Comments on: Does Getting Rid of Google Make Sense? Feedback from the Web

By: #7 - ab?use of authority says..capitalize this | The Saloon of Literature

#7 - ab?use of authority says..capitalize this | The Saloon of Literature — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:45:18 +0000

[...] transgressions is not new. a number of our peers have expressed disdain for G, going as far as banning it. however, we can’t dismiss the volume of consumers using the search engine. it’s [...]

By: Steven

Steven — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 06:00:44 +0000

Just discovered your blog yesterday, great stuff! Someone with an actual opinion, on any topic really, is hard to find these days in this echo chamber we call the internet. Keep it interesting like this, and I will keep returning. Tschüss!

By: Tadeusz Szewczyk

Tadeusz Szewczyk — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:43:43 +0000

Surfanna: Thank you for voicing your opinion after so many years of faithful readership. I truly appreciate it. You are right that my writings weren’t as inspired lately before I got rid of Google. I just got sucked deeper and deeper into the tedious conventional SEO habits I tried to overcome initially with SEO 2.0
Now that I am Google-free I can also express myself without artificial constraints.

Leo: Thank you for your remarks. Indeed I guess many people think like you, that’s the obvious reaction to expect IMHO. My case is a bit special perhaps as I got mainly off topic and even downright harmful traffic from Google. Mostly people wanting to take my images have landed here via Google and Google images. Plus the dofollow blog commenting lot, people adding no value and only taking my time. At the same time I had to optimize headlines etc. for Google so that they ended up sounding boring.

By: Leo Dimilo

Leo Dimilo — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:03:17 +0000

Hey Tad,

I understand the metaphor behind your decision but I don’t know if “banning” Google would be the most sensible thing to do. What about simply ignoring them and what you get is what you get?

Getting around without Google isn’t impossible. There are plenty of strategies which work and takes search out of the equation. But if they are going to give you traffic and you aren’t working it to get that traffic, then why the heck not?

Just my thoughts though. You are a brave soul, especially if the sites you have banned are commercial in nature.

By: Surfanna

Surfanna — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:06:19 +0000

Hi Tad, I was very interested by your post about quitting Google. I think you made a brave and senseful step. Good content can actually live without Google… :)

I have read you blog for many years now (4 ? 5?) but I must say that during your being Google-famous period (I mean when you had good rankings) I stopped reading, because I found your posts less innovative and perhaps written to attract the big crowd with titles like “10 ways to have a successfull blog” and “What Google will never tell you”.
Now you got me again with you good writing and engagement! I’m looking forward to read more about this way you took.

Ah yes, and something more : I recently started a little experience that’s going a bit in the same direction as yours.
I started a new blog with the intent to NOT focus on SEO, but much more SMO. OK, I optimized it a bit, but I really aim to get trafic from social media. As it’s a blog about DIY jewelry, there’s a huuuuuge community to catch on blogs, Pinterest, Etsy and so on.
In fact, for now I get much more trafic from those sources than from good old Google… :)