This post published in February 2024 on HouseFresh exposes alleged tactics used by major digital media companies like Dotdash Meredith, Forbes, and others to flood Google's search results with low-quality content designed to outrank independent publishers.

It describes strategies like "keyword swarming" to drown out smaller competitors, as well as the proliferation of AI-generated product reviews published under fake bylines.

Key points

• Large media publishers employ strategies to dominate search engine rankings and overshadow independent sites

• Independent publishers are being eroded from Google search results by tactics deployed by large companies

• Google's actions and announcements following the article's publication are explored, highlighting implications for online content visibility.

Highlights

We will keep Google busy crawling our name and our content again and again and again and again and again. And again. Because even if Google decided to virtually erase HouseFresh from its search results, we still exist on the open web.

Swarming is about drowning out a competitor," said the person who reached out. The objective is to "swarm a smaller site's foothold on one or two articles by essentially publishing 10 articles [on the topic] and beefing up [Dotdash Meredith sites'] authority.