What Happens to Your Business When the Algorithm Changes

You’ve built a lead engine that works. Maybe it’s Instagram. Maybe it’s Google. Maybe it’s referrals from one directory listing. It’s working right now, but what happens if the platform changes overnight?

Here is the problem: you do not own the platform. You are renting your entire pipeline from an algorithm you do not control and cannot see inside.

Australian SMBs say their own website is their top source of new customers, but Facebook runs a close second, nearly matching a channel they actually own.

Source: Thryv Business Index and Consumer Report 2025

So, which of your lead channels do you actually own?

Melissa Stewart, Shaia Deacon and Michael Essery talk through real examples of businesses caught out by platform dependency, and where iOnline draws its own line between rented and owned.