Why Google Needs A Search "Creator" Liaison Role

Before building content websites about my passions I created YouTube videos. It started when I was just 14. I created reviews and unboxings about phone cases and consumer technology that I could afford at that time (typically gadgets under £50).

It was my first experience in the online media world, and my first experience building true community. I enjoyed it so much and loved the connections with my audience that I continued producing videos for many years, and even created travel/tech content while I was in my early 20's while I was travelling. I was obssessed.

The channel eventually surpassed 100,000 subscribers and I was given a YouTube Plaque, I was given a manger that I could contact whenever I wanted for advice, I was invited to events in the UK and offered the YouTube Studio Space in London to film videos in when I wanted to book it out. It felt like I was being heard, it felt like they wanted me to succeed, grow and flourish on the platform.

It was a mutual friendship. I helped bring an audience to their platform, and kept users on their platform while they helped me with guidance, advice and support.

But creating content for Google's Search Engine feels like the complete opposite. It feels like these two platforms are owned by two completely different companies, but obviously that's not the case.

They are two of the biggest search engines in the world.

One rewards you for your content, makes you apart of their brand, supports you with human advice, features incredible Liaison channels such as YouTube Liaison, Rene Ritchie, Team YouTube, YouTube Creators and they urge you to flourish into the creator that you want to become.

The other penalises you for following their guidelines, wipes out 95% of your traffic with one click and rather rewards SEO experts who take advantage of the algorithm, all while giving zero... and I mean ZERO support to those building great content brands for their platform. Their Search Liaison channels typically go inactive for weeks/months, they release forms for you to complete that makes us creators feel like a robot, they do sneaky deals behind our backs with certain creators that damages the web etc.

And that is why when I met the Google Search Team in London a few months ago that I told them that they need a new role, a Google Search Creator Liason, and they need it fast, more than ever, before the creators who are building "the right way" leave or stop making content "the right way".

Google already has a Search Liason, and Danny Sullivan does his hardest to make creators feel heard while taking the feedback to the search engineers and then crosses his fingers and hope they listen.

Danny is overwhelmed, has an insane amount of plates to spin and is one of the only ones at the forefront of this onslaught taking arrows for Google. He needs help, from more Search Liaisons, not only to help Creators, but to start building tools, guidance and advice that encourages creators to continue building in a way that helps the open web flourish.

Google has the right idea here, but the current Search Liaison role (in my opinion) is very much focused on SEO, how to technically make a better content website, but I think Danny (and Google) needs more support here and to find a partner that supports the true creators who create content.

By "true creators" I mean the ones that have no interest in SEO tactics, reading leaked Google documents to find what hacks they can do to improve their website, or building "backlinks" to strengthen some magical thing they call "domain authority".

They need a Liaison that focuses specifically on building great content, how to build community, implementing unique features that assists reader intent and advice on how to build revenue streams away from algorithms.

They need to become like YouTube. And this is exactly what I have been trying to tell Google. Heck, I even told them I'd do it. Let me in and I'll make it my goal to do something for us creators that actually helps us put some damn food on the table.

Google are scared of showing creators what they want to see in the SERP's because they are worried about the SEO leeches taking full advantage of it. I actually think it will do the complete opposite. And this is why when creators actually follow their guidelines it doesn't work, because in reality their guidelines are mostly lies that take attention away from what actually works within the algorithm... and that's usually the shady stuff, the over inflated tactics that artificially boast a websites authority.

If Google put the websites that make genuinely great human content with their hearts that features incredible quality on the top of the SERP's it will push away the ones making content sites for profit using shady tactics. This new role should encourage real expertise and passion to thrive.

It's so disheartening seeing large media companies, AI garbage and financially incentive SEO tactics win. It pushes genuine talent, incredible website creators and passionate experts away from the platform, the very things that makes the internet great.

This role needs to make creators feel connected to the brand, with a goal of making the web a great place for all types of creators.

But, Google being the beast that it is, and primarily being an ad business rather than a search engine, I can't imagine this happening anytime soon, and it's why many are starting to dislike Google as a whole. They are a monopoly with a financial incentive to make their search engine a terrible place.

Even if you do follow their guidelines they can make you invisible, which I have seen happen personally, and it's why I am making this website, to help creators build revenue streams away from the algorithm so they don't have to rely on Google's unloving chaos machine.

Google, if you are reading. Employ a Search Creator Liason (or five) and give us hope, before the real creators stop making content for the web.