Google Doesn't Owe You Traffic

Every time Google rolls out an algorithm update, Twitter explodes with rage.

"Google killed my site!" "This update destroyed small businesses!" "Google only cares about ads now!"

And my favorite: "Google is broken."

No. Your business model was broken.

The Entitlement Problem

Somewhere along the way, website owners decided they were entitled to Google traffic. Like it was a constitutional right.

It's not.

Google is a private company with a product: search results. They're trying to make that product useful for searchers. That's their job. Not sending traffic to your affiliate site.

If your rankings dropped, it's because Google decided something else serves searchers better. (Before panicking, at least diagnose the actual cause.) That's not Google being evil. That's Google being Google.

You Built on Rented Land

Here's the uncomfortable truth: if your business depends on Google traffic, you don't have a business. You have a dependency.

Google can change the rules anytime. They've done it before. They'll do it again. Every "update" is a reminder that you're playing in someone else's sandbox. (Yet SEO keeps not dying.)

Complaining about algorithm updates is like complaining about rent increases. You chose to build on rented land. You accepted the risk.

The Updates Aren't Random

Most sites that get hit by algorithm updates were doing something sketchy. Not always intentionally. But sketchy.

Thin content disguised with word count. Affiliate spam dressed up as "reviews." Programmatic pages that exist only to capture long-tail traffic.

When these sites get hit, they cry foul. But Google isn't punishing good sites. It's finally catching the bad ones.

What Surviving Sites Have in Common

Sites that survive algorithm updates share a few traits:

They'd exist without Google. Real businesses with real customers who would find them anyway.

Their content has inherent value. People bookmark it. Share it. Come back to it.

They have brand searches. People type their name into Google directly.

They don't play games. No tricks. No "optimization." Just useful stuff.

The Real Security

The only protection against Google volatility is not needing Google.

Build an email list. Create repeat customers. Develop brand awareness. Make something people tell their friends about.

SEO should be a supplement, not a foundation. If your entire business collapses because Google changed an algorithm, you never had a business. You had an arbitrage scheme.

Google doesn't owe you traffic. Nobody does. Build something that earns it.