There's a new "Google Jail" for independent wikis (weirdgloop.org)

Article summary

The article discusses a change in Google's search algorithm that affects new domains, making it difficult for independent wikis to get their pages indexed. This change, referred to as 'Google Jail', has been observed since March 2024 and can last for up to a year. As a result, new wikis are being launched on subdomains of existing domains to avoid this issue. The author is experimenting with moving wikis to subdomains and then redirecting them to their own domains after establishing a presence on Google.

Main themes

• Google algorithm changes
• Independent wikis
• Search engine optimization
• Content quality
• Fandom and Wikipedia
• AI-generated content
• Domain strategy

What commenters say

• The issue with Google's algorithm may be specific to wikis competing with existing domains, rather than all independent wikis.
• The use of subdomains can be a temporary solution to avoid the 'Google Jail' problem, but it may not be ideal for user-facing domains.
• Fandom's dominance in search results may be due to its advertising relationship with Google, creating a self-reinforcing cycle.
• Some commenters believe that Google's algorithm prioritizes ad revenue over content quality, leading to the suppression of high-quality content.
• Others argue that the issue is not with Google's algorithm, but with the quality of content on new domains, and that creating high-quality content can help overcome the 'Google Jail' problem.
• There are concerns about the impact of AI-generated content on search results and the potential for Google to prioritize this type of content over human-generated content.
• The use of AI tools in wikis, such as those announced by Fandom, may further exacerbate the problem of low-quality content dominating search results.