I am a new member but have spent many hours reading the forums each and every update and now its time that I gave my 2 cents.
Firstly, this new update has completely destroyed my confidence in
Google. It seems that they are TESTING the waters for this new "adwords algo"
Let me explain why I have come to this conclusion:
I run quite a large commercial site with many subdomains.
My site is well optimised and I have many RELEVANT incoming links, most with relevant link text.
I market each subdomain as an individual site and each subdmain has relevant incoming links, lots of good content and most visitors compliment us on a job well done.
This strategy has worked very well up until this new update.
HERE is the reason I say that they are TESTING the waters for the "adwords algo" :
Most of my subdomains have always ranked within the top 10 serps.
This month half of them have fallen away(down 6- 9 pages in the serps) and the new index reflects completely new results for my main key words(competitors have also fallen away). New results reflect many irrelevant results and the relevant ones (with matching titles, etc) are sites of very poor quiality(useless content and in most cases outdated prices, etc)
For the other half that have'nt fallen away the results are very similar to last month and in many cases my subdomains have moved even higher in the serps(same competitors are also still there).
Now, all my subdomains are template based with similar structures and marketing tactics - only difference is the actual content on the pages themselves.
So - how the hell do half the subdomains remain unaffected by this update, while the other half have slipped down by 8 pages and more?
CONCLUSION : Google is TESTING on some competitive keywords and leaving others alone. NEXT MONTH - who knows what will be?
My business supports many families - it is NOT RIGHT that we can be manipulated this way by ONE search engine. Many lives are being affected by this "GOOGLE GREED" (thats if their plan is to implement an "adwords algo").
BOTTOMLINE : if this is the case then I have to say and prey that this is the beginning of the end of GOOGLE - havent they learned from the mistakes of alta vista and the like?
Final Comments :
If a webmaster is going to spend endless hours optimising sites and exchanging links to increase PR and better there serps on particular keywords, then surely these sites are RELEVANT - why would one waste there time otherwise?
Suggestions to GOOGLE : work on an ALGO that recognises incoming links from OFF THEME sites as spam - leave the rest of us alone!
If a webmaster is going to spend endless hours optimising sites and exchanging links to increase PR and better there serps on particular keywords, then surely these sites are RELEVANT - why would one waste there time otherwise?
That is the crux of the situation. There are many seo's who would agree with you 100%.
A well optimized site has little to do with it's "relavance" for any keyword. Google's after the same thing surfers are after - quality content that matches their query.
It's just a search engine! Realize that web traffic is not a "given" right on the Net and the rules are always changing. See it as a challenge rather than as "losing" your place...
Think of ways to build a business that does not depend on anybody else's unspoken commitment. If SE's help, think of it as a bonus...
Obviously their adwords revenue is higher, their biggest search "partner" is also enjoying a nice jolt of revenue via "overture/hide the directory/use cpc friendly" serps.
The real test will be how long it holds up, they have demonstrated a wonderful business model, the biggest issue will competition...the search world just found the "sweet spot" of profitability and I don't guess it will be too long before others follow suit.
Will advertisers stick around? Will searchers stick around? Will G continue to be the darling?
Remember, G is not run by a few kids from Stanford, for all we know, Larry and Sergey are just highly paid poster boys for the money guys, and there are a lot of money guys in the mix.
Stay away from the money and you'll do fine..competing with a full deck (2 on top, 5 down the side) could be dangerous to your health (it has nothing to do with relevance).
second, use ppc's, banner's, newsletters, pop ups, sponsorships, etc. they are all part of the game. NEVER rely on one source for traffic. Google shouldn't make or break you.
third, if you want to advertise, don't spend what you can't make back. honestly, i started off my advertising budget $5
and now it's much much much higher than that, but that's because i have confidence in my product.
I shall assume you will be sending Google a cheque for all the traffic they have sent you for FREE.
Obviously any business man who relies on a traffic partner to generate business should pay for his dues.
EXACTLY.
The FREE ride seems to be over, and people are getting their knickers in a twist about.
Shak
I shall assume you will be sending Google a cheque for all the traffic they have sent you for FREE.
Then we could also assume Google will be sending us a cheque for all OUR content they've indexed for FREE (remember that without content to index nobody would be using Google)
We could not make these assumptions. The relationship between web sites and Google is a trade off. Even more, is trade off where Google is taking more than is giving. Without Google we lost one source of referals, but only one, while without content (is all of us banned Google from indexing our sites) Google losts all.
Users don't need search engines. Users need information. Google is only a way to arrive to that information. Google is a tool, not a goal.
Obviously any business man who relies on a traffic partner to generate business should pay for his dues
I absolutely agree with you Shakil. All the parties involved must be able to profit from this symbiosis between the search engines and different businesses.
