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Google’s <a href="https://support.google.com/googleforeducation/answer/16387527?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">July 2025 </a>updates have shaken the foundations of media.&nbsp;&nbsp;
To get indexed in Google, websites need to include higher expertise and trustworthiness.
The core update and the expansion of its AI Overviews&nbsp;prioritize “your money or your life” (YMYL) content, including finance and health.&nbsp;AI Overviews, Google’s generative summary tool, began answering queries directly on the results page, reducing organic traffic to publishers.
<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/innovation/googles-bitcoin-etf-update-demonstrates-increasing-adoption-advocates-say" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Related: Google's bitcoin ETF update demonstrates increasing adoption, advocates say</a>
<h2 id="crypto-news-sites-take-a-hit">Crypto news sites take a hit</h2>
Google changes disrupted SEO strategies across industries, particularly crypto media, where smaller outlets saw steep traffic declines.&nbsp;
According to media entrepreneur <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Shashank Bhardwaj</a>, “a lot of crypto news websites are now tanking,” with some even reportedly delisted from search results.
Bhardwaj has been in the content world for over a decade. He has contributed to major publications, including Forbes India. He is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://ymedia.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">yMedia</a>.
Speaking to TheStreet <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Roundtable</a>&nbsp;during <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/bitcoin-momentum-builds-in-abu-dhabi-as-global-interest-surges" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin MENA</a>, Bharadwaj said that Google’s stricter treatment of finance and health content, known internally as “your money or your life” (YMYL) topics, has had major consequences.
<blockquote>
 “Finance and health sites are held to a higher scrutiny or higher standard before they can get indexed. [This] means a lot of small sites, mine included, are at the receiving end of this, but that doesn't mean that I don't accept that this is a reasonable policy," he said.
</blockquote>
Still, he sees the intent as positive,
<blockquote>
 “From all the rug pulls we see to all the other scams in the industry, I’m okay with this industry being held to higher scrutiny. It needs to prove itself as a mature place — and many times, it does not.”
</blockquote>
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<h2 id="algorithms-overreach-as-creators-face-platform-bans">Algorithms overreach as creators face platform bans</h2>
The tightening doesn’t end with search engines. Crypto educators and <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/tag/influencers" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">influencers</a> on YouTube and Instagram have also found themselves banned or demonetized, often without a clear explanation.&nbsp;
“That shouldn’t be happening,” Bhardwaj said, calling the situation a “systemic defect” of large-scale platforms.
<blockquote>
 “There is no manual review,” he explained. “These platforms are so large that manual reviews of these cases are not possible. They are victims of algorithms.”
</blockquote>
His comments highlight a growing tension between Big Tech’s automated moderation systems and the decentralized ethos at the core of crypto, one that resists having any single gatekeeper decide who can speak.
<h2 id="signs-of-maturity-in-crypto-media">Signs of maturity in crypto media</h2>
Despite the challenges, Bhardwaj remains cautiously optimistic about where crypto journalism is headed. He believes the industry is “maturing,” both on the publishing and client side.
<blockquote>
 “Earlier, projects would just do a blitz across all sorts of media and hope to get some marketing done that way,” he said. “Now, customers are more mature. They want ROI. They’re smarter, more prudent.”
</blockquote>
Bharadwaj&nbsp;also noted an improvement in editorial quality.&nbsp;
He also said that while some outlets are investing the effort needed to produce higher-quality journalism, the trend points to a broader improvement in standards.&nbsp;
This makes it one of the few clearly positive developments in the crypto industry, he added.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/defi/crypto-alex-masmej-social-tokens" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Related: Crypto Will Reshape Social Media, Social Token Pioneer Says</a>

Exclusive: yMedia founder says Google’s AI crackdown squeezes crypto media

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