I keep realizing that Google isn’t as useful as it used to be. I assume people know how to use it, but they don’t. I’m not sure if it’s their fault.
Your post makes it seem like we damaged Google by doing SEO.
Google should have kept better standards. Instead, they kept making their rules stricter to make more money from the same strategies.
Who would have thought that paying Apple and a few others to push Google on us wouldn’t work long-term?
Google should have kept improving their product, but they only cared about money.
@PostPioneer
I left the SEO field years ago when the ‘good SEOs’ started struggling. I thought about it myself a few times. When you get a call from a client running a legitimate business that just lost 98% of their traffic, and they weren’t doing anything wrong or risky. We were just focusing on on-page SEO.
Now you’re thinking, ‘We didn’t do anything risky, so why is my client being penalized? Did I mess this up? Are hundreds of people losing their jobs because of me? Am I the reason these people’s lives are ruined?’
The answer is: Google’s engineers sometimes don’t know why a site lost 98% of its traffic. The AI made a strange ‘decision’ because of some info in a hidden layer that was similar to something bad, so it ‘hates’ the entire site now. There’s a single piece of info causing Google to see a site that’s 99.9% fine as 99.9% bad, and there’s no way to find the problem. At the same time, results are flooded with spam and junk, with your site below all of it.
I don’t know how anyone can work in that environment. The truth is: They really can’t.
@PostPioneer
I know who you’re referring to. I used to talk with one of them regularly on Skype. It broke my heart when he left us.
@PostPioneer
No doubt, how Google’s algorithm sometimes penalizes sites can be frustrating. It’s hard to watch good sites get affected for unclear reasons. One way is to get traffic from other sources besides Google. Trying channels like Bing or DuckDuckGo can help, though they’re not as large as Google. Also, this forum has been great for driving engagement, and tools like BuzzSumo help find content trends, while UsePulse lets you connect with active communities. Not relying on just one platform can make a real difference when Google’s having issues.
@PostPioneer
Dude, come on. If the website was based on organic traffic before and lost Google’s favor, it’s gone. You need to build a website with other traffic sources in mind from the start.
@PostPioneer
Totally understand. I’ve seen sites suffer when Google changes things. That’s why getting traffic from other places is important from the beginning. BuzzSumo can help with trend analysis, and UsePulse and this forum offer unique ways to engage with your audience.
@PostPioneer
Their whole business model relied on another company’s algorithm that could remove them anytime. If they didn’t recognize the risks and diversify, that’s their responsibility.
I was fact-checking something today. I Googled it. Google had no idea. I searched for it in ChatGPT. ChatGPT had no idea. Then I used SearchGPT, and indeed, it found the answer.
Braint said:
I was fact-checking something today. I Googled it. Google had no idea. I searched for it in ChatGPT. ChatGPT had no idea. Then I used SearchGPT, and indeed, it found the answer.
Yeah the new models are honestly really impressive. Like 2-3 years ago I was disappointed, but they’ve made real improvements. Unlike Google, which seems to get worse with every update.
Braint said:
I was fact-checking something today. I Googled it. Google had no idea. I searched for it in ChatGPT. ChatGPT had no idea. Then I used SearchGPT, and indeed, it found the answer.
Completely agree. And ChatGPT’s writing is getting much better too, especially with training. It’s also remembering lots of information from past conversations in a somewhat creepy way that’s still helpful. It couldn’t do that six months ago.
Braint said:
I was fact-checking something today. I Googled it. Google had no idea. I searched for it in ChatGPT. ChatGPT had no idea. Then I used SearchGPT, and indeed, it found the answer.
What is SearchGPT? I just looked it up. Is it like ChatGPT but up to date? And with sources? Goodbye to Google.
Braint said:
I was fact-checking something today. I Googled it. Google had no idea. I searched for it in ChatGPT. ChatGPT had no idea. Then I used SearchGPT, and indeed, it found the answer.
In ChatGPT Plus, you can enter ‘/’ and click ‘Search’ to search the web.
It’s kinda like saying don’t use an iPhone. Don’t shop on Amazon. Don’t drink Starbucks.
There may well be better alternatives but these things (like Google) are so deeply embedded in people’s lives now that you’ll waste your time trying to convince them.
Oh, so you haven’t tried it, but you’ve given up. That’s a bad strategy.
I didn’t say that I tried or didn’t, you did.
I’m just saying that people often use products even if they are worse than competitors, so complaining about it is kinda useless.
I’m just saying that companies go through cycles of growth and decline.
I don’t know what Google is going to do now that a 6-year-old can use AI to create a click bot.
I’m experimenting with agents right now. It’s really bad, dude. It’s not detectable because it uses the browser window… What can an ad tech company do in that situation?!
You’re telling me it’s not going to happen, and here’s how I see it: I’m watching a meteor that’s about to hit the planet and cause extinction… Dude, it’s going to hit… For sure… I don’t know what you’re thinking here… Is it just me who can see the direction everything is moving? Am I the early adopter guy finally?
Maybe go outside for some fresh air, my friend.
I’m going to bookmark this post to refer back to it in 2 years.
By the way, if you want to be a criminal, the best software was just released a few days ago. I don’t think you know that yet.
Are you saying that you can’t find good answers with your searches? It seems like you have a specific answer in mind, but Google is giving you different results, which is what you don’t like.