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Google Search Drops

Traffic Falling for Many Websites

AdWords Affected Too

For several months now Google has been altering the way search results are delivered to users. Much controversy has cropped up in the wake of its changes. Many website and blog owners, as well as SEO specialists, have complained of declining traffic and a corresponding decrease in advertising revenue.

While the extent of the change is still being analyzed, it is clear that a great many websites have seen declines in visitor count. Does this mean that Google™ is no longer the be-all and end-all of Internet traffic generation? Is it the end of an era and the start of something new? It's too early to say for sure, but many experts are beginning to wonder whether Google has overplayed its hand with these latest changes.

The most significant changes made by Google took effect in January of 2012.

One aspect of the changes that has affected many website owners is the “Panda” update. This tweak to the Google search algorithm was designed to essentially deprecate sites that provide poor content to its users. While a noble goal in theory, many site owners, even those who create high-quality, original content, have seen their traffic dwindle since the update.

Despite the complaints and finger-pointing, Google is making no official comment on the impact of the changes to its algorithms. It remains to be seen whether the search engine giant will take any steps to ameliorate the negative effects that these changes have had on website owners. In the meantime, however, it is clear that the way in which people find information on the internet has been irreversibly changed.

One thing that is clear is that Google AdWords™ has not escaped the negative effects of the algorithm changes. Many advertisers reported declines in traffic to their websites as much as 50% or more.

Google has long been the 800 pound gorilla of internet search and, despite these changes, it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. However, the changes that Google has made to its search results are a clear message that the company is not invincible and that website owners should نه be 100% reliant on Google™ for their livelihood.

1M visitors in the past month is a lot to lose, but it might not be entirely Google™s fault. A well-designed social media campaign could generate significant levels of traffic to any website. This is especially true with the rise of mobile browsing. With a smartphone in every pocket, people are using the Internet wherever they go. Your best bet for generating traffic to your site is to diversify. Don’t rely on one or even two traffic sources. The more diverse your traffic generation, the less likely you are to be impacted by a change in Google™s search algorithm.