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Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

retrododo.com

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Re: Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

#11

Post by Spivak »

I left the article being like "oh it can't be that bad" and left my little Kagi oasis to try out some Google searches similar to the article and I've completely changed my tune. What in the hell happened? There's nary an organic result to be found, 80% of the page is shopping garbage and sponsored links, the few organic results are blogspam, and there's banner ads in the middle of results now?

The folks here in the comments are missing the forest for the trees here, sure algo tweaks reshuffle winners and losers but there's almost no results that aren't Google's own scraped content and ad spots. No amount of "make better content" can push you above the fold.

Re: Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

#12

Post by ricardobeat »

edude03 wrote: post #9

I'll start by saying, I'm sorry this is happening to the retrododo team, I hadn't heard of them before this article (I'm not really intro retro games) but it seems like they make genuinely good and useful content for the community. On the other hand, more and more these days I see articles & videos that I (possibly unfairly) summarize as "My content deserves to be prioritized by 'the algorithm' and $BIG_CORP is again…

> I honestly don't understand why so many people seem to believe that their content not doing well by some arbitrary standard means some force is against them

How long have you been using the internet for? You don't have to be a content creator to have noticed the huge shift in the past decade, that is basically killing the internet.

Google's algorithm played a huge,role in that, it has become nearly impossible to find independent websites, and they don't even bother giving you more than a couple pages of search results. There is no possibility of the "organic growth" you talk about outside of social media platforms. And then the flood of AI-generated content nailed that coffin.

Re: Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

#14

Post by whatshisface »

latsu wrote: post #6

It's frustrating to see a post like this just blaming Google for their issues, when perhaps their reporting/reviews might be at fault? Many people who look up reviews for products reviewed by Retro Dodo often criticize the reviews for lacking substance or getting very basic facts wrong. I know that I added them to my personal filter list when I found them providing mis-info or just click-farming off of unannounced pr…

It's not about whether you agree with their content, it's that AI and aggregated results are getting ranked above all original pages. I don't have any more hard evidence than the author does, but it's also been my experience that the film of mashed up self-contradictory detritus has been growing thicker and thicker over time. This new wave of non-content is totally different from the old landscape of true or false content.

Re: Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

#15

Post by PerilousD »

When you drink from the Google firehose it's not IF but WHEN you drown. I gave up on Google and their SEO metrics and crap almost two DECADES ago as it was clear where their DONT BE EVIL was going. Sheeple just put up with line after line of SPONSORED search results because the honestly have no clue, so it's NEVER been a level playing field. It just took you longer to join the ranks of the shafted. Now if you spend some time ENGAGING with your clients instead of "organic search growth" you may do better. I've dropped Reddit as well but you know GROUPS.IO? DISCORD? (useful but Im not a big fan), BLOGS - i.e build a community and give Google the digit.

Re: Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

#17

Post by whatshisface »

paxys wrote: post #7

Every site in the world considers the Google algorithm "fair" when they are highly ranked and "illegal" when they are not. Ultimately you are not owed a spot in their top 10. The answer is to find other avenues for marketing and not rely on a single corporation to act as a free funnel for user growth.

There are no other avenues for marketing short-dated information to the general public. Books are the closest alternative, and they wouldn't work for reviews of new devices. For this stuff, everybody does google searches.

Re: Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites

#19

Post by beejiu »

edude03 wrote: post #9

I'll start by saying, I'm sorry this is happening to the retrododo team, I hadn't heard of them before this article (I'm not really intro retro games) but it seems like they make genuinely good and useful content for the community. On the other hand, more and more these days I see articles & videos that I (possibly unfairly) summarize as "My content deserves to be prioritized by 'the algorithm' and $BIG_CORP is again…

> I would actually be looking to either reddit, or gaming YouTubers or gaming sites I already use

In my mind, this is actually the problem. Over the past 15 years, the "web" has become increasingly platformized, and it's getting more platformized every year.

The web is, for all intents and purposes, at the control and direction of Google, Meta, YouTube and a few other players.

When you do finally get into the "independent web", it made up Forbes, Tom's Guide or CNET. 16 companies own the vast majority of the web that we all use: https://detailed.com/google-control/

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