Angie’s List Exposed!

Posted on | January 18, 2010 | No Comments

We uncovered a plot by Angie’s List over the last two days. They’re insisting that our client embed the link “tree service in Washington DC” underneath their “Super Service Award” badge — backlinking both to their website pages. While the latter is a fair trade, the former has definite consequences for contractors.

Since our client does not serve customers in Washington DC, this link would confuse customers. However, the backlinks build valuable equity with Google for Angie’s List that have the effect of pushing contractors away from the most desirable direct-to-consumer traffic. Contractors can’t build a link network that’s anywhere near as large as what companies like Angie’s List leverages.

When approached about the subject, their “Brand Enforcement Coordinator” and “Search Marketing Manager” were both impressed that we knew what we we’re talking about, yet remained as determined as ever in their tactics. They didn’t seem too keen on our idea that they pay for the “tree service in Washington DC” backlink. Unbelievable — don’t expect us to keep quiet on this!

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