15 Opinions on a Google-Digg Deal - From Sphinn’s Finest SEOs & SMOs

Alright, alright… so the Google-Digg deal that I predicted last week has been broken up and it looks like I need to work on my psychic powers. But that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to speculate and wonder what will happen next in the search and social media industries.

I asked for opinions from some of the most active SEO’s and SMO’s on Sphinn, a perfect intersection between search and social media. Will Google acquire Digg? Do you think it would be beneficial or disastrous? How would it affect the Internet at large?

Below are some of the replies I received. (Check out Lyndon’s classic answer… lol)

Alex Mircea D - AlexTips.com

Personally, I am 90% sure that Google will acquire Digg because Google is a very smart company and has realized that Digg might be a so called “gold mine”. Though, there might be some problems, I don’t really agree with changing the Google Search Engine interface and integrating Digg in it. As long as Digg remains Digg and, the search engine remains what it is now, I don’t see why there would be any problems. I believe that if they will change the interface … oh my, SEO will be something of the past.

Andrew Shotland - Local SEO Guide

I vote no - Another crazy portal will outbid Google.

Bill Hartzer

I, too, think the deal will happen; especially because it “has to happen” because other search engines own other social networks. I’m not sure about the price, I would think that Digg would be worth more than $200 million at this point. Personally, I do not think Google’s acquisition of Digg would “change the internet” or do anything that would really impact the majority of Internet users. The majority of Internet users really use Google for searching, and I would not expect Google to integrate Digg into their organic search results. I have recently asked several people (neighbors, family, friends) and they have heard of Google and while they use it on a regular basis, they have never heard of Digg. I don’t expect those people to start using it (although they should).

David Wallace - Search Rank

Do I think Google will buy Digg? To tell you the truth, if Google was going to buy a social news site, I wish they’d buy Mixx. Not only do I feel that Mixx has better technology, they could get it for a hell of a lot cheaper as well (maybe).

However, you are probably correct in that Google will snag Digg, and at $200 million, it is almost pocket change to them. I just wonder how susceptible Digg is to gaming now and how much that will increase after Google acquires them.

It would seem natural for Google to want to own a social news site as they are already pretty much into everything else. I’m waiting for the day that we hear the news that they have acquired Wal-Mart.

Debra Mastaler - The Link Spiel Link Building

Between the limited information available on this deal and present day Digg, I think this buyout is more about stifling Microsoft than incorporating user generated content into Google News. Buying Digg takes Microsoft totally out of the picture from both an advertising and future acquisition standpoint. That’s just smart business especially when your chief competitor is Microsoft.

However, what they’re after may also be a hindrance to them initially. It’s fairly well known Digg users don’t click on ads so the advertising program may lag until Google educates their mainstream public on how to use Digg. That’s going to be a lot of work IMO and almost impossible unless they change Digg’s current format and editorial policies.

At the very least category offerings would have to increase to accommodate the flow of new non-tech users and the censoring of content would have to stop. Now there’s a positive change for Digg and the Internet!

Donna Fontenot - SEO Scoop

I think the rumor is likely true this time, but we’ve heard the same kind of rumor so often, that it’s hard to be very confident. Still, assuming it’s true, I’d say there’s a good chance that Digg will stagnate at the hands of Google. But in the larger scheme of things, my final thought on it is, who cares about Digg anymore anyway?

Gab Goldenberg - SEOROI SEO Services

I haven’t made the investment to make a power account at Digg because the time required is just an enormous barrier to entry. I have more valuable things to spend time on, you know? And this frustrates me because it limits my link baiting capacity and forces reliance on others when I want to do something like that.

If Google acquires Digg and integrates voting broadly across its results, we’ll see a ‘rich get richer’ phenomenon as those people who are already well networked find themselves with another tool working in their favor. And the gap with the rest of us whose time constraints are greater will continue to grow. Kind of like when people at the top get links because people found ‘em at the top (”top 10 mortgage resources ” and similar articles…).

More practically, should voting get integrated, those literally rich will also get richer, as they can just buy votes by CPM. You set up an acquisition program targeting 15 year old MySpace users, get a few thousand and you’re good to go. Who needs paid links when you’ve got an army of kids for minimum wage?

Glen Allsopp - Viper Chill Internet Business

Personally, I think there are positives and negatives to Google acquiring Digg. In terms of a tech company buying them though, I wouldn’t want to see anybody else purchase them as I think Google are the only ones I trust not to screw the site up. I actually think this is going to put them in the firing line in terms of:

• Top users wanting to be in touch with them and want gratification (this has happened)
• People moaning about Google if their site is banned on Digg
• People wanting Google to speak out about the ‘autobury’ debate

I’m sure Google will be able to speed up the site and offer some cool features in a short period of time. If anybody is going to buy Digg then I want it to be them, although Mixx would be a much better fit in my opinion.

Jordan Kasteler - Utah SEO Pro

As we saw with Google’s acquisition of YouTube. Not a whole lot changed. Google still kept Google Video. With that said, I think if Google did acquire Digg, any voting metrics they may use in their SERPs I think would be aside from Digg. Same concept but no incorporated branding. However, Digg results would surely rank a whole lot higher in Google from that point on.

I definitely see it happening. I saw it coming a mile away and I feel it’d only make sense. With the close tie from Digg to Facebook now I potentially foresee Google going after Facebook in the future too.

The acquisition would be a good response for Google to Yahoo!’s Buzz. With Digg going more mainstream than it already is I think it’d probably ruin it. Digg has always been fairly tech, politically liberal, and somewhat crude. I think Digg going so mainstream would put a huge emphasis on entertainment, celebrity gossip, business news, and foreign affairs.

If the content changes on Digg so will the players. You’ll see the current power-users leave after getting pissed off and a new set of power-users (or gamers) move into monetize this source. More and more SEOs would find social media marketing faster in this event.

Lyndon Antcliff - Cornwall SEO

Google should buy Digg.com, destroy it and then set up an affiliate site for selling garden equipment on the domain.

It would probably make more money than anything Google did, look how much money YouTube is losing. It’s not a business buy, it’s a trophy to put on the Google mantelpiece.

Peter Newsome - SiteMost SEO

I agree with you that this will most likely happen – be it for algorithmic research purposes, or simply internet domination, it will work well in Google’s favor.

Will it be good for the rest of the Internet? Yes and No.

I see it being good as it will provide Google with a lot more user-data to analyze which as you point-out can be put into better ways of tagging and ranking sites as well as helping social media news sites gain a more main stream following.

However they wouldn’t invest that much money in something without a long-term plan for monetization (as they’ve started doing with YouTube). One could also argue that the most innovative ideas and discoveries are driven by healthy competition from other rival companies. If Google owns every major internet property, there’s far less competition and subsequently means slower advancements in the way the internet evolves.

Add this to the recent launch of the long-time-coming Knol (which has also gained mixed reviews) it will make for some very interesting times ahead.

Roger Montti - martinibuster

Google has never successfully built anything, apart from search related products. That is why Google (and Yahoo) have to buy their way rather than build their way.

Social media is the future of the Internet? Probably not. People generally use the internet as an appliance. Yes there are social aspects to it, but that’s one very small part. The overall use of the internet is to buy or research or be entertained (including YouTube, porn, and games). The largest form of social interaction is on traditional forums.

Steven Bradley - Van SEO Design

One question I have is if Google does buy Digg will one or the other be renamed Giggle?

Todd Mintz

I have no way of predicting whether Google will buy Digg or not. I think if Google does buy Digg, they will gain some excellent technology that could be used to shore up some of its current properties. However, I think the core Digg user will permanently abandon Digg for either an alternative currently in existence (Mixx) or perhaps something entirely new. It is possible that the Digg phenomenon will disappear from the web forever, much in the same way that Threadwatch never was replicated when it shut down. Digg would be a shell of its current self under Google ownership because it’s core audience will never pledge loyalty to the establishment (Google). Under Google ownership, Digg will likely be sanitized to the point where it would cease to be more than a slight curiosity. You argued in your last post the Google / Digg is game over for other social media networks…I think it would an excellent opportunity for the other networks to gain mindshare at Digg’s expense as Digg becomes part of the Google empire and “goes corporate”.

Wiep Knol - Wiep Link Building

1. Digg will be incorporated into all things Google
Digg is perfectly capable of showing that even a system as big as Digg’s is gameable. Top users have lots of power and I can’t imagine that Google will allow top users as influencers of their search results or other services. Imagine what kind of value being a top Diggle user would have Sure, implementing a Digg-like system in services like Google News would be perfect to determine which of the 14,387 stories covering Barack Obama is the most interesting one and will be listed on top. But I don’t expect TOO much from it.

2. Social Media will go mainstream
Social Media already IS mainstream. There are hundreds of thousands people reviewing, commenting, discussing and linking to information every day. The only problem is that there are thousands of different social media websites out there with relatively small user bases. I think that the bigger social media platforms will buy, adopt or work together with lots of the smaller ones.

3. Digg will blow everyone else out of the water
I think that Google will blow lots of people out of Digg’s water. The Digg audience is different. Although it would’ve been a COMPLETELY different story if a company like Microsoft would have bought Digg, I still think that there will be users that turn their back on Digg and find (or build)
a new platform. The innovators have already left, the early adapters will follow. On the other hand, lots of new users will run towards Digg. Digg’s user base will grow, but there will be a shift in the type of user. Digg will go from tech to mainstream.

4 & 5.
This is where I can’t do anything but agree with you. Digg will absolutely improve Google’s algorithm by adding valuable, social information. Google will do their utmost to make sure that Digg’s algorithm improves as well. I do believe that Google will buy Digg. Microsift wouldn’t be a good fit and Yahoo already has Buzz. With this buy, Google also will have access to valuable linkbait related information. Information about Digg power users, switchbait campaigns, GTalk-Digg me up conversations etc is now much more accessible and easier to devalue algorithmically. Soon all the internetz will belong to G.

Sure, the deal may be dead for now, but do you have your own thoughts on the matter? What are the next steps for Digg and the future of social media and search? Be sure to share your opinions in a comment below.

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