Marketing_Guy - 12:45 am on Feb 9, 2005 (gmt 0)

"Website like the UK BBC don't need Google - why not write one of those? "

I think the suggestion was to write *for* one of those? Or alternatively write a pure content site with little focus on traffic, etc.

If it is the case that you don't need google traffic why are you posting or even reading any of the posts on this board? It just does not seem to add up?

What doesn't add up? People relying on Google for traffic is a common mistake so it stands to reason a common response will be to expand and work with other sources of traffic.

WebFusion isn't detracting from the value of Google traffic or using it as a source of income - he's just saying that people shouldn't be relying on it.

Just look at the update thread. No in fact, look at every update thread there has ever been. Full of people crying over their lost sites.

And while I am sympathetic to most of them who have been wrongly done by, be it through mistakes made or bad advice, the basic premise of "don't put all your eggs in one basket" stands strong.

Why? Who knows? And I'm starting not to care.

Good! :) That's probably the best attitude to have and it will mean you will probably get some more sleep! ;)

Seriously - less attention to Google, more to your sites!

And google search results ... is simply terrible for me.

Apples and oranges. Depends on your industry - I've seen some shocking results on Y! and MSN - and let's not even touch the little players! ;)

Am I the only one that is looking at google, and it's influence, and realizing that website owners are now moving away from business strategies, and more into gambling (which is what depending on google is starting to be).

It's not so much of a gamble. I have reasonable SEO knowledge and fairly poor IT knowledge, yet my sites have weathered all Google updates consistently well from well before the monthly update stopped.

It can be a gamble! ;) That's where some people are getting caught out and that's where you need to diversify your sources of traffic.

trying to figure out why I should write for Internet sites (mine) when I could be doing other things.

Bottom line - do you enjoy doing it (other than all the Google update stuff!)? If so, keep at it.

Your 1 year old domain - when did you add content to it and when did it first get indexed? It could just be that it has been sandboxed, which means it will return to the SERPs naturally over time.

Finally...

Is there a damping effect on site development here?

Seeing the amount of real rubbish there is on the web, coupled with the amount of people out to manipulate / con people at any cost, it is a wonder that ANY search engine can produce ANY relevant results whatsoever! ;)

If anything, the explosion of Googling over the past few years has been great for the web, and the search industry (and not to forget the contributions of other players as well).

There is a dampening effect on spamming and made for Adsense sites and affiliate domination of the SERPs, or at least, that's the probably the aim. And if that makes things a little more difficult for the rest of us, then well...it's been pretty easy so far so personally I'm not complaining! ;)

Maybe random_site_01 was the guy that really can use his mobile phone safely while driving, but that's just tough cos now he has to play by the same rules as the rest!

Scott