - but not stupid enough to intend to :)

[SEFL]

Quad, that was my thinking...why would anyone hide the links that they want users to find? I could almost understand the ones in the footer on the opening page (which is what I accidentally found originally), but not the stuff in the body copy.

[Quadrille]

Look no further than his SEO blog; the guy reads at all the wrong places ;)

[ihelpyou]

LOL Adam; I just made a reply in Matt's blog responding to that "randy" post he made. Now; I see you reference this guy's site in here. LOL

[Quadrille]

Reading his post at MC, the guy is clearly mixed up - but I reckon he'd be mortified if it were suggested he was spamming.

He needs to spend some time here.

[SEFL]

So which one of us wants to tell him?

[Quadrille]

Once he reads Doug's reply, if he has any nous at all, he'll follow the (visible) link ...

[Dave Hawley]

Is this bad design or spam? Both.

[ihelpyou]

HUH???

http://www.seosearchlight.com/

Check it out.

This Randy guy claims he's a pure whitehat thru and thru. He claims this on his blog and on his main website. Check that domain above. Maybe I'm very wrong, but doesn't that look like a site geared to drive traffic to his "main" website only of helpdocuments.com? Also geared to making a buck off adsense?? What exactly is that site? It sure looks like a "doorway" domain to me.

[Dave Hawley]

Looks very much like a SE that returns the highest bidder on top descending down to the lowest bidder. In other words, totally useless.

[SEFL]

In this case, Doug, I think you're wrong.

The domain listed on that parked page is helpdocuments.net. Randy's site is helpdocuments.com. I could be wrong too though; it depends on what the guy does with it.

[ihelpyou]

I'm not wrong. You are wrong. :D

His blog is called "seosearchlight.blogger". That doorway domain is the same and directs people to his main website.

[ihelpyou]

Scroll to the bottom of the page Adam and mouse over ALL the links. :)

[SEFL]

Actually, it's a reciprocal thing. A very messed up, low-level, my-nephew-could-do-a-better-job-and-he's-9 reciprocal thing, but one nonetheless.

He's using helpdocuments.NET (which I clicked on and got sent to GoDaddy) for "website hosting services" and helpdocuments.COM to plug whatever other crap he's plugging.

http://www.helpdocuments.com/website-services.htm

He must really believe in the hosting services GoDaddy offers, since helpdocuments.com is hosted on ValueWeb. :D

The only thing I can't figure out is the parked page itself. Is that a GoDaddy thing? Do they make money off the GAS clickthroughs? Or does Randy?

In my defense, I was confused because this is so damned stupid. There's not even a trace of logic in anything this guy does, and I can't be held responsible for misunderstanding the actions of the criminally inane. :D

[ihelpyou]

What I don't get is the fact he is using a subdomain of blogger for his blog which is called seosearchlight. He is parking the damn seosearchlight domain and then leading visitors to his main site of helpdocuments.com.

It is truly idiotic and stupid. It's very spammy and it could end up hurting his main site big time.