Semrush Buys Search Engine Land! Google Search Falling Apart?
Oct 17, 2024
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Join Morgan Overholt, a guest host and SEO expert, as he dives into the seismic changes in the search engine landscape. He discusses the implications of Semrush's acquisition of Search Engine Land, shedding light on concerns about journalistic integrity. The conversation also touches on the quality of Google Search, the rise of AI tools, and quirky niche sites, including a roller coaster database. With insights on side hustles and the evolving SEO strategies, there's plenty to spark your interest!
SEMrush's acquisition of Search Engine Land raises concerns over journalistic integrity and potential biases in search engine reporting.
A viral criticism of Google Search reveals user frustration with ad saturation and diminishing quality of organic search results.
The exclusion of certain high-ranking sites from Google's AI overviews poses challenges for content visibility and raises questions about algorithmic fairness.
Deep dives
SEMrush's Acquisition of Search Engine Land
SEMrush's recent acquisition of Search Engine Land has sparked discussions within the SEO community regarding the potential implications for journalistic integrity. This acquisition marks SEMrush's seventh purchase, raising concerns about bias in what is perceived as a fundamental resource for search engine news. Given that Danny Sullivan, a prominent figure in the SEO world, is associated with Search Engine Land and currently works for Google, questions about conflicts of interest and the objectivity of news reporting have arisen. Critics worry about how this ownership change might impact the impartiality of content previously produced by the publication.
Public Sentiment Towards Google Search
A recent viral YouTube video by Mr. Who's the Boss, a mainstream tech influencer, criticized Google Search for its declining effectiveness, highlighting user concerns about the overwhelming number of ads and compromised quality of organic results. The video, garnering over 2.2 million views in days, emphasizes that many users feel that results increasingly prioritize paid content over genuine searches. Examples given include searches for specific products returning irrelevant results, leading to frustration amongst users. This growing discontent underscores a significant disconnect between Google's algorithmic changes and user satisfaction.
Impact of AI Overviews on Search Results
Recent observations indicate that Google's AI overviews seemingly do not link to websites negatively affected by the Helpful Content Update, even when those sites rank well in traditional search results. This has raised alarms among affected site owners who are perplexed by the exclusion despite having relevant content. Expert analysis suggests that this tactic might serve as a protective measure for Google, avoiding potential liabilities when referencing devalued websites. This anomaly highlights the ongoing challenges and complexities of algorithm updates and their effects on content visibility.
Ongoing WordPress Drama
Tensions have escalated in the WordPress community following the recent removal of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin from WP Engine by WordPress itself. This contentious action, attributed to security concerns, has ignited debates about the implications of such a move on the open-source nature of WordPress. WP Engine has expressed dissatisfaction with WordPress's unilateral decision, fearing it sets a troubling precedent for future developments. As this saga unfolds, industry experts speculate about its potential long-term effects on WordPress's ecosystem and market dominance.
Spotlight on Unique Niche Blogs
The conversation highlights diverse niche blogs with varying strategies for generating traffic and income. For instance, the Roller Coaster Database has built a significant online presence, documenting numerous roller coasters globally, although it lacks any monetization strategy. Conversely, the blog Wait But Why, known for its entertaining long-form content, thrives on branding and public speaking engagements rather than traditional ad revenue. This underscores a growing trend toward content-driven monetization strategies that emphasize audience engagement and building a loyal following beyond just Google search traffic.
Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast.
This week Jared and guest host Morgan Overhold discuss the latest news as it relates to SEO, small publishers, and Google. They also share their side hustles and talk about a few weird niche sites.
They talk about the cult following at Wait But Why
Ready to join a niche publishing mastermind, and hear from industry experts each week? Join the Niche Pursuits Community here: https://community.nichepursuits.com
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