Google stops letting sites like Forbes rule search for "Best CBD Gummies"

Reaction to Google’s Crackdown on Parasite SEO

• Many say this should have happened 5–10 years ago; Google let “best X” affiliate spam dominate.
• Some doubt the impact: searches like “best CBD gummies” still surface shallow, affiliate-style articles from other big outlets.
• Observation that legacy media brands were split into “real journalism” vs SEO/affiliate arms, often run as separate commercial operations.
• Some argue Google only acted once the issue became embarrassing and widely publicized.

Search Quality, Enshittification, and Incentives

• Strong sentiment that Google search has degraded: more ads, more SEO spam, more ignored query terms.
• Debate whether this is incompetence vs deliberate profit-maximization via ad-laden results.
• Several note Google benefits from both sides: SEO spam runs Google ads, so bad results still generate revenue.
• Others say Google would prefer better results long term but is constrained by financial incentives and arms races with spammers.

Manual vs Algorithmic Interventions

• Some advocate simple, brute-force solutions: manually downrank or ban known spammy domains and their networks.
• Others recall an internal culture of “everything must be algorithmic,” resisting hand-curation.
• Current change is described as “manual action,” seen as Google finally relaxing that stance.

Role of AI/LLMs and Competition

• Widely held view that competition from ChatGPT/SearchGPT forced Google to improve results it had neglected for years.
• Some developers have largely replaced Google + Stack Overflow with LLMs, despite LLM inaccuracy.
• Others argue LLMs are not true competitors because of unreliability and lack of transparent sources.
• Concern that LLMs now ingest the same affiliate spam, but hide the underlying junk sources.

Alternatives and User Workarounds

• Kagi, Phind, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and “site:reddit.com” are common alternatives; Kagi praised but hindered by subscription cost.
• Users mention browser extensions and personal blocklists (e.g., “EasyList for search results”) and using pre-2023 or pre-2021 filters.
• Some still search via command line and raw HTTP to avoid “AI layers” and heavy JS.

Ideas for Better Ranking & Review Ecosystem

• Suggestions: downrank sites with many ads, reward readability, penalize domains that host deceptive pay-for-placement reviews.
• Proposals to use independent filter lists, or leverage Google’s own business review data to punish sites promoting poorly reviewed companies.
• Recognition that “best X” is inherently ambiguous, and that user reviews and reputation systems themselves are easily gamed.

Tangent: Stock Buybacks Debate

• Side thread equates stock buybacks with stock-price manipulation benefiting executives.
• Others counter that buybacks are a legitimate, tax-efficient way to return capital and align management with shareholders.
• No consensus; discussion remains contentious and unresolved.