Sunday, May 17, 2015

Dear Google, don't destroy my business listing

Dear Google,

I ask, with humble respect of the power you hold in searches, to please not destroy my business listing all because of your changed algorithms.

Up until recently, my business was featured on the front page of google searches for my, and my immediate area, but most recently, it appears this is not the case. Thanks to some wonderful new pet owners, I have been told that they couldn't find me online, but have had to rely on word of mouth and my location to find me. 

My website is mobile friendly, it is kept up to date with fresh content, as well as updating existing content. Sure its not the prettiest looking website, but isn't what the website is all about more important that whether it is pretty? I write a blog, I am active on several social media sites, including your own google plus. The point of all of that is not to improve my google standing, but to be able to do what I do best - looking after our beautiful animals.

In fact, knowing what you have done to my own website listing, means that I now no longer trust what you give with my own searches for other businesses.... after all, what great businesses are now being overlooked now, and not turning up where they should.

 Ah well, instead of spending my time looking after the beautiful pets of my area, I am now going to be researching ways of including woonona, bulli, thirroul, wollongong, illawarra, dogs, cats, veterinary, bellambi, towradgi, fairy meadow, figtree, west wollongong, bellambi and any other wollongong suburb into my website, so at least it doesn't look like there is only one vet hospital in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, which isn't me. Sadly, it will make my website look like an unpleasant reading advertisement or roadmap of the wollongong veterinary landscape, rather than the informative website I wanted it to be.

Sadly, I do not have any spare cash to pay for an SEO or whatever manager, as all of my money goes into trying to keep my veterinary fees fair and reasonable.  All that your algorithm changes do is just force businesses to spend money they do not have to get people to do updates to their websites which end up being paid for the customer that you claim you want to help.

 Really?  Is this fair?  Stupid comment, I know. Life is not fair nor meant to be fair.

You know what the sad part of all of this is?  It just shows that you cannot be trusted now. 

Yours
Dr Liz
The mad vet who loves dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, budgies in the beautiful northern suburbs of Wollongong.

PS  I know that in the whole scheme of things, there are bigger problems in this world, but geez, why make life harder.