Advantages of Google-Free Blogging

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OK, it's been a few weeks since I banned Google on this blog and I see some of the consequences. In sheer numbers I get less "traffic" of course.

I explained before how most of Google "traffic" weren't real visitors interested in blogs, social media or SEO but mostly content thieves and comment spammers.

Most people assume that Google is a must but I will show you today how many advantages Google-free blogging brings.

• far less content theft, especially image theft
• fewer manual comment spammers with keyword rich anchor text
• clean readable referrer statistics, finally I see who arrives via links
• people who are really interested in my writing arriving
• more engagement with like-minded individuals, fewer complaints
• increased focus on subscribers and regular readers
• better incentive to write new posts more frequently
• more freedom when writing and crafting headlines
• no duplicate content issues anymore, no such thing existed before Google
• more time to write less time wasted on adapting for Google's ongoing changes

These are just the most obvious advantages I see already after a few weeks. I don't have to spend so much time deleting manual spam comments, especially on the weekends. I may additionally ban some of the dofollow blog commenting lists and free backlink checkers that send me the few remaining spammers.

No more time wasters like debating with people who are not willing to understand that Google Chrome has many issues, not only for those concerned with privacy. Previously I ranked with a lot of keyphrases like [google chrome bad] and searchers arriving here would argue how wrong I am on the article written years ago.

To be honest most blogs do not sell to search visitors. Most blogging business models require a stable audience of "1000 true fans".

These might have arrived here via Google in the past but as far as I see it most people who stayed the longest with me were other active online publishers and social media users. Searchers will drop in find what they seek and vanish forever.

Also, in retrospective most of my best and longstanding clients have known me before approaching me or have followed a recommendation by others. I don't think bloggers need Google. The contrary is the case. Google forces you to change your writing style so drastically that you mess it up writing keyword stuffed headlines etc.

* Creative Commons image by danorbit.