For those of us who’ve pursued rankings in Google’s Search Engine results, building quality sites, building in bound links, developing social media, etc.., the aftermath of the past 24 months is akin to breaking up. Nothing you’ve done is good enough for the other party.
You’ve disavowed all your former friends; you’ve redesigned your wardrobe; you’ve tried to make friends with Google’s friends; your self-confidence has become intertwined with Google’s moods; and yet the abusive behavior continues. In the end, the only conclusion you come to: it wasn’t me, it was YOU after all.
If you’ve followed the regular nail-biting, feuding, and resignation, that the Past Year of Google has wrought on the websites of many willing, wannabe webmasters both young and old; you can ONLY conclude that you’ve been tricked into an abusive relationship.
Really, when you think about how it seems, that’s the only conclusion webmasters seem to be able to come now that the multiple lacerations of Panda & Penguin have started to heal, yet reconciliation & recovery isn’t happening.
Instead, further cuts, bruises and less visible scars suggest an altogether different conclusion. That your partner who promised to do no evil, to make amends, and to change their ways, has now succumbed to violent and abusive behavior to your website.
To that end, I’ve removed Analytics code from this site and most of my other sites, I’ve deleted my Webmasters accounts from Google, and removed Adsense from all of my accounts. The only two things I’m keeping are souvenirs of my relationship with Google: my gmail profile & one analytics account. But even then, I may ceremonially burn them in the garden tomorrow night.
Goodbye Google, I’d like to say it’s been fun… but, really, if I never see you around, know that I’ll be doing just fine without you.