Google’s Unfair Practices Are Crushing Wealth of Geeks & Other Small Publishers — Wealth of Geeks
Today, I’m sharing a truth that affects not just our site but many who dare to create with passion-Wealth of Geeks is under assault, not by market forces, but by Google itself.
Founded in 2017, Wealth of Geeks started as a single person’s vision-mine, Michael Dinich. From the start, it was more than just a blog; it was a sanctuary for the intellectually curious and the pop culture aficionados. Initially, I worked alone, pouring endless 70-hour weeks into the site, until I could finally bring together a team of experts passionate about everything from personal finance to pop culture.
Our team-dedicated, expert, and tirelessly working-has transformed this platform into a vibrant community. Our content spans the spectrum from detailed money advice to the latest in geek culture, all designed to be engaging, witty, and efficient-because we respect your time and intellect.
However, Google’s recent updates threaten to erase all that we’ve built. Their so-called ‘helpful content’ update seems only to help large corporations with the means to manipulate SEO to their advantage.
Google didn’t just push us down in search rankings.
For us, like many other independent publishers who were vocal about Google’s unjust and immoral practices, they actually deindexed us! That’s right — they unjustly kicked us OUT OF THEIR SEARCH ENGINE, favoring junky content mills over real, heartfelt expertise.
The Iron Grip of Google: Control Over Content and Creativity
Google’s tactics are insidious, from inserting ‘From Sources’ snippets that usurp our content to the barrage of indistinguishable sponsored posts.
They actively compete against us with their own products and steal our work without adequate compensation. This systemic theft is disguised as innovation, while in reality, it stifles genuine creative efforts.
We are not alone in this fight. Across the web, small sites are seeing their traffic cannibalized by Google’s algorithms. These are ostensibly designed to improve user experience but in practice, serve only the conglomerates.
Let me be clear: Google’s strategies are becoming more opaque and monopolistic. They control what you see-and more importantly, what you don’t. Independent voices are being drowned out by a tidal wave of corporate interest, all algorithmically tuned to prioritize profit over quality.
Google’s practices are not just harming sites like ours; they are fundamentally undermining the principles of fair and open competition on the internet.
By promoting a pay-to-win model, they skew visibility towards those who can afford to game the system, ignoring those who can’t. And even if you DID lack the scruples and have the means to buy a seat at the table, you can’t unless the Google gods invite you in.
And that, my friends, is why, now, when you search for ANYTHING on Google, the first page of the search results is dominated by just a couple of things.
- Google’s awful AI that steals and scrapes content from real publishers — the very publishers they’re suppressing
- Other Google properties
- Roughly half a dozen “big media” publishers that publish nothing but drivel, and Reddit, which is a cesspool of outdated, factually inaccurate dross.
HOW is this helpful to you as a reader? It definitely does not give you a good user experience, and it rarely fulfills the intent of your search.
But here we are. Google controlling what you see, read, and watch.
Google’s Manipulative Practices Exposed
We tried-really tried. We wanted to keep creating content that was free, honest, and authentic, but still met the needs of the user. That, according to Google, meant it would meet their standards, too.
This was a lie.
To add insult to injury, Google flat-out refuses to tell you why you’re being punished and what you can do to recover. In no other industry or business would this happen.
It’s insanity.
Google blatantly lies about the state of search and the publishers who’ve been hit. And they won’t tell us what we need to do to recover. There’s no advice or guidance beyond their templated Google Publisher Guidelines-which we’ve all been following for years and adjusting with every update, so this is a lie, too.
If Google really had any interest in creating a good user experience, instead of suppressing the authentic creative voices and stealing our content and revenue, they’d tell us what they want from us and give us the chance to recover. It’d be a level playing field based on user interaction and content quality instead of how deep your pockets are and how many links you can buy.
How You Can Help
At Wealth of Geeks, we stand for more than just profits. We are a beacon for the curious, a hub for the seekers of both fun and knowledge. Here, you can explore everything from the latest movie reviews to in-depth financial guides, all put together and reviewed by experts who care deeply about their craft.
But now, we need your help more than ever. Engage with us directly-visit our site directly, follow us on Flipboard or MSN, Facebook, or X.
Wherever you are online, so are we.
Please consider sharing our content and following us on social media. Make us your geeky hub of goodness. We promise to reward you with endlessly entertaining, helpful, authentic, creative human content.
Every action you take strikes a blow for independent publishers and creatives.
It strikes a blow for you, too, and every other creative, wonderful, imaginative, smart, funny human being on this planet who doesn’t want to be controlled and manipulated by a massive, faceless behemoth like Google.
Please stand with us and fight!
Your support is vital as we navigate these turbulent waters. Thank you for being part of our journey-we are here because of you, and we will continue to fight for the integrity of independent publishing.
Originally published at https://wealthofgeeks.com on April 16, 2024.
