Google forces us to lay off 2 employees

I agree with others have already said. Google is not the only way to make money. With any business it's always a good idea to diversify. I think blaming Google for your own business mistake is pretty lame. Your listing in google is not guaranteed.

 

SeoBiznezz, The is the main reason I don't "take on" employees on a more permanent basis then just contracting somebody for a specific project. Before I'd hire somebody on full time, I need to have enough money bankrolled and available to cover their pay for several months (6?), irregardless of the market conditions. And since I don't have that money available, I choose to contract instead.

I empathize with anyone who lost traffic from Google due to their algorithm shifts, because it's happened to me before. And I imagine it'll happen again. I've learned to put some eggs in other baskets, so as not to punish myself as bad when Google does shift me down the rankings...

My 2 cents for what it's worth... good luck!

Dennis

 

That's why you have to build websites for the users, not for the search engines. And that's why website owners have to realize that the strength of their website is not how high it ranks on Google, but how good it is at attracting and keeping business. Google ranking should only be one of several aspects to consider. SEO should be part of a complementing range of services, not the basis for a whole division.

 

it makes me sick...

 

I have to agree with this.
Just do what comes natural and the site should do ok.
An understanding of how search engine works is great, but it shouldn't take over a webmaster's life.

 

I believe *respectfully of course* that those naysaying the OP's complaint have not fully looked at this.

Imagine, you open a business in 1980. By 1985 your business is doing well and you have a handfull of employees. Suddenly though, the Yellow Pages refuses to accept your ads and pulls your advertising from it's book.

This above example is what Google is doing and has the ability to do.

Is google wrong? Well that depends on how you look at it. You'd be a fool not to aknowledge that there is a VERY large problem at work here in that, webmasters spam the web with SEO pages that are little more than adsense farms (rightly or wrongly)... and this take away not only web traffic and listings from legitimate businesses, but it also removes legitimacy from "real" companies as noted here by the OP (assuming he has a legit company of course).

While I do not have an answer for these types of problems, something simply must be done. The bastardization of this process really and truly needs to be reigned in somehow.

 

The big difference is that you're paying for your listing in the Yellow Pages. Your listing in Google is free and therefore not guaranteed. Too many webmasters have a false sense of entitlement when it comes to their search engine listings. Just because you got your page to the top position of Google doesn't mean that position is yours to keep forever. Chances are other people want that position too, and if you don't keep up with your SEO someone will take it from you.

That guy was right to lay off his two employees. SEO was their responsibility and they failed at it. My guess is that they relied too much on one tactic and when Google devalued that tactic their pages plunged from the listings.

 

Well yes Entitlement is a good word to use for those running a legit business and have been consistantly a top 5 performer on the SE's, only to be bumped by a adsense, seo farm page. This is easily, at BEST a conflict of interest by Google: Foregoing legitimate business' for adsense farms merely to bolster their profits. I'm not sure of the legalize used for this but perhaps racketeering?

Google has a larger social responsibility to both business and end users in this regard in that... end users dont want to end up on link/adsense farms and business dont want to either pay adwords for a "shot" at having click throughs... nor do they want "useless" adsense farms taking priority over their sites... or it means layoffs.

Actually, I wonder if this is a DOJ issue? Follow: Google can systematically ensure higher and higher profits by ensuring that adsense farms show up first thereby relegating any true business to page 10 in favor of "adwords" that it can profit from...

hmmmm.. any Legal persons available to comment on this? Wouldn't this be very nearly Blackmail?

 

Why are you writing to google on this site? I know you are just venting but do you think google is reading your post?

 

I think your tinfoil hat is a little too tight around your head. Google can legally list whatever they want, because they are providing a free service. When you pay money for your high listing then you can bitch about not having it. Google has no obligation to give you anything. If Google gives you good results that's great, if not then out why and fix it, or else find another strategy other than Google.

If you make your site so it isn't dependent on Google alone then you'll have nothing to worry about. People need to realize that Google's results are fluid and can change without notice.

 

OK first of all, USE RESPECT. lowering yourself to insults or demeaning comments will do nothing for your standing with me.

Secondly; I am not the one that had to lay off two employees and in fact, run several adsense sites myself. So keep your little derogatory comments to yourself.

Google does Profit indeed from these listings. Not "per" site, but by the accumulative actions of listing these sites. The issue comes at wether or not Google is intentionally, under the guise of non-manipulation, knowingly allows adsense farms to be above other legitimate websites knowing that they, google, stand a chance of making more of a profit because of such. It is a dire conflict of interest if so.

 

I agree, it's really fishy and I think they are infact doing it in some way shape or form.

What I think makes it wrong and possibly actionable, is that it is self serving. They don't intend to make a sale happen. They intent for a cycle of clicking to occur to profit themselves.

 

I'd like to see the post where I said you laid off two employees. And I wouldn't have any "little derogatory comments" if you weren't posting crackpot conspiracy theory's. Does Google have flaws in it's system? Sure without a doubt, but claiming they list adsense farm sites purposely to make money is stupid. Those sites will only chase away future advertising dollars in the long run.

 

OK again..firstly. I posted that they werent my employees and that some of my sites are relegated to the evil side of what google is seemingly doing to show you I have no vested interest in the OP's complaint. This "should" have been readily apparent to any normal thinking adult.

Saying that google is using underhanded tactics to boost revenue is hardly a conspiracy theory. I defy you to show me one industry leading company that doesn't do this.

 

Any "normal thinking adult" would have seen that your name is different than the original poster. So I don't see why you would have to clarify that unless you thought someone was suggesting that you laid off the two employees.

This isn't about any other leading industry company other than Google. Since you're the one making the allegations the burden of proof falls on you. In other words put up or shut up. I'd like to see credible proof that Google is favoring Adsense sites over others. I'm sure many people here on DP would like to see this proof.

When I say proof I'm talking about an actual study not a statement like "I had this site that was listed high in Google, but then this other site came and took my position. They had adsense ads on their site so obviously Google gave them a higher preference."

 

I Agree with the wikipedia part, We can start expecting adsense in wikipedia soon.,
You have made a mistake by relying solely on google., Which means you have failed to create brand awareness., what happened to your repeat customers?.,

 

Indeed it is . Remember somebody suing google since their rankings and PR drop !!

 

Not a problem. Just as soon as you follow up on my request of showing me an industry leading company that doesn't act in such a manner.

 

Shouldn't this be listed in the political section?

 

lol, is google a politician now? Or did you mean wal-mart?