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Google partners with Amazon to show “Amazon Results”

Update: Turns out this was a plugin after all. I used to have a screenshot plugin called Awesome Screenshot which has 420,000 users and makes no mention of the fact that it adds affiliate links into your search results. I had actually disabled the plugin a few days ago but for some reason it was still changing the search results. I have now uninstalled it and the issues have stopped. Seems a like a plugin Google needs to ban & I have reported it.

The screenshot below is from Google Chrome incognito mode with no plugins. It shows how Google has replaced the standard Shopping results with a set of Amazon Results.

The links don’t look like standard Amazon affiliate links so they must be some kind of partnership links.

This is an example link through to the product page.

I’ve never seen this before but it’s very good for Amazon no doubt.

BY Patrick Altoft AT 9:53am ON Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Patrick Altoft is Director of Search at Branded3 and has worked in the SEO industry for over 10 years. With experience across some of the worlds largest brands as well as startup businesses Patrick is well known in the industry and speaks regularly at the major SEO conferences and events. Follow Patrick on Twitter or Google+

Comments

  • http://www.twitter.com/seosherlock SEOSherlock

    Heres a screenshot from my Chrome browser yesterday showing Amazon results in the SERPs:
    http://awesomescreenshot.com/0f8imgs03

  • http://www.seo-suedwest.de Christian Kunz

    I don’t know if this is some kind of experimental page like the ones google often shows, but if this is real and will be implemented widely in my opinion it would be a big discrimination for smaller shops.

  • http://www.jamesbreckenridge.co.uk/ James Breckenridge

    I would like to think they are testing these when they either can’t provide good results or are frequently open to spam.

    Amazon would be a trusted resource for backfill.

    Then again, with Google you can never tell.

  • http://www.3dsbuzz.com/ Adam

    Great, another way to kill off small businesses.

  • http://www.tmesolutions.co.uk Andy

    How is this fair to other sellers online? This is bias to the extreme and surely not permitted – can see Google getting into big trouble if they implement this full-time. Assuming it’s only in testing at the moment.

  • http://www.woodencastle.co.uk/ Chris

    Wow, the Amazon train rolls on it looks like!

  • Said

    If you deactivate awesomescreenshot in your google chrome, it disappears…

    I have just deleted the extension forever…

  • http://phamthierry.com toune

    can’t see it from france !

  • http://www.swan-e.co.uk Simon Swan

    This seems a worrying factor for affiliates – that Google shopping results are being “powered by” Amazon.

    Would love to know what the deal is here i.e. commission % and tenancy hybrid that Amazon are paying Google and are they getting some kind of preference within product search results on the search engine?

    Interestingly when clicking through to the results page, on the Amazon site, the product category page has been labelled as “NHS” by Amazon. Perhaps a new revenue stream for the NHS to really consider for themselves?!

  • Martaaay

    Someone above has mentioned it however i’ll reinforce – these amazon results appear to be a hijacking caused by a rogue plugin (approved by google itself!) see http://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4352309.htm

  • panos

    Extension uninstalled, thank you!

  • Joe Steinbeck

    I was glad to see the update – I was really confused by the initial news here, as it didn’t seem like something Google would want or dare to do.

  • http://www.diigo.com Joel

    We updated a new version. It’s easier for users to discover and disable this feature now if they don’t like it.

  • Martaaay

    Not really a feature though is it?

  • http://www.seopf.com Sam

    I think google will show pages of amazone.com on higher positions.
    But I am glad for that.

  • http://www.prodelpizzabags.com Akram Sabra

    if Patrick and other SEOs did not raise the flag you would not have “updated” your awesome screen shot.

    Thank you Patrick for keeping an eye on practices like that.

  • http://www.yourmoneyloans.co.uk Alex

    Pretty good idea for a plugin. I bet the developer made some serious cash from that!

  • http://www.zupdates.com/ omar

    this is crap, where is google’s selling itself now… disgraceful.

  • http://www.optilead.co.uk Rich Norton

    I don’t see how this is going to be good for Google in the long run. If they continue to approve spyware plugins and promote Amazon and other large ecommerce sites above organic search results, then surely overall user satisfaction will fall. Particularly when searches in Europe are driving to a US site – it seems a bit like Google are shooting themselves in the foot.

  • http://www.seo-myths.com Gordy

    Reading the comments is sometimes as entertaining as the article itself. Im guessing as least 5 more people screaming about how unfair this will be by Google before they get the hint :P

  • http://www.bridgman.co.uk Bridgman

    I don’t understand why Google would approve this plugin as surely they’d want to promote their own Google shopping results over Amazons.

    I wonder how many other plugins are doing this that haven’t been brought to public attention?

  • http://www.idriveyourcar.com Lily

    Interesting, terrible and slightly unethical. Thanks for the update on this!

  • http://www.seoinfluence.com/ seo santa barbara

    It is sad that a company like Overstock.com is getting reamed in the press for shady business practices. And then you have Google approving a plugin for Chrome that gives Amazon search results in the SERP’s. This will give small businesses and other e-retailers no chance at reaching potential consumers. Not to mention that fact that the majority of people using the internet will not know hot to remove the plugin in the first place. Thousands of people will be viewing Amazon results for every search word they type into Google. Sickening to think about really.

  • SEO Manchester

    Must of cost Amazon a fare bit ;)
    I wonder what this means for eCommerce SEO?
    hmmm interesting
    Thanks for posting
    Danny

  • http://www.creatonsolutions.com Raj

    Google and Amazon, excellent….

  • http://www.shopping-adapter.co.uk/ evoly

    Great, another way to kill off small businesses.

  • http://www.convonix.com Muzzammil, Convonix

    This is really Black Hat,

    Someone should do something about these kinds of plugins.

    Mr Matt Cutts …is the team listening…!!!

  • http://www.9rays.net/ 9rays

    Guys, this is called “rich snippets”. And you can have them too.
    Just try to find some info about “rich snippets” and improve your sites in that way.

  • http://digitaltechdaily.com Louis

    Not good for Google. We see this kind of thing all the time on the internet.

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