Should the Government Regulate Search Engine Algorithms?

[fisicx]

There is nothing to discuss.

Professional people already know how it works. There is no need for regulation.

It’s already a fair and equitable playing field.

 

[Paul Carmen]

While no one is suggesting that Google is "responsible," my intention is to open a discussion on the potential regulation of search algorithms. Unfortunately, this has turned into a critique and questioning of my business practices, which are not subjects for debate.

What is your point though, it seems to be search engines should be regulated, and publish their code/algorithm, but what for, how and why?

I firmly believe they should be subject to regulation, and they are, FCA regulations, the right to be forgotten etc. Should they have to publish their code so others can copy it? No, plus, I'm not sure it would help you even if they did.

When the Yandex search leak happened last year, there were 17,854 ranking factors in their code, this is simpler than Google's and didn't make use of Ai anywhere near as much. The web has well over 1 billion websites, should Google index them all, and in what order? Many millions of which are old, rubbish and never updated... others attempting to game the search engine. Any attempt to regulate this in the way you suggest would be a nightmare, and inevitably make things worse.

Should one search engine be able to have 85%+ of the search and digital marketing landscape? No, but there are laws and regulations in place to stop this now. Hence why the monopoly route is the best, Google is probably too big, buys too many smaller competitors, and leverages loads of dominant market positions to further its domination, that is what needs a detailed review.

The reason people are referring to you and your situation with Ai SEO, is that is where your issue lies. However, I'm not sure SEO regulation is any sort of panacea; building work is regulated, car sales and garages are regulated, you still get rogue builders, dodgy garages and unroadworthy cars being sold all the time.

You should have had a schedule of work as part of your outsourced SEO, and had targets for work/improvements, and what the short and long term goals of the changes are. We do this sort of work and offer these sort of guarantees for SEO and PPC, we don't get clients websites deindexed.

Put your website back how it was before it got deindexed, don't pay your SEO company. Then engage someone who can improve the performance of your site, rather than trying to battle a corporate behemoth, via the UK government, who won't be interested.

 

[NickGrogan]

OK, let's imagine this actually happens and Google, Bing and all the other search engines publish their algorithms. 50 - 100k parameters each.

Google update their algorithm 5-600 times per year - lets say, twice a day for each and assume Bing, et al do the same. So 10 updates per day of 50-100k parameters. 7 days per week.

What are SEO companies going to do with this flood of information?

Most/all aren't big enough to process the initial "release", and I don't think any are going to be able to handle even Google's daily updates, ignoring the rest of the search engines.

Smaller companies have no chance.

Will the quality of SEO improve? No

Some people will use AI to analyse the data and find ways to "cheat", Google will know and release updates that fix the cheats - as they do now.

Most people and SEO companies will rely of blog posts, summaries and Youtube videos, as they do know.

And dodgy SEO companies will still use AI to rip of people that are looking for a quick boost for cheap.

So what's the point?

Anyway, just to help you, I'm going to share the Actual Algorithm that Google Uses.

The top results on Google are...

The pages that provide the best answer to the user's query

 

[Talktime]

I have successfully reverted my website to its original state before SEO modifications. The site is built entirely with plain HTML and devoid of any SEO. Despite this, its ranking has returned, and it continues to generate revenue. For now, I plan to maintain its current configuration.

Additionally, I manage another website, which is not commercial, but I intend to transform it into a commercial site. Currently, it is also built with plain HTML, which appears outdated and is TLDR for everyday users. I will be looking for bids from SEO specialists to enhance its Google ranking. This may involve reorganising the content by separating articles onto individual pages instead of consolidating them on a single page. I may even need to re-write the articles to make them less verbose and technical.

 

[Shopclicks]

I have successfully reverted my website to its original state before SEO modifications. The site, accessible at https://www.nationalbailiffadvice.uk/, is built entirely with plain HTML and devoid of any SEO. Despite this, its ranking has returned, and it continues to generate revenue. For now, I plan to maintain its current configuration.

I'm sure your content is very helpful but the user experience on your site is possibly one of the worst I've seen. All of your FAQ's open in a new tab. This is a particularly bad experience on mobile. Get a menu!
The lack of padding on mobile makes awful reading.

 

[Shopclicks]

Despite this, its ranking has returned, and it continues to generate revenue. For now, I plan to maintain its current configuration.

But your site isn't ranking for keyphrases with any substantial search volume.

For example:
'can a bailiff force entry for council tax'
'what happens if i have nothing for bailiffs to take'
'bailiffs and mental health'

All of those terms have considerable search volume. It appears you have done zero keyword research.

 

[fisicx]

I'm sure your content is very helpful but the user experience on your site is possibly one of the worst I've seen. All of your FAQ's open in a new tab. This is a particularly bad experience on mobile. Get a menu!
The lack of padding on mobile makes awful reading.

Lots of great advice was given in their website review but it seems all was ignored.

 

[Shopclicks]

Lots of great advice was given in their website review but it seems all was ignored.

Yeah I know. I'd hate to think the OP thinks it's all good now

 

[Talktime]

I respectfully disagree with the notion that "everything is satisfactory" and that "valuable advice was overlooked." The website has merely been returned to its pre-SEO condition, where it is generating revenue.

While I intend to optimise it for SEO in due course, my current focus is on assessing its performance. This will allow me to establish a benchmark before undertaking SEO improvements.

With that in mind, could anyone provide a reasonable quotation for the SEO work?

 

[Shopclicks]

While I intend to optimise it for SEO in due course, my current focus is on assessing its performance. This will allow me to establish a benchmark before undertaking SEO improvements.

With that in mind, could anyone provide a reasonable quotation for the SEO work?

You shouldn't be asking anyone to quote or pay for SEO services until you have a fully functional website. Navigation, title tag structure and meta information is going to go a long way towards your optimisation efforts. You don't need an SEO expert for that but give them something to work with. Or you're just going to waste your money again.

 

[Talktime]

Is that something you could do? and what would your charge be?

 

[Shopclicks]

Is that something you could do? and what would your charge be?

Nothing personal ... but I wouldn't work with you. You argue against sound advice.

 

[Talktime]

Could you provide an instance where I’ve disregarded sound advice?

In January 2025, when business is quieter, I plan to enhance my website's SEO. I will seek proposals from experienced SEO professionals before deciding on which SEO practitioner to engage. The selected SEO practitioner will have complete authority over any website changes, with the sole exception that the legal advice provided in the articles must remain unaltered.

 

[Shopclicks]

Could you provide an instance where I’ve disregarded sound advice?

You dismissed the suggestion that you use a CMS.
You ignored the search function suggestion.
You ignored the advice you were given about answering search queries.
You dismissed the idea of introducing analytics.
You have dismissed the suggestion that that the purpose of this thread is not going to succeed.
You have dismissed the idea of building a functional website before engaging an SEO practitioner.

 

[Shopclicks]

The selected SEO practitioner will have complete authority over any website changes, with the sole exception that the legal advice provided in the articles must remain unaltered.

How will you judge the proficiency of this SEO practitioner?

 

[Talktime]

I fully recognise the importance of search functions and queries and am eager to incorporate them into the website.

While the website is currently generating revenue and serving its purpose, I understand that there is room for improvement, particularly in terms of SEO.

Regarding your query on evaluating the proficiency of an SEO practitioner, I welcome your recommendations and am open to any suggestions you may have.

 

[NickGrogan]

Could you provide an instance where I’ve disregarded sound advice?

In January 2025, when business is quieter, I plan to enhance my website's SEO. I will seek proposals from experienced SEO professionals before deciding on which SEO practitioner to engage. The selected SEO practitioner will have complete authority over any website changes, with the sole exception that the legal advice provided in the articles must remain unaltered.

Genuine question. What do you actually think SEO is?

 

[Talktime]

I understand it as enhancing a website's visibility and ranking to draw more traffic for relevant searches.

 

[NickGrogan]

I understand it as enhancing a website's visibility and ranking to draw more traffic for relevant searches.

That is pretty vague. Ads do the same thing, and so does brand building, etc.

Probably worth drilling down further before you think about actually doing it.

If that's your definition why would you give the SEO complete and unlimited authority over your website?

Particularly when you've already been scammed.

 

[fisicx]

I understand it as enhancing a website's visibility and ranking to draw more traffic for relevant searches.

You can do that without going anywhere near the search engines.

This is however irrelevant to your proposal. As has already been explained many times, making the algorithm any more public than it already is and attempting regulation won’t stop all the snake oil salesmen selling their dodgy SEO services. Which means it’s a pointless exercise.

 

[Paul Carmen]

With that in mind, could anyone provide a reasonable quotation for the SEO work?

This is your problem, no one can quote for your SEO work, because you haven't explained what SEO work you require; e.g. your detailed brief and end goals. Plus, one person's idea of reasonable is another person's ridiculously expensive.

You don't need an SEO quote, you need a marketing/business plan for your website and lead generation, that will drive the project and it's costs.

Your site needs a complete rebuild, to make the customer journey, content and lead generation process sensible for customers on mobile and desktop. What you have now isn't worth carrying out SEO work on.

You need to understand your customers, their search terms, the market competitors, and then build something better. Only then should you carry out further SEO work.

You should be able to get some insights from your own analytics and Google Search Console, but detailed research and then a customer journey, keyword, content and website/SEO content plan are the next steps.

 

[fisicx]

You should be able to get some insights from your own analytics and Google Search Console.

They have neither.

And despite good advice on their website review thread they have done nothing (as far as I can see).

The problem is @Talktime doesn't seem to want to change anything. Even something as basic as adding a navigation menu was met with opposition.

 

[Paul Carmen]

They have neither.

And despite good advice on their website review thread they have done nothing (as far as I can see).

The problem is @Talktime doesn't seem to want to change anything. Even something as basic as adding a navigation menu was met with opposition.

I see, I've not seen that thread.

This is a big project, as it needs root and branch analysis of the site, the market and the customers, before a rebuild. If the current site has no existing data/insights, it makes the project harder, but not impossible.

Anything we do like this is all research and insights driven, but there is nothing to quote for here, and anyone saying otherwise is not telling the truth. SEO work at this stage is essentially just building on sand, and likely to hurt aged domain/site rankings, as the OP found out.

It also makes this thread about search engine regulation a nonsense, as there's plenty of advice and public domain data to say don't build sites like the OPs in 2024...

 

[Talktime]

Hi NickGrogan, I appreciate your straightforward question and have provided an equally direct response. Should you require a more comprehensive explanation, I am more than happy to offer further clarity. Your professional insights are always appreciated.

While my expertise lies in client relations and bailiff enforcement matters, I must admit that SEO is not my strong suit. For this reason, I have decided to outsource and entrust the full responsibility of optimising our website to a skilled SEO practitioner. This approach allows me to focus on what I do best—ensuring the best outcomes for our clients in matters involving bailiffs and enforcement agents.

Paul, I am open to the prospect of a complete site rebuild or even a new domain if it will enhance our search rankings and drive increased sales. I place my trust in the expertise of an SEO professional and am prepared to follow their recommendations, including a comprehensive marketing or business strategy for the site. It’s important to note that the website in question is just one aspect of my consultancy business.

I have yet to establish a maximum budget and remain open to reasonable suggestions that align with the SEO practitioner's recommendations.

I am seeking to maintain my overall business plan, which is currently effective. The SEO work will focus solely on this specific website, and I am already familiar with its key search terms that prospective clients are using.

Fisicx, with the utmost respect, please understand that my decision not to implement your advice does not indicate opposition. I intend to instruct a professional to undertake the necessary work in the near future.

Paul, I possess existing data that tracks sales leads generated rather than page hit counters. This data will be made available to the SEO practitioner. However, I find it challenging to select the right SEO professional, as the industry needs peer-reviewed qualifications, making it difficult to distinguish true expertise. Given the resistance to regulating this industry, this ambiguity will persist, turning the selection process into a gamble.

I am committed to making informed decisions and will continue to seek the highest level of expertise to achieve our objectives.

 

[fisicx]

@Talktime, it’s not SEO you need. It’s marketing. With a marketing plan in place you will know what needs doing (which may not involve SEO).

The people who then build your website will have a different skillset as will the content creators.

What I do know is your current html website will be a thing of the past. Your new website will use a CMS.

Stop focusing on SEO. It is a very minor part of anything that happens in the future.

 

[NickGrogan]

@fisicx types faster than me, but yes, this is correct.

The O in SEO is Optimisation - that the final step and you're a long long way from that.

You either need a marketing company, or you need to hire a marketing consultant, possibly followed by web designer with good UX skills, a copywriter, a graphic designer or a photographer/videographer long before you start worrying about SEO.

There are awards for most of the above, and you can look at the client portfolios as well, assuming you've got a reasonable budget.

Or you can use Fiverr, get someone who types "what's a bailiff" into ChatGPT and see how you get on with that.

It really depends how strong the competition is and what they're doing.

You only need to be better than your direct competition, not Amazon, etc.

 

[Talktime]

I am inclined to prioritise SEO optimisation for my website, National Bailiff Advice, rather creating a new marketing plan.


Given that you are not fully aware of my broader business strategy or the successful marketing initiatives currently in place, I find it unreasonable to suggest discarding these efforts in favour of an entirely new marketing plan.

My specific enquiry is for SEO services tailored to this particular website.

This website is one of several in my portfolio, and I am confident that a strategic focus on SEO will significantly enhance its visibility and, consequently, its sales.

 

[fisicx]

If you want that website optimised it needs a complete rebuild. There is no way to doing anything of value to the current site.

Anyone offering to do any SEO on your site will be stealing your money.

 

[Shopclicks]

My specific enquiry is for SEO services tailored to this particular website.

This website is one of several in my portfolio, and I am confident that a strategic focus on SEO will significantly enhance its visibility and, consequently, its sales.

I'm not sure why you post on a forum if you are unwilling to take on board any of the advice offered. I understand you think SEO will improve your site traffic. Your problem is, you have absolutely no idea who and how to target convertible traffic, or what the ceiling is.

This is what I mean by ceiling:

If we look at the search term 'can a bailiff force entry for council tax'. Search volume for that term is about 1000 per month.
The page which ranks first organically for that term gets around 3600 visits a month because it is optimised for other search terms.
Your site ranks half-way down page two. And it's a page all about bailiffs and council tax.

SEO starts with keyword research. Otherwise you're shooting blind.

That's SEO. But as suggested SEO on it's own is not what you need first.

 

[Talktime]

Then, let's do just that. However, I must insist that the legal advice on thew website remains unaltered.

 

[Talktime]

If we look at the search term 'can a bailiff force entry for council tax'. Search volume for that term is about 1000 per month.

The search term "can a bailiff force entry for council tax" is a prime example.

Upon reviewing the search results, I was pleased to see that another of my websites appeared on the first page, precisely where it should be.

The listings above my site only provide basic information, prompting users to scroll down before they reach my content. Clients tend to place greater value on content they must actively seek out, which, in turn, enhances the likelihood of conversion.

Based on our experience and understanding, we recognise that the type of clients this search prompt attracts typically falls within a socioeconomic group that is less likely to convert into paying clients.

Therefore, we consciously guide these users to other websites in the search results, a discussion that falls outside the primary scope of our current SEO focus website.

 

[fisicx]

Then, let's do just that. However, I must insist that the legal advice on thew website remains unaltered.

Why?

Reworking the content could vastly improve the number of leads. The legal part can remain the same but the way the pages are structured makes a huge difference to the UX.

Upon reviewing the search results, I was pleased to see that another of my websites appeared on the first page, precisely where it should be.

And do you get multiple leads each day from that site? If you don't then you are doing it wrong.

SEO is not about ranking. It's about getting targeted visitors that convert (among many other things).

As I said before, stop thinking about SEO and start thinking about Marketing. If you have a marketing plan that will be a start point.

 

[NickGrogan]

The search term "can a bailiff force entry for council tax" is a prime example.

Upon reviewing the search results, I was pleased to see that another of my websites appeared on the first page, precisely where it should be.

The listings above my site only provide basic information, prompting users to scroll down before they reach my content. Clients tend to place greater value on content they must actively seek out, which, in turn, enhances the likelihood of conversion.

Based on our experience and understanding, we recognise that the type of clients this search prompt attracts typically falls within a socioeconomic group that is less likely to convert into paying clients.

Therefore, we consciously guide these users to other websites in the search results, a discussion that falls outside the primary scope of our current SEO focus website.

Are you searching in incognito mode and via a VPN? Otherwise, your results are biased based on your past searches, so you'll rank higher than if I searched.

Again, you're putting the cart before the horse.

Assuming you want people to land on your website at some point, then the website should be converting them to leads, otherwise what is the point of getting people to the website?

The website design and layout is not doing this as well as it could, by a significant margin.

So fix this before you worry about SEO.

 

[fisicx]

Clients tend to place greater value on content they must actively seek out, which, in turn, enhances the likelihood of conversion.

Do you have statistics to show this? Analytics will give you dwell, bounce and other key data to show how people use your site. You can even set up heatmapping so you can see what and where they click.

SEO is a tiny fraction of all the activities needed to build an effective website.

I'm working with a finance company in Norway and it's taken over a months to properly analyse all the visitor data. But the exercise now lets us precisely target our marketing efforts.

 

[Shopclicks]

The listings above my site only provide basic information, prompting users to scroll down before they reach my content. Clients tend to place greater value on content they must actively seek out, which, in turn, enhances the likelihood of conversion.

But you get next to zero traffic to either of the pages which appear in that search.

Based on our experience and understanding, we recognise that the type of clients this search prompt attracts typically falls within a socioeconomic group that is less likely to convert into paying clients.

Substitute this with: My pages don't rank well for anything with significant search volume, so I didn't want people to visit my pages anyway.

 

[japancool]

If someone is searching for how to stop bailiffs, they're likely to want an answer NOW, not after reading through a load of other bumpf.

There are dozens of other IVA factories out there, whose sites have a contact number as just about the first thing you see when you go onto their site.

 

[Talktime]

Fisicx: I appreciate your curiosity about the term 'UX' and welcome the opportunity to clarify.


Given my specialised knowledge in legal advice, I find it surprising that you suggest employing a non-qualified creator to rewrite such critical content. My professional background equips me with the necessary skills to ensure that the legal guidance provided is accurate and trustworthy.

Regarding my website portfolio, it is unnecessary to review the other sites at this moment. The website referenced in the search prompt is performing as expected, contributing positively to my business objectives.

You have now mentioned on three occasions the need for a new marketing plan. I already have a comprehensive marketing strategy in place, which I consistently monitor and update to ensure it remains effective.

NichGrogan: I want to clarify that I am not searching incognito or using a VPN.

Fisicx: My primary metric for evaluating performance is sales data. Additionally, I use Awstats to gather detailed user demographics, which aids in understanding audience behaviour.

Shopclicks, your interpretation of my client selectivity approach misses the mark. My websites are designed to cater to high-value clients, such as businesses and traffic debt enforcement cases, rather than lower-value cases like court fines and council tax.

It would be impractical to delve into the various socio-economic groups within civil enforcement and the specific websites that serve them, as that goes beyond the scope of this discussion.

 

[Talktime]

Japancool: A potential client seeking information on whether bailiffs can force entry into homes, or any other bailiff-related enquiry, is unlikely to stay on a website primarily focused on selling IVAs

If someone wishes to wind a council tax debt in an IVA, they would need to use a different search prompt.

 

[japancool]

Well then, here's a simple question.

What's your bounce rate and your conversion rate, from visitors who actually call you after visiting your site?

 

[Talktime]

Currently, one in every 44 visitors to the site converts into a sale, which could be for anything from a template, a consultation or engaging a solicitor or barrister for client representation.


I have detailed data on each income stream, but this information will only be valuable for assessing performance before and after the SEO practitioner's work is complete.