My Love Hate Relationship With Google

[slicktimesavers]

Hey Folks

I'm new here on BHW and want to share my journey with Google.

First before I move forward and share, I want to say this forum has got to have the most tech-savvy
people around when it comes to SEO. I mean some of you guys are scary tech-savvy, I know because I've been around with computers before SEO and seen a lot of stuff happen over time.

I popped in here after being urged by a couple of solid members to check things out and see how this
forum has matured and share.

I'm going to preface this journey about my experience with Google.

I am not going to show you any techniques that are new.

Your not going to see any income earnings from me, I don't believe in doing so, we all know how that
can go down a rat hole.

I am not going to say anyone is right or wrong, your just going to see what I found that works for me
and those that chose to follow what I do.

I've been doing this longer than some of you are old and hope it will help some of you.

OK enough said let's move on.


Google it is hard to find anyone that does not have a hate-love relationship with it.

Personally I hate Google more than I love it, unless it's giving me lots of money then I can't argue
with it.

The early days of Google it was easy to make money with it, brute force SEO worked flawlessly.

When made for Adsense sites were the order of the day, money rolled in. All I had to do is enter list
after list of keywords, enter them into automated software and you pooped out sites. It was like
tossing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what stuck and brought you in money.

By the time it ended I had over 10 million pages out there.

I'll share a little secret my best keywords were acting keywords. I would of never thought in a million
years of how profitable they were for Adsense.

As we all know that all crumbled, Google even took out there poster child on how to make Adsense sites.

That person tried to sue Google in the early years because Google coached him on what to do and
eventually took the rug out from under him. Totally devastated him and his business. His site was
some kind of woodworking site from what I remember.

This is when the hate for Google started when reality set in.

I don't want to get into any real details what happened between then and 2007 for SEO.

But a lot of crazy stuff happen, we had figured out using statistical models on data we mined worked
wonders for owning just about every top niche out there.

Myself I dominated the Mortgage, Gov Grants, and Insurance, industries my friends worked the other areas.

I'll tell you a story about when I created test sites for the Mortgage Industry. One site in particular
was a 100% spam site to see if I could get it to #1. Once I got it to #1 I started getting threatening
emails from the people I knocked out of the top saying they owned that #1 placement the hard way and I am a spammer etc...

They would report me to Google and the site would disappear and in a few weeks back to #1 without doing anything to it. It was a game I played with Google. This lasted for a few years till Google manually had to extract me from the index. If I remember right it was mortgagetips.com

Great domains were easy to get those days, wish I had stocked up on those great domain names then.

Lesson learned.

Back then it was easy to mathematically work the algorithm and get results. Till one day I think Google
said screw it and really through a wrench into the works.

2007 is where I want to pickup my journey. The good stuff starts here.


I'm going to break this up into parts because I have a lot to say and will add to the end for each part I write if this is OK with everyone.

My time is limited and it's easier for me to do so.

 

[saurabhunde]

Interesting read.

 

[slicktimesavers]

Part 2

This Is How Google Works Today in my Opinion!

It all started around 2007 with these two guys and a secret.

Eric Schmidt the CEO of Google in the image above, was holding meetings only influential people are granted, while the rest of us, the Masses had to deal with the assigned talking head Matt Cutts for Google


The secret at that time was Vincent's Change.

If you don't know what that is don't feel bad.
Just about every-time I bring this subject up, it's like listening to crickets on a warm balmy night.

Basically Google's business model changed.
Google has given preferential treatment to Brand related companies as being the relevant place holders on page one of Google Search Results.

What's that mean?

Life just got a lot harder ranking on page of Google Search after 2007.

That said, I don’t expect YOU to take anything I say as “fact”either.


All the original information can be found at adage.com "Google's Schmidt Says Internet 'Cesspool' Needs Brands"

If you dig you can find all the juicy details yourself.


I don't know about you but I know when I am being lied too.


For example, I know many people who hung on every word that Matt spoke as he produced one video after another as Google's spokesperson to the Masses.

Here is Matts take on Vince's change when he was pressed for what it means.

The Vince Update is more of a minor change as well as a "Trust Change" in terms of the ranking algorithm and brand domains


Instead wouldn't you liked to have been the fly on the wall when Eric Schmidt was discussing how Vince's Change was going to be implemented.

"Brands are the solution, not the problem, "Mr. Schmidt said. "Brands are how you sort out the cesspool.


Fast Forward From 2007 To 2017
How Much Damage Has Vincent's Change Done In Google Search.

I tested multiple random tiny samples of keywords and plotted a graph below how Brands are dominating the Google Search Results Today.

The results surprised me, they were worst than I expected, I saw over 71% of the keywords tested show Brand Dominance in Google Search as plotted in the graph below.

When you dig into this deeper to see which brands are dominating the Google Search Results it becomes difficult sorting out who is who.

Not long ago a study was done to understand how brand dominance has taken over the Google Search Results.

What was found is most of the brands on page one of Google Search are controlled by just three hands full of companies, 16 major brands overall.

The two info-graphics below illustrates the 16 companies that dominate Google search results for the most popular industries, such as technology, food, software, automotive, health etc.

These 16 major brands have been on a buying spree gobbling up less brand related web properties and adding them to their portfolio.

In addition Brands use their online authority and the online authority of the popular brands that operate under them, to get new brands they launch to rank well and generate traffic, but not without the help of Google.

Google allows Brands to bend the rules that non brands are not allowed to practice.
The Reality Is Google's Search Results Are Rigged [Don't we all know that ]

Google for years has been keeping you distracted with a zoo of animals.
Each time a new update is announced you hustle to find out how they affect your rankings.

While Vincent's Change Is Dominating Page One Results.

Brands due to their Authority break all the rules

Shady Link Building, Footer Links etc... Practices that threaten the existence of non brands if you attempt to get this by Google these days.

Page Cloaking, a long time abandoned practice, BMW is found doing this and only gets a one day penalty, try this as a non brand and be prepared to be banned for life.

Page One Listings No Keywords in Content, many times just an image ..., brands get the luxury of page one listings by default in their industry due to Vincent's Change.


Simple fact is Brands have a different play book to getting on Page One Of Google, than the rest of us.

Google algorithm updates mean very little to Brands, while we struggle in the trenches, checking and double checking if we are playing by the book.

All is not lost, in fact many times it is much easier to get page one rankings with the new playbook of Google Search, I no longer concern myself with any Google Updates with what I know to be true.

The Strategies That Are Working
Right NOW


The smoking gun

If you are in any business and want to be successful you need to understand one thing and one thing only.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

That's all I have time to write right now , will be back with more.

 

[JustCash]

Big brands can get hurt bigly by Google as well though. Just look at RetailmeNot which was a huge brand, and I think even google ventures invested in it, and they lost 80% of their search traffic... I think big brands rank better simply because they have bigger metrics from being around so long, just a thought.

 

[Reaver]

Waiting to see how long it takes barto to see this thread and start one of his anti-G rants.

 

[slicktimesavers]

Big brands can get hurt bigly by Google as well though. Just look at RetailmeNot which was a huge brand, and I think even google ventures invested in it, and they lost 80% of their search traffic... I think big brands rank better simply because they have bigger metrics from being around so long, just a thought.

Nope big brands are there by default first
when Vincent's change first started it was almost impossible to get into any decent keywords no matter what you did
they also practiced blackhat methods openly got very minor disciplines while we would of been banned for life
do your research it is all there for the public to see

I'm not done yet with this post I just can't write it all at once