Something to remember about the latest algo change...

[wolfmmiii]

Folks, you need to keep in mind that the free (organic) search results are just a means to an end for Google. They are a platform on which to display PAID ADVERTISING. The organic results were never meant to fully support entire businesses. That's what the AdWords program is for.

This isn't the first time this has happened and it won't be the last. Building your business foundation upon the free search results (SEO) can be like building on quicksand. If you want to protect yourself from algo changes like this, stop using the free search results for something it was never intended for.

[Chris Cole]

IMO, people will eventually wise up to the "paid advertising" and ignore it or even go elsewhere. Corporate businesses constantly ramming ads at us...

If google was to tip the balance too far, then the masses may leave their search engines and go to a competitor. Google also knows this and want to stay on top or else it could sign the death of their popularity. So there will always be a selection of organic in their search as they may not be providing the "best" information to their searchers if they only displayed the adverts of the companies with the biggest budget. This wouldn't always be the best results for the end user.

There is a fine line they need to walk.

[wolfmmiii]

I absolutely agree. My main point is that people need to realize that Google doesn't, never did, and shouldn't care about businesses' inability to rank in the free SERPs. The ONLY goal of the free results is to provide what GOOGLE thinks is best-matching results, not what folks think is "fair".

By providing quality results in the free SERPs, they draw eyeballs. It is those eyeballs that generate revenue when they click on the paid ads.

[yukon]

This wasn't a normal algorithm change.

These are hand picked sites that have had their SERP postions altered by a human review.

Google did this to shut the press up & stop drawing attention to themeselves because investors don't like bad publicity, investors keep the Google wheel turning.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by yukon

These are hand picked sites that have had their SERP postions altered by a human review.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I haven't seen this stated as fact anywhere.

[GeorgR.]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

Folks, you need to keep in mind that the free (organic) search results are just a means to an end for Google. They are a platform on which to display PAID ADVERTISING. The organic results were never meant to fully support entire businesses. That's what the AdWords program is for.

This isn't the first time this has happened and it won't be the last. Building your business foundation upon the free search results (SEO) can be like building on quicksand. If you want to protect yourself from algo changes like this, stop using the free search results for something it was never intended for.

wrong. Because anyone who always kept an eye on content, making good and valuable sites has NOTHING to fear. The opposite actually, they gained rankings.

The losers are exactly that: Losers. People who made cheap, shallow sites..or people who ONLY used article marketing and were too lazy to make their own sites.

The latest change has also benefited many. If you (or anyone else) is *negatively* affected by the change...well..time to think over your strategies...

[Mike Grant]

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

wrong. Because anyone who always kept an eye on content, making good and valuable sites has NOTHING to fear. The opposite actually, they gained rankings.

The losers are exactly that: Losers. People who made cheap, shallow sites..or people who ONLY used article marketing and were too lazy to make their own sites.

The latest change has also benefited many. If you (or anyone else) is *negatively* affected by the change...well..time to think over your strategies...

Wrong. There are countless posts of people who have sites full of only unique well-written content, organic link building, etc. that have been effected.

Meanwhile, my test sites in my network that is 100% spun and scraped content with links only from xrumer are doing better than ever.

[Mike Grant]

And to the OP, it took G 4 years to implement advertising. Most businesses are not businesses gunning for "mesothelioma" "web hosting", etc. They're gunning for "new york plumber".

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

wrong. Because anyone who always kept an eye on content, making good and valuable sites has NOTHING to fear. The opposite actually, they gained rankings.

I'm not wrong at all. Just because webmasters COULD/CAN support a business via free results does not mean that's what they are meant for.

[GeorgR.]

OP,

you make it sound like building on SEO is something flaky and temporary. In reality building your business on SEO is amongst the (if not the THE) single most stable and dependable business model.

Most other models are way flakier, article marketing, web2.0 marketing etc., heck even Adwords cannot be called "stable" since they might boot you from one day to the other for obscure reasons.

Google is ALWAYS changing, sometimes more, sometimes less. SEO is also about adaption.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

OP,

you make it sound like building on SEO is something flaky and temporary. In reality building your business on SEO is amongst the (if not the THE) single most stable and dependable business model.

I'm not saying its flaky. I'm saying that the whole idea of SEO, whether you like it or not, is the gaming of the free search results.

Search Engine Optimization implies optimizing your site for search engines. That's all well and good until the rules change, as they have a hundred times (and will another hundred times).

I'm saying that building a business based entirely on search engine rankings is a gamble at best.

To say PPC/AdWords is as shaky as SEO is absurd. People are not banned from AdWords for "obscure" reasons. They are banned for breaking TOS. I've had my AdWords account for years and never had a problem.

I don't want to make this a PPC vs SEO debate because that's not my intent. My intent is merely to make people aware that Google owes nothing to anybody. The forums are littered with stuff like "Google doesn't care about the small guy", etc. Know what? They don't care about the small guy nor should they when it comes to organic results.

They care about themselves and providing solid results so people continue to use the search engine and pay for advertising.

Ask HP, EZA, Buzzle, Squidoo, etc how stable and dependable SEO is.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

OP,


Most other models are way flakier, article marketing, web2.0 marketing etc.,

And all of these rely on SEO, no??

[JunkYour925]

That's why its important to build a subscriber email list of your site's visitors

Like a store's Guest Book

Your list *IS* your business. No list no [real] business.

To rely solely on SEO free organic search is shear madness.

[chasnsx]

Free organic SEO is one third of the traffic pie. The second third is referral traffic from other sites (Digg, Stumbleupon, Twitter, Youtube, or forum backlinks or whatever) and the last third is direct type-in traffic (your list, or folks you market to offline, or just good, returning customers).

Neglect any one of these three at your peril.