iamlost - 1:38 am on Dec 3, 2010 (gmt 0)

Some variation of this thread appears at least annually. And the truth remains the same:
There are a limited number of Google 'spots' for each query, often for every 'first page' result shown, perhaps a hundred make the 'short list' and a million do not. The odds are not good for most sites in many niches.

The same holds true for every SE.

Therefore, the value ratio of content:traffic will always favour the SEs. Whether to allow/deny specific SE bots to all/some/none of a site is as much a business decision as is whether/how best to optimise for a specific SE. What works for one niche or business model may not for another.

I only have information sites. I sell absolutely nothing directly. However, from the beginning the sites were created with diverse traffic and revenue sources in mind. Yes, there were initial defaults, i.e. Google and AdSense, but the goal has always been to decrease the defaults' percentage of traffic/revenue while maintaining/increasing their absolute values.

Has it been easy? No.
Has it been worth it? Yes.
Eg: if Google and all it's products disappeared tomorrow I would lose perhaps a third of traffic and a quarter of revenue. What I would not lose is most of my income or any of my sleep.

Diversification takes planning and work. It is a business decision, nothing else. Whether the right choice is a matter of personal temperament and business model, time and circumstance.