Google Takes Flak from Travel Industry for Lack of Algorithm Transparency
Following a significant Google update in March, Stay22, a travel tech company specializing in affiliate revenue for travel bloggers and media, reported that some travel bloggers experienced up to a 75% drop in organic traffic. This impact has reverberated across the travel industry, affecting not only bloggers but also hotels and smaller OTAs, all of whom rely heavily on organic search traffic.
Google has never publicly disclosed the specifics of its search algorithm, maintaining that each update aims to benefit search users rather than harm websites. However, this lack of transparency has drawn criticism, particularly after the ‘Helpful Content Update (HCU)’. Research by Digitaloft revealed that since the first HCU rollout in August 2022, 78% of the 671 travel websites analyzed have seen a decrease in traffic.
Recently, leaked internal Google documents, published by SEO expert Erfan Azimi, revealed details of the algorithm’s workings, suggesting that Google may have occasionally misled websites with potentially untrue information. Rami Nuseir, Head of Marketing at Stay22, commented on the leaks, expressing frustration over Google's lack of transparency and perceived unfairness in rewarding quality websites. He suggested that these actions might be a push for websites to buy Google Ads, undermining trust in Google’s intentions.
In response, Stay22, which collaborates with over 2,500 travel bloggers and media websites, has recommended that travel content creators and anyone reliant on website traffic diversify their strategies. They suggest leveraging Pinterest as a search engine, developing a Bing strategy, utilizing email marketing campaigns, adding content to Flipboard, creating short-form videos for social media, and publishing guest posts on other websites.
Stay22's call for diversification reflects a growing sentiment in the travel industry that dependence on Google’s organic traffic is increasingly precarious. This diversification won't be easy and won't happen overnight, but it’s a necessary step for travel bloggers and industry players to become more independent from Google.
The travel industry’s criticism of Google underscores the broader issue of algorithm transparency and the significant impact search engines have on web traffic. As companies like Stay22 push for diversification, the hope is that travel content creators will find more stable and varied sources of traffic, reducing their reliance on a single search engine.
