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It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks in the freelance world and if you travel in certain circles, then you’ve likely heard of Google’s manual delistings causing huge editorial layoffs and lost work for freelance writers.

Here’s a great article digging deep into the issue, but the TL:DR is that many news publications using third party agencies to create affiliate-based SEO content have been manually delisted from Google’s search engines.

So instead of claiming top ranking spots, they are completely gone and have resulted in tons of layoffs.

It’s a bummer - I actively wrote for a couple of CNN Underscored verticals and I’ve seen a lot of other brands be impacted as well. In fact, I just logged into LinkedIn and saw a former editor at a completely different agency announce their layoffs.

So what does this mean for you?

Whether or not you write for pubs, one diversification criteria to consider for your own business is revenue model. My 2024 business goal was to actually get away from writing for these types of affiliate revenue-based websites.

Not because I predicted a MANUAL GOOGLE DELISTING - no way. But I did notice that assignments from these clients fluctuated greatly based on revenue, which of course IS based on…. the Google algorithm. And no one I work for has control of that.

I’m so glad I made that goal happen because my revenue wasn’t super impacted by losing that client. I do feel terrible for all the writers and editors who are more affected by these sweeping changes.

Let this be a cautionary tale as you evaluate how much of your income not only goes to one client — but to clients with the same business model. Adding a mix of clients with different structures and income streams gives your own business an extra layer of financial protection. If an algorithm update or regulatory change comes down the line based on business model, what percentage of your income could you lose at once?

Those are the types of questions to always ask yourself. I’ve been freelancing for 12 years and I can guarantee I’m always looking at what changes are ahead and how I need to pivot based on those predictions.

I hope these big changes haven’t impacted your business and if they have, my condolences are with you! It’s interesting to see what kind of online echo chambers we all operate in - I was texting with a writing/biz friend the other day who doesn’t work in personal finance or SEO content and she hadn’t heard of any of this.

Here’s a way you can help shed light on the true state of freelancing today: Take the All Things Freelance Writing 2024 Average Income of Freelance Writers Survey!

And if you have an extra moment, shoot me a message and let me know if you’ve heard of or been impacted by these Google delistings, or if it’s new to you.

All my best,

Lauren