The SEO Loser Mindset, Part II: Google Doesn’t Owe You 💩
Entitlement to clicks is a losing mindset. Build sustainable growth without being algorithm-dependent.
This week's #SEOForLunch is sponsored by my friends at SEOTesting.comLast week, I wrote about the SEO loser mindset.
As expected, not everyone was a fan of this truth-telling exercise. The reality is that we need to stop whining and accept, adapt, and pivot to what’s been given to us.
This leads us to one of my most controversial takes yet:
Google doesn’t owe you sh*t.
- Nick LeRoy (July, 2025)
I see way too many SEOs walking around as if they’re owed rankings just because they followed a checklist.
Newsflash: Google doesn’t care how hard you work if your site isn’t what users actually want.
Built links?
Optimized title tags?
Clean crawl budget?
Cool. So did everyone else.
The winners?
They build brands. They diversify traffic. They grow audiences outside of Google, and ironically, that’s what keeps them ranking in Google, too.
This Week’s #SEOForLunch Sponsor is SEOTesting.com.
Are Your SEO Changes Helping Your Store?
Most e-commerce sites make SEO changes and hope for the best.
But guessing doesn't grow sales!
In this guide, we'll discuss:
What ecommerce SEO testing is.
Why it's needed.
How to conduct ecommerce SEO tests.
We'll also give you some examples of successful ecommerce SEO tests to give you some ideas on where to start!
Google’s Real Incentive
Contrary to popular SEO belief, Google doesn’t exist to hand you traffic. It exists to serve users.
I get it, traffic is down. Clients (including mine) are panicking. Some folks are even blaming Google for "killing their business."
But here’s the harsh truth:
If your entire business collapses because of a Google change…
That’s not a Google problem.
That’s a YOU problem.
The SEO Winners Playbook:
Build a brand so f*ckin’ undeniable that Google looks broken for not including it.
Extreme? Not really. I said this during an episode of Crawling Mondays with Aleyda Solis (clip below)
Google’s entire model depends on satisfying user intent.
If users expect to see your brand (and don’t?)
That’s on Google, not you.
And when Google looks bad, they move fast to fix it.
Here’s proof from over the years.
BMW Germany (2006)
Read the story here
BMW was caught using doorway pages and was deindexed completely. Wild, huh!? But they were back within days.
Not because Google's car of choice is BMW, but searchers expect to find BMW. And if they don’t, it makes Google look dumb, reflects worse on Google, not BMW.
J.C. Penny (2011)
Read the story here
J.C. Penney got torched for shady link schemes. Totally wiped from Google. But they were back in under 90 days.
Why? Because when a household-name retailer doesn’t rank for "dresses" or even their name, Google starts looking stupid broken.
Overstock.com (2011)
Read the story here
Overstock gamed EDU links with discount bait. They got slapped, lost rankings, and... got them back.
Because again, when a brand is everywhere, people expect to see it in Google. And when they don’t? Google looks dumb. That’s Google’s problem.
Google Chrome (2012)
Read the story here
Yes, seriously. Even Google’s browser got penalized for violating its paid link policies.
But let’s be honest. It was all a show. Chrome didn’t disappear from search. It couldn’t. Too big, too visible, too embedded in Google’s world. The penalty was a press release, not a real punishment.
Rap Genius (2013)
Read the story here
Before the rebrand to Genius.com, Rap Genius got nailed for “link manipulation” and buried in the place we hide dead bodies — page 2 and beyond.
But the buzz didn’t die. With media coverage, super fans, and offline momentum, they became too loud to ignore.
When Google's results (or lack thereof) start making Google look stupid out of touch, the rankings come back quickly.
Brand isn’t a safety net, it’s your parachute!
If people are actively searching for your brand, you become harder to erase. Google doesn’t want to look broken when users can’t find what they expect. That’s why brand is the ultimate SEO strategy.
The real winners aren’t playing SEO like it’s some secret puzzle to solve.
They are building companies that people know, talk about, and trust. That’s what floats you above the noise when algorithms shift.
The Harsh Truth (That Needs to Be Said)
Google doesn’t owe you 💩.
Your job is to earn attention, trust, and demand.
If your strategy collapses the moment your Google visibility dips, that’s not a strategy, it’s lazy checkbox SEO.
And the lazy? They will soon be out of jobs.
Depending solely on organic traffic in 2025 is like building your house on rented land and acting shocked when the landlord renovates.
Diversify now.
Brand, email, community, partnerships.
If Google were to vanish tomorrow, would anyone still be able to find you?
If the answer is no, you may want to consider fixing that ASAP.
I can't stress the last bit of this post too much. The game has permanently changed. Good piece Nick!