crpytblade sez
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But all of this makes me wonder if Google is doing something more sinister...
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I am a self-admitted skeptic and paranoid loon, so there's my full disclosure. But I am extremely unhappy with Google, and have been for about six months. It isn't about whining over "oh God there goes all my work" (for 100+ sites) it is more like "wow, look at the shiznet that they call natural search, if I can find it among the 20+ PPC ads littering the results." I had validated, quality, natural, white hat stuff for many, many clients high up on Google, and it isn't like they disappeared in one day, they just trickle downwards over time. 13 years one site has been online, it gets 2k+ natural sessions a day with no PPC, and creeping downward it has gone since the day Google did an IPO. Upwards went utter rubbish that is totally unrelated, or not nearly so relevant, to very obvious search phrases - one word, two word sorts.
Plus if you ask me, Google has already cornered the SEM market in the eyes of those who only see PPC as their best marketing option - i.e. the 90% of SMBs out there as opposed to corps with the cash to do radio, TV, email campaigns (good ones) and now podcasting and other such things.
As for SEO, it sort of bleeds into Adwords profits if you ask me... my how it helps to click on PPC if the natural results a) look similar - and I know they're offset, but not by much, 80% or so of people can't tell the difference per some studies... and b) how nice for Google's wallet if only the PPC seems to be relevant, eh?
I realize there are some natural curbs and checks on this, such as people abandoning Google in droves for a better engine - but MSN and Yahoo are PPC-happy as well, though I... cannot believe I am saying this... have been quite impressed with the new non-beta MSN. First time in my life I have wanted MS to really get after a competitor - or at least make a quality alternative product that humbles said competitor's gouging ambitions a little. Google's got the giant's attention, we'll see what comes of it - my prediction is they will BOTH start the SEO/SEM lock game, and we web people will all go grab 3 domains for every site and optimize them differently to hit the major engines (but not with identical visible content of course, that's black-hat SEO - eek! Call the cops! Plus it doesn't even work unless you do it! Or so scream the mad white hatters - of which I am one, though I'm climbing on the fence if this slide goes on forever...)