The SEO and website industries are abuzz this week due to a so-called “leak” of google information. Others have referred to it simply as API data and not a true “leak”. Either way, the community is abuzz on several key fronts, particularly that we finally have information on how the ever-elusive Google works internally. Even if this is just a brief insight into the workings of the search engine, it did confirm for many that Google’s March core update was not only penalizing good sites, but was also a colossal slap in the face to smaller, more niche-blogs. There’s also growing concern since Google has been using websites to train Bard/Gemini without consent, but that’s an ever growing battle. I have a couple thoughts on this as somebody who has been in the web design industry for 10 years, then left to become a therapist. I also run a non-profit, and I still manage around 20 websites. Some of them for these businesses, others just for fun.

The website I saw the most hits on, funny enough, were the ones making the most ad revenue. Part of me wonders if Google is simply cracking the whip on its engine to try and save money—why wouldn’t it? Anyways, that’s neither here nor there. I don’t care about that site very much as I never expected it to make revenue in the first place. Besides, we’re not talking thousands, just a few $100. I did find it interesting.

What I’ve noticed, however, from my shift from running “branded” content to “personal content” (much of being a therapist is promoting YOURSELF) is that the current web is actually not brand friendly. Reddit answers and Quora answers are ranking not just because they are top level domains (but it helps) but because people are more likely to view social content.

And then… I thought about it some more. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt “drawn” to a brand on youtube or facebook like I used to. I simply don’t care that much. And yet, we constantly consume tik toks, youtubers, and ‘influencers’. Rather than being ‘brands’ there’s a large shift to self content. In response to this, I changed my YouTube and Tik Tok to no longer feature my organization name but my own. It’s a weird feeling as the web seems to be becoming less friendly to a corporate landscape and more for a socialized one. For example, the google information that came out confirms that who your author is matters, and that google can actually link it to social profiles and other content. Google My Business now offers the option to add social profiles.

I think it’s ironic that Google is making the web more ‘social’ by removing the human touch and moving to a distilled AI-based model.

“Search Engine Optimization” now feels a bit more like “Personal Press Releases”. This is a new world for many, but I think there is some indication that at least right now, the web is moving away from websites and more to a person-driven approach. That is, so long as the ads from that content make revenue for google—and considering how much influencers are paid, we can assume that’s not going anywhere any time soon.

Google no longer seems to care what SEO you’re doing, they only care if users are engaging in content, satisfied, and kept in the ecosystem. Their AI scraping our content and stealing it isn’t helping matters either… where this goes is anybody’s guess, but for now, take my thoughts with a grain of salt—and then add lime and a margarita. All I’ll say is that I’m not jealous of those still in the industry.

11pm update I posted on the /r/SEO subreddit: