Institute clamps down on training providers mis-using Google Adwords
IT training watchdog the Institute of IT Training has warned its Accredited Training Providers to cease the malpractice of using Google Adwords in order to direct Internet searches from competitor sites to their own.
The Institute has received complaints that some training providers are using competitors' names in their Google Adwords listings to divert searches to their sites from their competitors.
Colin Steed, who is managing the Institute's campaign to clean up the huge self-funder training market, explained: "This is unethical practice and we have warned all of our accredited training providers that if they are practising this method of gaining business from their competitors that it must stop immediately or else we shall withdraw their Accredited status immediately."
"We have undertaken thorough investigations and it appears that this malpractice is going on. Google Adwords allows companies to select words or phrases relevant to their business - so that users searching on those words may get their or a competitor's company (using those words) sponsored ad. The higher the frequency of click through on that link using that word - the more likely it is to appear," he said. "Basically this means that Company A can use Company B's name in their Adwords and when a user searches on Company B, Company A's name comes up."
Steed continued: "The technical detail of the result of the investigation is available from the Institute. However, the fundamental outcome is that we believe this practice to be bordering on the unethical and we have written to our Accredited Training Providers to this effect and have demanded that the practice cease immediately."
"However, we have no jurisdiction over non-accredited training providers so we implore individuals looking for training not to use those companies and only use those who have our quality-based Accredited Training Provider logo," said Steed.
Google allows for competitors to bid on trademarked names, however they will not allow one to place the trademarked name in the ad copy.
The Institute of IT Training's campaign to clean up the B2C (self funder) training market was launched in the Autumn of last year and a new Accreditation Programme for that market, which is backed by the main providers in this market, will be launched in the next few months.