All News Web Design & SEO - News

Why Google Doesn’t Work Anymore: My Warning as an SEO Pioneer

Why Google Doesn’t Work Anymore: My Warning as an SEO Pioneer

I’ve been building websites since the late 1990s, back when I taught myself HTML in Deadwood, South Dakota, with just a dial-up connection and a dream to share my art online. Google was a game-changer then—type in a keyword, and it delivered exactly what you needed, whether it was my small art site or a local shop’s page. It was the cat’s meow for creators like me. But now? Google’s a mess of paid ads, AI spam, and results that don’t match what you’re looking for. As someone who’s been in the SEO trenches for decades, I’m sounding the alarm: Google’s focus on profit over people has broken search. For a deeper look, check out my thoughts here: Did Big Tech and Mainstream Media Break Search Engines—or Did They Sabotage Themselves?

Update 9/26/2025 Google Admits Censorship

Google’s Golden Days

When Google launched, it was a breath of fresh air. In the early 2000s, I could tweak my website’s keywords and content to rank high for art-related searches. It was like leaving a trail of crumbs for Google’s “ants” to find my site, as I wrote in the linked article. Small businesses and creators thrived because Google prioritized relevance. But then, things changed.

Cracking Down on Tricks, Opening the Door to Cash

Google started updating its algorithms—Panda in 2011, BERT in 2019—to stop folks from gaming the system with shady tactics like keyword stuffing. I get it; nobody wants spammy sites. But these updates made SEO so complex it’s practically a degree program now. As a small creator, I struggled to keep up. Then came Google AdWords and sponsored content. Suddenly, Alphabet—Google’s parent company—turned search into a pay-to-play game. Big brands and media giants with deep pockets could buy top spots, pushing my site and others like it to page 10.

A Search Engine Land study shows 60% of top-ranking pages are now from big brands or mainstream media. Search for “best paint brushes,” and you’ll likely get a newspaper’s subscription pop-up or an affiliate site, not my art blog. It’s frustrating when your great product or content gets buried because you can’t afford a fancy SEO team.

AI and Bias: Making It Worse

Google’s AI Overviews, rolled out in 2025, were supposed to make search smarter. Instead, they often serve up biased or irrelevant summaries, pulling from mainstream sources that don’t tell the whole story. Exploding Topics reports that these AI features have cut organic click-through rates by up to 64% for some queries, starving small sites like mine of traffic. Plus, the flood of AI-generated content—described in an X post as “SEO-optimized garbage”—clogs results with low-effort affiliate pages. It’s like wading through digital mud to find anything real.

Here’s the kicker: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Yahoo and Bing appear to be following the same good rules of delivering good results like we used to see in the beginning of search! They’re not perfect, but they feel closer to the old Google’s focus on relevance.

The Struggle for Small Creators

As an artist and webmaster, I’ve seen how Google’s shift hurts folks like me. Big companies with million-dollar ad budgets dominate key phrases, even if their content isn’t relevant. Meanwhile, small businesses and creators with amazing products or stories can’t break through. It’s not just about SEO skills anymore—it’s about who can pay the most.

How I’m Fighting Back

I’m not giving up. Here’s how I’m staying visible in 2025:

  • Build My Brand: I share my art and expertise on blogs and social media, linking to sites like BioChecked.com to show credibility.
  • Go Beyond Google: Platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube are where people search now. I post short videos or authentic content to connect directly.
  • Optimize for AI: I use clear headings and bullet points so AI tools can find and cite my work.
  • Focus on You, the User: My sites are fast, mobile-friendly, and packed with real content to answer your questions.
  • Track My Reach: Tools help me see how my art appears in AI and social searches.
  • Change your search engine to Yahoo! Bing or Duck Duck Go!

Let’s Reclaim Search

Google’s gone from a helpful tool to a profit-driven machine, but we can adapt. By creating authentic content and exploring new platforms, we can get our voices heard. Read more about how Big Tech’s choices broke search in my full article here. Let’s bring back the internet’s original spirit—a place for real people, not just big money.