"This website is not associated with company X which have been misrepresenting themselves by linking to my site from their maps listing."
1. I would need to do that for every referral from google, something which I would avoid.
2. Users might not click on the link and still think we're related.
Also, the very same listing is showing facebook and twitter links on which I cannot do much about.
It doesn't surprise to see this written now, even if only ironically. "The algorithm cannot be understood by anyone" - which is a fact. So we summon the fates to describe its expected behaviour.
If this comment seems personal, that wasn't intended. I really don't know how people in SEO tend to communicate. But I just heard this kind of language for the first time. So it's just a sign of the times.
More like this to come. Surely.
It's [against policy] to return something different to GoogleBot than what regular people see.
The facts are on your side, but GP's language choice remains interesting. Not right now perhaps, but down the road?
It was a pretty wide tangent from the start. I imagine (perhaps incorrectly) that it may eventually become common for people to understand algorithm-lore as say the Runes were once understood. I interpreted the language used here as a harbinger.
So many people are doing this but not getting delisted. Not sure how solid a rule it still is.
>> If this comment seems personal, that wasn't intended.
That wasn't an edit, it was in my first commit. 100% Crystal clear?
I appreciate you're trying to help but, in doing so please don't belittle my comment as "fun analysis". Though it mightn't have come over perfectly, I meant it. And it's important. To me at least.
Trademarks are a bit more complicated as the issue of brand confusion and geographical areas are involved.
But you could always try to contact a lawyer in the area of that company and ask them to write a strong worded letter directly to the business.