Google’s latest core update has indie publishers reeling as big media sites dominate the SERPs with generic, SEO-driven content.
A former Dotdash Meredith employee revealed they use an alleged SEO strategy called “keyword swarming” to out-publish and outrank smaller independent sites by leveraging their network of websites to create content at scale on the same topics.
Even trusted brands like Forbes are pumping out thousands of loosely related articles to build authority and drive affiliate revenue in new verticals, often at the expense of independent publishers who’ve covered these niches for years.
Many legacy publications have been acquired by SEO-focused companies that lay off journalists and revamp the sites’ content strategies to monetize search traffic, sometimes on topics completely unrelated to the original brand.
Major publishers like Money and Sports Illustrated are even using AI to generate affiliate content under fake author names through sketchy deals with marketing firms.
Google recently announced a spam policy update setting a May 5 deadline for sites to stop abusive practices like using third parties to publish pages to manipulate rankings, but it’s unclear if this will impact big publishers’ in-house tactics.
Meanwhile, indie sites like HouseFresh have seen catastrophic drops in organic traffic, with their detailed product reviews buried by generic “best-of” lists from authoritative domains and an ever-increasing number of Google Shopping listings.
The future looks bleak for independent publishers as Google fills the SERPs with sub-par, generic content and excessive product listings rather than surfacing the most relevant, high-quality information.
The only path forward is to leverage Google’s obsession with freshness and reliance on popular platforms to create a ripple effect around indie publishers’ content.
But in a world where the open web is being smothered by walled gardens, deep pockets, and algorithmic favoritism, it’s an uphill battle that many indies simply can’t afford to keep fighting.
https://housefresh.com/how-google-decimated-housefresh/
