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The same thing happens every 3-5 years. HowStuffWorks, About.com (now like 10 different domains), many IAC acquired properties, RedVenture sites, even random si

by vgeek 2y ago

The same thing happens every 3-5 years. HowStuffWorks, About.com (now like 10 different domains), many IAC acquired properties, RedVenture sites, even random sites like LiveStrong.com will be wildly prominent when the domains historically aren't relevant or authoritative for a given niche. Even recently, sites like CNN were using subdomains with affiliate offers managed by third parties(1). These sites weren't being de-ranked algorithmically-- someone at Google would have to apply a manual action to remove them from the SERPs. What incentive would there be to do so if a prior agreement was in place? Google doesn't really care about discoverability for smaller domains that may have good content. They are either being risk averse (avoiding potential spammers, junk AI content) by favoring trusted domains, favoring brands who are likely to spend on display or search ads, or maybe a combination of these. 1) https://searchengineland.com/google-begins-enforcement-of-site-reputation-abuse-policy-with-portions-of-sites-being-delisted-440294 https://searchengineland.com/google-begins-enforcement-of-si...

stackghost 2y ago
>The same thing happens every 3-5 years. [...] Google doesn't really care about discoverability for smaller domains that may have good content. What's galling is that (ostensibly) they used to care. So much for "organizing the world's information" and "don't be evil".
- Nevermark 2y ago
  Well they are certainly organizing the world's information, and continue to be incentivized to do so. Deeply. For advertisers.
Animats 2y ago
It's really frustrating. I currently want to buy a mattress and a refrigerator. The results for those are so awful as to be useless.
- supportengineer 2y ago
  A lot of classic software essentially worked more like a database. In the last 10-15 years it's all moving to an algorithm. Here is what I mean. Photos apps used to let you search through your photos using filters. The same kinds of things are happening on the web which already happened to apps (desktop and mobile). In the modern world, some marketing company wants to tell YOU which of YOUR photos you wanted, so they can sell you some prints, harvest your data, or something. I would like any apps that have to do with collections of files, photos, music, etc to be more of a deterministic DATABASE and less of a nondeterministic algorithm.
  - wolpoli 2y ago
    > A lot of classic software essentially worked more like a database. In the last 10-15 years it's all moving to an algorithm. You just described what I missed about the older software. Older software gives users control over sorting and show data in a tabular format. Modern software sorts data with an algorithm, with ads mixed in, and shows data in a card format, making it a lot less usable.
    - TeMPOraL 2y ago
      Exactly. My related observation: half of the SaaS products I see would be more useful and ergonomic for the user if they were implemented as an Excel sheet. (I actually worked for one of such "better off as an .xls file" startup in the past, and its main competitor was an incumbent that sold the same stuff as an Excel extension. Trying to replace that with a React app is not a worthwhile use of life.) Algorithms are fine. I'll happily apply the most advanced ones I can get. The problem is with who applies them to what - as you and GP said, it's about user control - or, currently, lack of.
      - llm_trw 2y ago
        Excel is great until it you need to do something that takes up more space than a single screen. Then it isn't. Sending sqlite databases to the users which they can interact with using both sql and a viewer is where it's at.
Workaccount2 2y ago
I get flashbacks to the exodus of Digg, when the admins basically said "Look, we get a lot of junk content and a lot of common source content so we are going to start fast tracking the common source content from trusted providers" We all know how that went over.
- underlipton 2y ago
  And then the exodus ruined Reddit. Eternal September dominoes.
paulpauper 2y ago
Investopedia is another one. Same for bankrate.com Other ones included wikihow and genius.com
- smcin 2y ago
  ??? I've always found wikihow superbly curated, clear, direct, readable, with simple clear diagrams and almost no fluff. At least for how-to-do guides, not buying. Can you post a link to a low-quality wikihow article or two?
  - vlexo1 2y ago
    They never can yet complain all the time based on the perception of the brand and people complaining - same thing as those on Twitter/x
  - flp619 2y ago
    https://www.reddit.com/r/disneyvacation/ https://www.reddit.com/r/disneyvacation/
    - smcin 2y ago
      Sure, people can submit low-grade garbage or vandalize pages, but that doesn't mean the site doesn't also have useful content, like: https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics
  - cynicalsecurity 2y ago
    Wikihow is crap.
    - smcin 2y ago
      No it isn't, not in the moderated sections with lots of viewers: https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics
- 2y ago
scottshrum 2y ago
“The same thing happens every 3-5 years.” This is so true. I remember when Demand Media was crushing it on Google in the early 2010s. Seem like they were everywhere, and then one day they weren’t.

by vgeek 2y ago

stackghost 2y ago

>The same thing happens every 3-5 years. [...] Google doesn't really care about discoverability for smaller domains that may have good content. What's galling is that (ostensibly) they used to care. So much for "organizing the world's information" and "don't be evil".

Nevermark 2y ago
Well they are certainly organizing the world's information, and continue to be incentivized to do so. Deeply. For advertisers.

Animats 2y ago

It's really frustrating. I currently want to buy a mattress and a refrigerator. The results for those are so awful as to be useless.

supportengineer 2y ago
A lot of classic software essentially worked more like a database. In the last 10-15 years it's all moving to an algorithm. Here is what I mean. Photos apps used to let you search through your photos using filters. The same kinds of things are happening on the web which already happened to apps (desktop and mobile). In the modern world, some marketing company wants to tell YOU which of YOUR photos you wanted, so they can sell you some prints, harvest your data, or something. I would like any apps that have to do with collections of files, photos, music, etc to be more of a deterministic DATABASE and less of a nondeterministic algorithm.
- wolpoli 2y ago
  > A lot of classic software essentially worked more like a database. In the last 10-15 years it's all moving to an algorithm. You just described what I missed about the older software. Older software gives users control over sorting and show data in a tabular format. Modern software sorts data with an algorithm, with ads mixed in, and shows data in a card format, making it a lot less usable.
  - TeMPOraL 2y ago
    Exactly. My related observation: half of the SaaS products I see would be more useful and ergonomic for the user if they were implemented as an Excel sheet. (I actually worked for one of such "better off as an .xls file" startup in the past, and its main competitor was an incumbent that sold the same stuff as an Excel extension. Trying to replace that with a React app is not a worthwhile use of life.) Algorithms are fine. I'll happily apply the most advanced ones I can get. The problem is with who applies them to what - as you and GP said, it's about user control - or, currently, lack of.
    - llm_trw 2y ago
      Excel is great until it you need to do something that takes up more space than a single screen. Then it isn't. Sending sqlite databases to the users which they can interact with using both sql and a viewer is where it's at.

Workaccount2 2y ago

I get flashbacks to the exodus of Digg, when the admins basically said "Look, we get a lot of junk content and a lot of common source content so we are going to start fast tracking the common source content from trusted providers" We all know how that went over.

underlipton 2y ago
And then the exodus ruined Reddit. Eternal September dominoes.

paulpauper 2y ago

Investopedia is another one. Same for bankrate.com Other ones included wikihow and genius.com

smcin 2y ago
??? I've always found wikihow superbly curated, clear, direct, readable, with simple clear diagrams and almost no fluff. At least for how-to-do guides, not buying. Can you post a link to a low-quality wikihow article or two?
- vlexo1 2y ago
  They never can yet complain all the time based on the perception of the brand and people complaining - same thing as those on Twitter/x
- flp619 2y ago
  https://www.reddit.com/r/disneyvacation/ https://www.reddit.com/r/disneyvacation/
  - smcin 2y ago
    Sure, people can submit low-grade garbage or vandalize pages, but that doesn't mean the site doesn't also have useful content, like: https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics
- cynicalsecurity 2y ago
  Wikihow is crap.
  - smcin 2y ago
    No it isn't, not in the moderated sections with lots of viewers: https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Computers-and-Electronics
2y ago

scottshrum 2y ago

“The same thing happens every 3-5 years.” This is so true. I remember when Demand Media was crushing it on Google in the early 2010s. Seem like they were everywhere, and then one day they weren’t.