Ahrefs - Google's Latest Update Destroyed This Gamer's $1M Business
Brandon, the founder of Retro Dodo, experienced significant success with his gaming publication, reaching millions of organic monthly visits and generating substantial revenue. However, a sudden change in Google's search algorithm drastically reduced his site's traffic by 85%, turning his dream into a nightmare. Despite following Google's guidelines, the traffic never recovered, forcing Brandon to lay off team members and rethink his business strategy. He realized the need to diversify revenue streams and not rely solely on Google. Brandon started exploring new ventures, including creating a modular display system for gaming products, publishing books, and organizing gaming events. He also considered working with a company to develop an unbiased search engine. Brandon's experience highlights the importance of building a resilient business model with multiple revenue sources and maintaining integrity in business practices.
Key Points:
- Diversify revenue streams to avoid reliance on a single platform.
- Follow Google's guidelines but be prepared for unexpected changes.
- Explore new business opportunities like product development and events.
- Build a community by converting visitors into loyal members.
- Consider alternative search engines to reduce dependency on Google.
Details:
1. 📉 Retro Dodo's Meteoric Rise and Sudden Fall
1.1. 🚀 Retro Dodo's Meteoric Rise
1.2. 📉 The Sudden Decline
2. 🎮 Brandon's Passion for Gaming and Early Beginnings
- Retro Doo experienced an 85% decrease in traffic following Google's search algorithm update, severely impacting business visibility and leading to a significant loss in potential customer engagement.
- The algorithm update affected key search terms, making it difficult for users to find Retro Doo online and resulting in a massive hit to the business.
- To counteract the drop in traffic, Retro Doo is exploring alternative marketing strategies, including social media campaigns and partnerships with gaming influencers to regain visibility.
- Prior to the algorithm change, Retro Doo relied heavily on organic search traffic, making this shift particularly challenging as they adapt to the new digital landscape.
3. 🌐 From Camper Enthusiast to Retro Gaming Guru
- Brandon's passion for gaming was ignited as a child when he received a Game Boy Color and Pokémon Blue, fostering a lifelong interest in gaming.
- Despite financial limitations, Brandon maintained his gaming collection carefully, although his first Pokémon collection was lost due to a misunderstanding.
- Brandon developed a camping website, which he scaled and sold for about $100,000 in 2019, providing him with capital to pursue further ventures.
- After selling the camping website, Brandon utilized the proceeds and his passion for retro gaming to launch Retro Dodo, a successful project in the gaming industry.
- Challenges during the transition included learning new industry trends and building a brand from scratch, but Brandon's previous experience in website growth helped him succeed.
4. 💰 Achieving Success and Facing Tough Decisions
4.1. Building an Audience with Niche Content
4.2. Content Strategy and Execution
4.3. Monetization and Revenue Sources
4.4. Challenges and Ethical Decisions
4.5. Decision-Making Process
5. 🚨 Navigating Google's Algorithmic Storm
- Traffic dropped from 2 million (including social and discover) to 200,000 visitors per month after Google's algorithm update.
- Despite positive feedback from subscribers and followers, the website was penalized by Google, causing significant concern and introspection.
- Efforts to recover traffic by adhering to Google's guidelines were unsuccessful, leading to financial strain and downsizing of the team.
- The specific Google algorithm changes involved a shift towards prioritizing content relevance and quality, impacting sites relying heavily on SEO tactics rather than genuine engagement.
- Various strategies were attempted to recover traffic, including enhancing content quality, increasing engagement through social media, and optimizing for mobile, but these did not yield the desired results.
- Lessons learned include the importance of diversifying traffic sources and focusing on building a genuine audience engagement rather than solely relying on SEO.