For nearly three decades, Google has dominated the online search market. But now, the tech giant finds itself at a crossroads, grappling with public dissatisfaction, legal challenges, and a competitor unlike any it’s faced before.
It isn’t just the antitrust ruling this August that spells trouble. It’s also a growing awareness Google may have aimed its power against small sites that bring original, niche content to the web.
Google has a longstanding reputation for favoring big brands over independent sites. The shift started with the 2009 “Vince” update, which bumped small sites off top search results to make room for major brands. The then-CEO, Eric Schmidt, defended this approach as a way to “sort out the cesspool.” Brands, according to Schmidt, were the solution.
Over the next decade, small publishers grew their audiences on social media. Between links and newsletters, they used those platforms to drive traffic to their site. The result? Small sites began building brand …