What is a “Google Slave”? It is simple really. A Google Slave is someone who is enslaved by Google’s promise of free traffic. It is a truly diabolical form of slavery, because it is enshrouded by a fun and pretty exterior. It looks great on the outside, but once you enter the dark realm of Google slavery, you eventually see the truth. At some point, you realize that the very fate of your business rests in Google’s hands, not your own. It is a horrible place to be. If you are a Google Slave, you may not even be aware of it yet…that is how evil this form of slavery is.

Google Slaves are not always converted into “Google Chumps”, but it happens more often than you may realize. A Google Chump is someone who has built their business around Google traffic, and then BAM…you get de-indexed, penalized or otherwise bitch-slapped by Google, and overnight your traffic disappears. And of course, there goes your income. Just like that. And it might take weeks or months to get back to where you were. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it goes sometimes if you are a Google Slave.

Are you a Google Slave? Take the quiz:

• Do you receive more than 30% of your traffic from Google?
• Do you spend the majority of your marketing time on work that leads to Google traffic?
• If Google traffic were to disappear overnight, would it significantly affect your bottom line?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you should take immediate steps to secure your freedom, because it’s under attack!

The reason Google slavery is so menacing is because it is not brought on us by Google or any outside force. We do it to ourselves. The allure of free traffic is strong, and it can be addictive. Let me be clear. If you get loads of traffic from Google, that is a good thing. It means you have valuable content that search engines find relevant. It’s a compliment really. But it’s easy for it to get out of hand.

If your success is reliant on Google traffic, you have a serious problem.

If you’re getting more than 30% of your action from Google, then chances are good that you will eventually… somewhere along the line… become a Google Chump, and it will likely be through no fault of your own. If you’re operating in grey- or blackhat territory, then you have it coming anyway, but it’s important to know that bad things also happen to good people. Darren Rowse from ProBlogger, the godfather of problogging himself, has been bitch-slapped by Google. They don’t play favorites. It can happen to anyone, at anytime.

How to be Free

Luckily there are measures you can take to run your business on your own terms, without being subject to Google’s whims.

1. Build a dang email list – this is a fundamental. Maybe you’ve heard of email? I’m sure you have, but the fact remains that many new bloggers address email marketing as an afterthought, if at all. Every profitable site I’ve built can be attributed to email marketing. Admittedly, I’m not an SEO guy. I have no inherent problem with SEO, but I do indeed have a problem with being dependent upon sources of traffic over which you do not have true control. Building a strong email list gives you an asset over which you can truly have total control. Even if Google chumps you out someday, it won’t matter, because you have a list. That’s a beautiful place to be.
2. Get people over to your feed – John Chow is famous for building a highly profitable blog all while being non-existent in Google for an extended period of time. Due to some of his behavior, he was de-indexed. Google dropped him like a bad habit, yet his blog continued to grow fast and furious. How did he do it? He had a strong RSS base, and that kept his traffic strong. He knew as long as he continued to deliver what his readers wanted, they would keep coming back. And his readers talked about him. That brought in more traffic. And those visitors subscribed via RSS as well. Having a strong RSS base is essential and makes you much more bullet-proof.
3. Cultivate your subscriber base – don’t just get subscribers “on board” and then neglect them. A large subscriber base means nothing if it’s not composed of engaged and targeted readers. Honor them and treat them like royalty as much as you can. Stay in touch. Create value. Not only will your subscribers stay subscribed when you do this, but they’ll often share your content with friends. That’s a good thing. Would you rather move up a space on Google’s front page, or have 5% of your email list forward your last message out to their friends because it’s awesome? Hopefully you can see the huge value in that.
4. Build an article marketing discipline – While article marketing is not what it used to be, it is still very much a valid and valuable form of marketing. Things change, yes. But for the time being, article marketing is a huge way to build a ton of links and get the message out…all without being subject to the whims of search traffic.
5. Create a guest posting practice – Guest posting is what Brian Clark from Third Tribe has referred to as “the new article marketing”. I like the sound of that. The practice of writing articles for other blogs in your niche is in my opinion one of the smartest things you can do as a new blogger. High quality links, sharing ideas with a new audience, traffic generation…guest posting does it all. It’s free, and it’s a great way to build your network and traffic to your site. Every time I write a guest post, it results in new subscribers for me. This is a practice you can truly wrap your hands around and control. Not that SEO is so mysterious, but at the end of the day, Google is who decides if you’re cool or not. When it comes to business, I like there to be as few gatekeepers as possible. Does that make sense?
6. Be social – As Woody Allen said “80% of success in life is showing up”. Social media is a way of being present. It’s a way of actively raising your hand and saying “I’m here, and yes…I actually care about you.” As odd as it may seem, a business that cannot make that effort these days is probably not going to be around long. When you make yourself available to your tribe via Twitter or whatever platforms you find most advantageous, you give people an interesting and accessible way of talking about you and more importantly, with you. There is a saying: Search engines follow people. It just may be possible to have your cake and eat it too.
7. Be awesome – let’s be honest, there are millions upon millions of websites out there, but there are only a few that are awesome. If you’re awesome, you’ll succeed. The world doesn’t need any more drivel. It needs leadership. It needs you. And if you’re fully present…and awesome…you’ll rise to the top. It’s no coicidence that self-development and blog marketing so often share the same space. They go hand in hand. If you want to run an awesome blog, it will help so much for you to actually be awesome yourself

So I’m certain…absolutely certain some of you will disagree with me, and that’s cool. Perhaps you’ve built many profitable websites around Google traffic alone. Perhaps you’re a pro. That’s awesome. I think it’s valid however that I’ve built several profitable websites with ZERO focus on Google traffic. There are other ways. And the other ways are not subject to the whims of Google…that’s the way I like to roll. How about you?