Google doesn’t owe you any organic traffic.
It doesn’t owe you rankings, visibility, explanations, apologies, or even acknowledgment of your existence.
And yet, every time there’s a Google algorithm update, a corner of the internet (primarily Barry’s blog at seroundtable.com) erupts into wails and gnashing of teeth.
“Google destroyed my business!”
“I used to rank #1 and now I’m not even in the top 10!”
“They’re favoring big brands!”
“They are stealing our content and ideas to feed their LLM (large language model)!”
Boo. Freaking. Hoo.
Let us be the friend that tells you what your other “SEO gurus” won’t:
- You are not entitled to free exposure
- If your Google rankings dropped, you’re not the only one
- If your rankings dropped, take ownership of your website’s deficiencies–don’t blame the search engine
- If you’re playing the SEO game, you haven’t been playing it long enough if you have not yet been “hit” negatively by an update
- Just because SEO can be a solid avenue for traffic, distribution and sales, it should NEVER be your ONLY avenue (you should always be diversifying your strategy)
Unless you experiment, pivot and adjust your SEO strategy, a single rankings drop can be more of a permanent business killer.
Table of Contents
The Myth of Organic Entitlement
Somewhere along the line, a dangerous idea crept into the SEO world — that just because you built a website, published some blog posts, and optimized your images and H1 tags, you’re owed a steady stream of organic traffic.
That myth needs to die a rapid death, immediately.
Although Google tends to rank older sites over newer sites, it doesn’t care how long you’ve been around.
It doesn’t care how many hours you spent perfecting your meta descriptions.
There is no SEO Santa handing out goodies for effort.
If your content sucks or your site is stuck in 2012, don’t expect sympathy — expect invisibility.
“People who are given whatever they want soon develop a sense of entitlement and rapidly lose their sense of proportion” — Sarah Churchwell
It may be time to mute expectations on what Google can do for you, especially now that:
- AI mode will continue to shove organic search results into the ether, keeping users locked in the Google ecosystem with zero-click searches…unless you pay.
- Google’s share of the overall search pie is dwindling to other prominent LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity.ai. Don’t expect that to improve!
- Expect less from Google. That is, reset your expectations.
Google Is a Business, Not Your Fairy Godmother
Time for a reality check: Google’s job isn’t to help your business grow — it’s to serve its users and make money. Preferably lots of it.
It turns out users trust big brands. They click them more often. They stay on their sites longer. That data tells Google those sites are better answers. So, of course, Google serves them up.
If you were Google, wouldn’t you do the same?
So no, it’s not a conspiracy.
It’s not some secret vendetta against small businesses.
It’s just the algorithm doing what it does — reward what works for those that own the platform.
Your Traffic Dropped? It’s Probably You
Let’s be honest: if your organic traffic tanked after an update, maybe it wasn’t the update.
Maybe your site:
-
Loads slower than dial-up.
-
Has 700 blog posts about nothing anyone wants to read.
-
Looks like it was built during Obama’s first term.
-
Hasn’t earned a single high quality backlink since TikTok was launched.
Google didn’t destroy your rankings — you neglected them.
SEO is not a “set it and forget it” kind of game.
It’s more like raising a needy digital child.
You have to feed it, clean it, and keep it out of trouble constantly.
And it’s only getting harder with stiffer competition and less love from fewer clicks from the SERPs.
You Chose to Play This Game
No one forced you into the SEO game.
You chose this.
You wanted “free” traffic (so called).
You wanted leads.
You wanted to outsmart the competition (er…the algorithm).
Well, welcome to the jungle.
Google changes the rules every few months.
You can adapt, or you can become roadkill.
There is no third option.
You don’t get to complain about the rules when you’re playing in someone else’s sandbox.
This is Google’s game — and you agreed to play.
Big Brands Are Winning? Shocking.
Yes, we know — big brands dominate the SERPs.
They’ve got armies of writers, PR agencies, and backlink budgets that could make a small country blush.
You can either cry about it… or pivot.
Find your niche.
Build deep topical authority.
Outmaneuver them in long-tail and local.
Create 10x content they’d never bother with.
Be more agile.
Complaining that Nike ranks better than your dropshipping site for “best running shoes” is like whining that LeBron James gets more endorsement deals than your local rec league MVP.
Life’s not fair. Get over it.
How to Actually Get Google’s Attention
Here’s what works (and always has):
-
Content that solves problems. Not fluff. Not AI garbage. Real insights.
-
Backlinks that matter. Not from sketchy PBNs. From relevant, high-authority sources.
-
Speed and user experience. Your site should load fast, look good on mobile, and not make people want to smash their devices.
-
Topical depth. Show that you know your stuff inside and out. Become the resource.
-
Consistency. No, blogging once every 6 months doesn’t count.
Diversify
Diversify away from a dangerous Google-only strategy.
Find other digital marketing mechanisms for growth.
You can also diversify on Google itself by having multiple sites, targeting multiple sectors using slightly tweaked strategies for gaining organic exposure.
If you spend ALL your time on a single site or brand ONLY doing SEO, and it gets wiped-out, then shame on you.
Google Doesn’t Owe You. You Owe Google Your Best Work.
Stop expecting Google to hand you success on a silver platter.
That’s not how this works.
If you’re frustrated, that’s fine.
Just don’t confuse frustration with injustice.
Get better.
Work smarter.
Invest in your digital presence like you actually want it to work.
Or go run PPC ads and skip the line.
Either way, whining isn’t a strategy.
Want Help Actually Competing?
We don’t do pity parties.
We do performance.
If you’re ready to stop complaining and start climbing, let’s talk.
At SEO.co, we build real SEO strategies for businesses that are ready to play to win — not cry when the algorithm doesn’t go their way.
- Google Doesn’t Owe You Anything - May 26, 2025
- The Evolution of SEO: How to Rank in an Agentic AI World - May 12, 2025
- How to Dominate in the Winner-Take-All Game of SEO - April 25, 2025
