This website has been a bit of a labour of love for myself and Ben – the other editor (who does the buyer’s guides) and who also happens to be my brother.
We’ve spent countless hours researching and writing, and at one point around 100,000 people a month were reading this website worldwide, with the majority of those readers searching for solutions or answers on Google and finding our content.
It’s safe to say Garage Dreams has always been a bit of a passion project.
Yes, there are ads on this site, but realistically what we have earned from those has never come close to paying back the amount of work put in – but does help with hosting costs and allowing us to do things like buy products to review.
Unfortunately, late last year Google adjusted the way it determines who shows up when you search (if you’re interested, the update was called the ‘Helpful Content Update’) and this site was one of the many that have been terribly badly impacted.
Ultimately this website isn’t our livelihood, and for that we are fortunate. We still get a decent number of readers each day as well, but down realistically 75% from the peak. Many others have seen their incomes destroyed and even real businesses ruined with staff being laid off, all because of this update (because earnings from advertising and/or product sales have died off).
This isn’t a pity plea, but more a request that if you’ve come across this website from Google or anywhere else and you find the content helpful – i.e. we answered your question or solved your problem – then please consider leaving a comment saying as much.
It probably won’t make any difference, but if Google sees enough comments informing them that the site is, in fact, helpful, it might help reverse the decline!
Thanks in advance,
Sam & Ben – editors of Garage Dreams
