Google might actually benefit from a culling of the herd

But it is not Google's job to cull anything. This is an intervention in the market by a quasi-monopolist and should be stopped immediately. Google is a gatekeeper and it's about free access to information, etc. Unfortunately, politics is asleep in this case.

Unfortunately even selling unique products still doesn't matter since Google will display ads, use the other organic results and "features" in the SERPS to direct shoppers elsewhere (mostly Amazon). Yes, people are still buying but if you can't be found then you're not selling.

Yes the ads do cut into traffic, but if you are creating truly differentiated products then people aren't going to click on ads and go to amazon because it isn't available there. My case is unique so not very applicable to many others. My site functions like an archive really...thousands of posts with very specific content and the best of its kind available anywhere.

What I have found is this...the customers with serious budgets who need the best possible quality for this kind of work will keep searching until they find it. The customers whose main concern is the lowest price will not...I can't make those sales anyway, and frankly they are just a pain. Google can have them. My clients are top level corporations that want a guarantee of the best quality from a reputable brand which has a ton of actual examples of verified sales. What they don't have is time...they want to buy via the website ASAP.

if you are creating truly differentiated products then people aren't going to click on ads and go to amazon because it isn't available there.

Likely depends on how unique those products are and if something similar exists on Amazon. We're a manufacturer and what we produce are classified as industrial products. Our products are different, including one important way - they meet current safety standards. What is sold on Amazon and elsewhere isn't, but consumers never know the difference because Google limits their choice in search. That being said, there's no reason for someone to scroll way down the page (past the ads and refinements) to see other options. We've been in business a while, so Google's choice-less search results really impacts B2C sales, not B2B and B2G sales nearly as much. The good news for us is when average consumers have problems with what they bought on Amazon, we get sales from that after they dig deeper and realize why Amazon cheap/convenient isn't always better (or safer).

The new March thread is here: [webmasterworld.com...]

[edited by: not2easy at 11:12 am (utc) on Mar 1, 2025]