If you boil this down, it’s actually a fundamental issue with Google’s ranking algorithm not keeping up with the times. They’re now a monopoly giant with zero incentive to innovate.
We all know the algorithm is too easily gamed (1)(2), but they make way too much money to ever blow it up and start from scratch.
Why care about the free results below the line, when the real goal is to get people to click on the ads at the top of the SERP?
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1. If it’s general information you’re looking for, you’re hit with low-quality keyword spam sites, with 900 ads playing all over the page. Google makes the vast majority of its money on ads, so they can’t penalize sites bloated with ads due to anti-trust issues.
2. If you’re doing research on products/software/etc, the results in almost every category are now bloated with affiliate marketing spam. Again, Google cannot de-rank sites that monetize this way due to anti-trust.
We all know the algorithm is too easily gamed (1)(2), but they make way too much money to ever blow it up and start from scratch.
Why care about the free results below the line, when the real goal is to get people to click on the ads at the top of the SERP?
——-
1. If it’s general information you’re looking for, you’re hit with low-quality keyword spam sites, with 900 ads playing all over the page. Google makes the vast majority of its money on ads, so they can’t penalize sites bloated with ads due to anti-trust issues.
2. If you’re doing research on products/software/etc, the results in almost every category are now bloated with affiliate marketing spam. Again, Google cannot de-rank sites that monetize this way due to anti-trust.