One Less PR Backlash to Worry about – the Google Bomb Defused

Google has taken steps to thwart pranksters who use links to attach a phrase to a web page, like the "miserable failure" phrase that has led millions of people to the White House biography of George W. Bush.

Called Google Bombing, this tactic has been applied to other political figures, and could also target companies or others.

Danny Sullivan comments that the tactic was considered harmless, because it generally used a phrase that wasn’t significant. He disagrees, pointing out that Dick Gephardt, the originator of the miserable failure description, was pushed down in the search rankings by the effort to embarrass Bush.

Tags: google bombing, prank, george bush, miserable failure, search