The industry continues to hear similar stories to Mark Baldino's, who has worked in his family's locksmith business since fifth grade. At 61 he blames search engines for a decline in the family
business revenue because they publish thousands of listings for unlicensed locksmiths, which makes it more difficult for consumers to find his company amid the clutter. He claims the search engines
are aware that phony locksmiths clog their listings, and in fact, the search companies benefit from their inclusion because these listings force Baldino's and other legitimate locksmiths to pay for
ads to help their businesses appear higher in search results. Adriana Gardella explains.
Read the whole story at The New York Times »
