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Does anyone know why it takes a comparative eternity to get indexed by Google these days? It used to be I could launch a site and have it indexed within 24-48 hours just by applying the sort of techniques Google claims it loves – quality content, quality backlinks and so on.

My last few site launches are still sitting around waiting on Google to grace them with its presence. Oh sure, the crawler popped by after about 20 minutes. But can I get anything indexed? Not on your life.

Okay, so the Internet is becoming a busier place. But can things have changed that much from a few months ago? And I know I don’t have a God given right to get indexed. But neither does Google have a similar right to maintain its monopoly, which is what it undoubtedly has given the ongoing farces at Yahoo and Microsoft.

Not being able to get indexed, despite following the Google bible, is becoming a serious impediment to building a business. Especially time sensitive ventures like product launches.

I know this problem doesn’t affect the big boys because I work that end of the game too and it’s still no problem to flash a few links at Google and be indexed in minutes. So are we still on a level playing field? Are my observations purely coincidental?

I could try going to the Google forums and asking directly. I wonder, has there ever been a bigger collection of self-satisfied and smug sycophants gathered in one place before? To these guys the fact that Google owns the Internet is a good thing. Many of these people are Americans, you know – the land of competition where the free market is free? They allow a pass for Google though.

Yes, I’m ranting. But I’m wondering how it has come to pass that one company can have such a degree of control over what is touted as the one truly democratic and open resource on the planet, the Internet. Can it possibly be healthy? Particularly if Google is applying hugely unbalanced criteria that favours big over small and established over new. Now I can’t prove it but it sure looks that way to me.

I also hear Google has been shutting down the accounts of thousands of online marketers. Not just the spammers, who I’m sure nobody has any sympathy for. But also legitimate marketers for (I’ve heard but cannot confirm) not providing the sort of content Google thinks is useful to its users. Say what? Who are they to decide? Just index the Internet already and let the users decide what is useful and what isn’t. This isn’t China yet.

Besides, who exactly made Google what it is today? That’s right, marketers whether they were large businesses or one man operations. A lot of money has flowed into Google’s coffers in the biggest continuity program known to man. Now Google wants to be fussy about the type of business it once happily grabbed in days when doing no evil still seemed to mean something.

What depresses me even more is we never seem to learn that letting these corporations take control always ends in tears. So this adoration of Facebook as a rival to Google is ill founded. I guarantee, you give Facebook the power and it will abuse it just as quickly.

Anyway, I can’t change any of this and just have to accept it. But I can have a moan. If Google insists on running the whole show then at least run it properly and give everyone a fair shake.

Google – get on with it, I have a business to run and I’m a user too!

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