Below are the most recent 30 comments. I try to keep it clean of comment spam, but some times things
get through and it takes me several hours to get to it. So please excuse any of that comment spam.
<a href="https://www.journalism.co.uk/jobs-bloodbath-coming-in-2026-as-google-changes-drive-publishers-toward-collapse/">https://www.journalism.co.uk/jobs-bloodbath-coming-in-2026-as-google-changes-drive-publishers-toward-collapse/</a> You are not alone.
Is optimizing for a long term growth with a monetiziing via displayed ads like MV or Raptive viable anymore? ngl that they've been decreasing RPM year after year, I'm in blogging since 2019 and the RPMs even on Ezoic used to be kinda solid, now, the RPM is not more than $3-5 (because it's Q4 it's now $7 but that's max). I used to have $20-25 RPM with Mediavine back in 2023. that's only 2 years back.
One look at their typical geniuses there, and some of the fuckery going on with this shit company starts to make more sense as to why.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8854a429d365da441cbcddd3ee43f532a9430d28679eb48308c0db4321470e8f.jpg
It's absolutely true. My search traffic to the news site had been gradually declining all year. It completely collapsed in early December. The funniest thing is, Discover died along with it, since they're directly connected. Google employs geniuses, don't they?
I think the AI Mode tab seems to be missing, despite being introduced over the last two quarters. Since a share of organic traffic is now captured through AI-powered search interfaces, not accounting for this data can create gaps in SEO performance analysis and traffic attribution.
This goes against real estate data sharing polcies. My MLS, the largest in the country, revoked the data feed to the vendor that was supplying Google data. I don't need more competition online for my real estate visitors.
This is a good way to replace my PMax store visits campaign. Most of the budget in that campaign goes to map placements anyway but I don't have the ability to stop it from serving account level site links that are unrelated to the asset group.
"Google kills publishers." You're spot on about that. It's undeniable now.
It's strange though you keep posting about deliberately choosing to still keep your employees in the dark out of fear, while being self-centered playing the main victim. You shouldn't be leading anyone if you hide from making tough decisions.
Google can't hide advertisors not paying them for long, unless they lie in their accounts but I doubt they can hide the 70% Christmas ad losses tbh
I think you're right, I can feel it. I think the penny has dropped that AI is not going to pay. They are cranking up the mess of search to try to cover for more revenue loss. It is a consultancy approach for a fast buck but people are literally not searching as much anymore, as the user experience is so poor now. It is literally ruined. They ruined it. I am not sure they can even get the business model back. Advertisors had enough I bet budgets have been pulled as no ROI. Google is well and truly &*3ucked. Only way is to remove AI overviews and AI mode asap but they are too worried about shareholders, I bet the next goal is a 1.5 billion quarter ... but the thing is, ad revenue has stopped paying. Mess with us publishers money and karma will run after you, it will not end well for Google mark my words. Imagine how many people right now at xmas don't have money anymore and the kids suffering with little presents. That is some bad energy Google.
It's hard! I had to let a bunch of employees go, as a result of Google's crap. I found just being honest, about what's going on with google was the best approach, they all saw it too.
We all pretty much know what's going to happen next.
Googlers will say the statistics and findings are flawed, and it isn’t true at all. “Search is all alive and well, and we send billions of clicks a day. Many users find Google more useful than ever before.”
The same o' gaslighting BS.
Remember what @Cobra_Kai__Never_Dies:disqus said about employees.
You're not the only person who believed Google was their friend. They were just some trojan horse, being one thing and ultimately something else.
Google is obsessed with income, it has 90% of the internet search and will not stop until its either stopped or it gets 100%. It has corrupted and slithered up every politician imaginable.
They keep sending me advice on how to make adsense money but there's only one thing that can do that and that is to send me visitors, not put more Effing ads on my site.
They hired that YahooKiller who littered Yahoo with ads apparently, they hired him to wring money out of visitors like he did on Yahoo, there's no competition to Google so doesn't matter what he does now.
I've been like this since December 12. I don't know how to look at my employees, I haven't told them. I'm ashamed at home and by my family that 20 years ago I decided to work as a journalist and publisher. And the biggest mistake is that I believed Google that it helps publishers. Google kills publishers. Google is obsessed with advertising from every corner of your city and makes you dependent. In the end, they kill you physically too
I posted this earlier today, but now everyone is on this post - so reposting.
"More Perfect Union" is a quality investigative reporting channel. Here is their coverage of Googles SERPS decay
<a href="https://youtu.be/GvaOUFwXjf4">https://youtu.be/GvaOUFwXjf4</a>
Good to see @cobra_kai__never_dies:disqus and @rustybrick:disqus getting along. That alone made my day and could even qualify for a featured story. :)
Google is going scorched Earth to steal as much traffic as they can from everyone. This is what happens when a judge finds Google guilty of antitrust crimes and fails to punish them for abusing their dominance in search. This may not be entirely Judge Mehta's fault, because the Trump administration appears to be protecting Google as much as they can.
Christmas miracles really can happen after all.
<a href="https://youtu.be/dIzi2rzeT70?si=kIesgiIZxiJ6Hhv4">https://youtu.be/dIzi2rzeT70?si=kIesgiIZxiJ6Hhv4</a>
Great videos you've re/found, pretty sure I've seen the one before but its always good to see it again. Its a shame that the people who could honestly do something by this are corrupted by money, either making it themselves or using it to get votes.
I see his website and i'll be looking at some others too <a href="https://perfectunion.us/">https://perfectunion.us/</a>
<blockquote>There is no way we can survive with a team of 12 experienced journalists and editors.</blockquote>Google's goal is to reduce your staff from 12 journalists to 1.2 journalists then to none so Google can assume control over media. Once Google has enough control, they will be free to produce fake news that makes Google look good, makes Google money and protects the elected Politicrats who they control.
Check Barry's other story he posted today because it sounds like it applies to you. Best wishes for you and your journalists.
<b>Google Search Traffic To News Publishers Drops From 51% To 27%</b> - <a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-traffic-drops-news-publishers-40645.html">https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-traffic-drops-news-publishers-40645.html</a>
To me, this doesn’t look like a temporary bug or some random over-correction. The data points in one direction: Google is actively redefining how reviews actually work as a ranking signal.
For years, we’ve treated review counts and star averages as quasi-accumulative assets. What we’re seeing now feels less like cleanup and more like a shift toward what I’d call credibility weighting. If a review lacks context, specificity, or real behavioral signals, it simply won’t survive long-term anymore — regardless of the rating.
Seeing both 5-star and 1-star reviews getting nuked at the same time is the giveaway. Extremes are the easiest to manipulate, and an AI-driven moderation system clearly doesn’t trust them anymore.
Bottom line: we have to stop looking at reviews as static SEO assets. They’re turning into fragile, dynamic signals — closer to real engagement than old-school “reputation.” Anyone still trying to build reviews the old way is probably misreading where Google is headed.