In Google’s Penalty Box, Overstock Takes a 5% Hit on Revenue

Six weeks after getting penalized by Google Inc. for using promotional links with university web sites that boosted its natural search rankings, Overstock.com Inc. says the penalty, a drop in its Google natural search rankings, has resulted in a 5% drop in revenue, according to the retailer’s filing toay with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “We now estimate that it will be at least another two to three weeks before Google will end the penalty period,” Overstock says in the filing. “During the penalty period to date, we have experienced an approximately 5% negative impact on our revenue, which we anticipate will continue during the penalty period.”