According to an article published by Wealth of Geeks on December 13, 2024, and a recent SEO Unplugged podcast episode released on December 10, 2024, Google's recent search algorithm updates have devastated traffic for thousands of small publishers while favoring large corporations and forum sites.
According to Lily Ray, VP of SEO Strategy & Research at Amsive, speaking to SEO Unplugged podcast host Itamar Blauer, the September 2023 Helpful Content Update (HCU) has had severe unintended consequences. Ray explained that while Google intended to elevate authentic human-written content, the update instead "greatly reduced the visibility of certain types of websites."
According to the Wealth of Geeks report, the impact has been particularly severe for independent publishers. Gisele Navarro, Managing Editor of HouseFresh, told Wealth of Geeks their site lost 95% of its Google traffic after the September update, dropping from 4,000 daily visitors to around 200. Similarly, Ready Steady Cut, an independent film review website, reported to Wealth of Geeks an 80% reduction in traffic by December 2023, falling from 1.5 million monthly views.
According to Wealth of Geeks, Blair MacGregor, Founder of Trusthetics, an SEO consultancy, notes that Google's actions often contradict its stated support for an open web. "In many publicly documented cases, they've taken significant traffic away from the open web, or at least that seems to be the intent," MacGregor stated to Wealth of Geeks.
Speaking on the SEO Unplugged podcast, Ray indicated that until the August 2024 core update, there had been no documented recoveries among sites impacted by the HCU. According to Wealth of Geeks, many sites experienced additional losses during the March update, with some publishers fearing their traffic could eventually reach zero.
According to both sources, the changes extend beyond traffic statistics. Google's updates have fundamentally altered search results, elevating content from large brands and forum sites like Reddit and Quora, regardless of content quality. In the Wealth of Geeks article, MacGregor cautioned that these forum results can contain inaccurate or outdated information, as they rely on volunteer moderators and are vulnerable to manipulation.
According to Wealth of Geeks, small publishers argue that the changes harm content quality. Navarro explained that HouseFresh independently purchases and tests every air purifier they review, conducting long-term performance assessments. These thorough evaluations now rank below sponsored results and forum discussions.
According to Ray's comments on the SEO Unplugged podcast, Google has recently acknowledged some issues. At a creator summit, the company admitted that affected publishers were producing quality content despite their ranking drops. Ray described this as "an interesting admission that the Helpful Content Update negatively impacted certain sites in ways other than what Google likely initially intended."
According to the Wealth of Geeks report, the introduction of AI overviews in spring 2024 has added another layer of complexity. While major publishers report minimal impact, MacGregor indicated that many sites anticipate greater effects as these features evolve. Google's experiments with recipe blogs, which display complete content directly in search results, threaten to further reduce website visits that publishers depend on for revenue.
According to Wealth of Geeks, the implications extend beyond individual websites. MacGregor warned that if small publishers cannot sustain their operations, the internet risks becoming less diverse and informative. "Small publishers, often overlooked, are the backbone of the digital ecosystem, yet they bear the brunt of Google's algorithm changes," he stated.
As reported by both sources, alternative search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo offer options for users dissatisfied with Google's current direction. However, with Google processing 8.5 billion searches daily and commanding over 90% market share, according to Wealth of Geeks, the company's decisions continue to shape the internet's future.
Speaking on the December 13 SEO Unplugged podcast, Ray emphasized the need for balance, calling for "more diversity in the search results" and opportunities for publishers of all sizes to compete effectively. Without such changes, experts from both sources warn that the open web's future remains uncertain.