If you live off organic traffic to monetize your website or app, being deindexed from Google is, without exaggeration, one of the biggest nightmares possible. After all, if your website disappears from search results, your traffic disappears along with it — and with it, clicks on your ads, sales, leads and, of course, revenue.
And that's exactly what happened recently with the site HouseFresh, specializing in air purifier reviews. He simply disappeared from Google searches, even following good SEO practices. The case raised a general alert and reignited the debate about the importance of maintaining healthy and well-monitored indexing.
In this article, we will understand what led to deindexation, how to avoid this problem on your website and what the real impact of this on your digital marketing monetization strategy. Shall we dive into the subject?
What Happened to HouseFresh (and Why Does It Matter)?
HouseFresh was a respected website with original content, in-depth reviews, and a total focus on the user. However, it faced a critical situation: drastic drop in organic traffic after being deindexed from Google — that is, their pages were no longer appearing in search results.
According to the website's team, there was no prior warning of a penalty or serious technical error. The explanation? Google updated its ranking systems and automatically reassessed the website's relevance and authority in relation to larger competitors and content aggregators.
The result was frightening:
Traffic dropped. Engagement plummeted. Revenue evaporated.
And this serves as a warning to any publisher or website owner who relies on monetization via organic traffic. Just because, this can happen to anyone.
Why is Google indexing so important for monetization?
If you use programmatic media, Google AdSense, affiliates or partnerships, needs constant and qualified traffic. And a good part of this traffic comes from organic search.
When your site is deindexed:
- Users can't find your content.
- Your ads have fewer impressions.
- Revenue per visitor (RPM) plummets.
- Your website loses digital authority.
In short: No traffic, no monetization. Period.
Main causes of deindexation (even when the content is good)
Anyone who thinks that only sites with spam or shallow content are at risk is mistaken. In the case of HouseFresh, the problem was compete with big players and aggregators that Google has started to prioritize. But there are other factors that can also affect it:
1. Technical errors
- Problems with robots.txt file.
- Lack of updated sitemap.
- Pages blocked incorrectly.
2. Duplicate content or content that is too similar to competitors
Even with good intentions, pages with themes that are too similar can be considered redundant by algorithms.
3. Low authority or loss of backlinks
Google values authority signals. Losing relevant links can affect your ranking and even your indexing.
4. Algorithm updates
Changes like Google's Core Updates can rerank pages and drop rankings — and in extreme cases, deindex entire pages.
How to avoid being deindexed and protect your revenue?
Now that the warning has been given, let's get to the most important part: how to prevent this from happening to your digital project?
✅ Monitor your indexing weekly
Use the Google Search Console to check if your pages are being indexed correctly and if there have been any sudden drops.
✅ Invest in exclusive and in-depth content
Highlight your content with unique insights, proprietary data, real-world testing or unpublished analysis. This helps differentiate yourself from generic and aggregator sites.
✅ Increase your digital authority
Look for quality backlinks, share content on strategic channels and keep your brand active on social media.
✅ Keep the technical part up to date
- Review your sitemap.xml and robots.txt.
- Fix 404 errors and broken redirects.
- Keep your site fast and responsive (especially on mobile).
✅ Diversify your traffic sources
Don’t rely solely on Google. Explore SEO on other platforms (like YouTube and Pinterest), social media, direct traffic, and email marketing.
The direct impact of this on monetization
Let's talk about money. A website that loses indexing loses:
- Ad impressions → Fewer views = less revenue.
- Affiliate Clicks → Less traffic = less chance of conversion.
- App Engagement → Fewer returning users = decreased retention.
- Partnerships and sponsorships → Less visibility = lower media value.
In other words, a deindexed website can become an “invisible” website — even if it’s amazing.
Technical SEO and authority are the pillars of sustainable monetization
The HouseFresh case is a reminder: Even good websites can be penalized if they are not prepared for Google's algorithm and criteria changes.
If you want to maintain (or increase) the revenue from your website or app, it is essential to invest in:
- Frequent technical monitoring.
- Original content strategy.
- Building authority.
- Traffic diversification.
Here in Join ADS, we closely monitor everything that can affect the performance of websites and apps — from SEO to final revenue. Do you want to protect your project and continue earning money with programmatic media, even in times of change? Talk to us. And never be caught off guard again.
