Google - Organic results vs ads and Google's other properties

[Play_Bach]

Mods note: The following 3 messages were cut out of a Google SEO forum thread at: [webmasterworld.com...]
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Way back in 2006, I started noticing brown shopping bag icons on top of the #1 organic position which my site had held for over five years. That was Froogle. What the hell is this I thought? (actually my language was probably a bit stronger!)
[webmasterworld.com...]

Fast forward to 2013 and organics in my niche have been pushed down by ad blocks and brands so that at most only ONE organic shows. It's even worse on Yahoo! where no organics show on page 1. The search engines can spin it all they want, but as far as I'm concerned it's just been a land grab. All the SEO in the world doesn't mean squat if nobody can find you.
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[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 6:58 am (utc) on May 14, 2013]

[Whitey]

messages spliced

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it's just been a land grab. All the SEO in the world doesn't mean squat if nobody can find you.

Interesting terminology in economic terms. The land is free until you put a title on it, and charge people to work it. That's why regulators should be sharper about this virtual real estate called the internet, and how it's being applied in search. Googles doing what is natural to its business intent.

But, I take the point you raise.
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[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 6:27 am (utc) on May 14, 2013]

[Play_Bach]

@Whitey

Just to clarify. As I recall when Google first started showing ads, they got a lot of bad press about it. To counter that, I remember seeing Marissa Mayer on TV reassuring folks that Google made a clear separation between search results and ads - Search was on the left, Ads were on the right.

Then somewhere around 2006 I began seeing the Froogle shopping bag icons. Maybe somebody else knows for sure when it was, but sometime after the Froogle icons went away, then came ads on top and below organics. Then came Shopping, Places, Maps and whatever else Google and Yahoo have decided to replace organics with.

So when I say land grab, I'm really referring to the bait & switch like move Google pulled (and got away with!) regarding their layout and ad placement.

[FranticFish]

If I cover my site with ads or interlink my sites then Google considers that bad for users and I get dinged.

If Google covers their site with ads and interlinks their own sites and services then that is also bad for users. But who dings Google?

Where one company has a monopoly on search (at the very least 95% market share in the UK) better regulation is needed, but don't hold your breath.

If they're allowed to dodge tax on their earnings don't expect any legislation to reduce those earnings.

[maadidevelopment]

I think we have to everyday ready with google new updates and challenges. b'coz matt cutt and google team are doing more and more work to serve great and transparent result to the users.