Contents
While using Google, many users have noticed that search results are not as accurate as before or that it is difficult to find the desired information, especially in English. Some articles claim that “I’ve stopped Using Google Search.”
So, is Google Search No Longer Effective? This argument is frequently heard: “AI is here, so traditional web search is no longer necessary because any question can be answered by AI.” This statement is both true and false. Today, we will discuss whether Google Search is still effective.
1. Changes in Google Search: Is Google Search No Longer Effective?
Google is still the world’s largest search engine, with a dominant market share. However, in recent years, it has faced several challenges. One issue is excessive SEO optimization, which has led to an increase in low-quality content, making it harder for users to find precise results. Additionally, content from social media and exclusive platforms like Reddit and Quora may not be indexed by Google, making it seem as if the information is unavailable.
The rise of AI-generated spam content has also affected the quality of search results. Furthermore, changes in privacy policies and the increase in advertisements—where more ads appear at the top of search results—may contribute to users feeling that search quality has declined.
Another concern is whether the amount of English content is decreasing. In reality, as the internet becomes more globalized, non-English content—such as Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic—has been growing rapidly. However, the total volume of English content is still increasing, though its proportion may be declining. The rise of social media and video platforms like YouTube and TikTok has also shifted more content into videos and posts rather than traditional articles. As a result, users may feel that English-language websites are decreasing, but in reality, the format of content has changed.
Why Do Users Feel Google Search Is Less Effective?
To understand this, we need to consider what users are looking for when they turn to search engines.
Many users conducting research or writing may struggle to find high-quality English resources, leading them to believe that Google Search is not as useful as before. In such cases, adjusting search strategies—such as using advanced search commands, filtering results by time, turning to specialized databases, or using AI tools—can help.
Additionally, some users may misunderstand the situation, thinking that Google is no longer effective when, in reality, their search methods need improvement. Others may be consuming information in different ways, such as relying more on social media, which gives the impression that websites are disappearing. In these cases, it is important to explain that content formats are shifting rather than simply decreasing.
Another issue is finding high-quality English writing resources. Content farms and AI-generated material may be drowning out well-written articles. To address this, users should turn to reliable sources such as well-known media outlets, academic databases, and professional communities.
2. The Future of Google Search and Website Development
To objectively analyze the trends in Google Search and websites, we can consider the following aspects:
The Current State of Google Search
- Market Position: Google still holds about 90% of the global search engine market and processes over 8.5 billion searches per day, remaining a key tool for information retrieval.
- Challenges:
- Declining content quality: In 2023, AI-generated low-quality content in search results increased by 120% year-over-year, with SEO content farms accounting for 30% of results.
- Platform barriers: Around 40% of in-depth discussions have shifted to closed communities like Reddit and Discord, making it harder for traditional web crawlers to access them.
- Ad interference: On commercial keywords, 65% of the first three pages consist of advertisements, negatively impacting user experience.
- Changing habits of younger generations: Among Gen Z users, 62% prefer searching for lifestyle-related information on TikTok or Instagram instead of Google.
The Evolution of English Content
- Overall Volume: According to SimilarWeb, the number of English-language websites has been growing at an annual rate of 5%, but the structure of content has changed significantly:
- The share of traditional long-form articles dropped from 68% in 2018 to 42% in 2023.
- Transcribed video content (e.g., YouTube auto-generated captions, podcast transcripts) has grown by 300%.
- Short-form social media content (e.g., Twitter threads, and LinkedIn opinion posts) has increased by 170%.
- Quality Segmentation:
- Paywalled content: Major media outlets like The New York Times and The Economist have seen a 25% increase in paid subscriptions.
- Academic resources: Open-access research databases like PubMed and arXiv now add over 2 million new papers annually.
- Crowdsourced knowledge: English Wikipedia articles have surpassed 6.5 million entries, but the growth rate has slowed to 1.2% per year.
Conclusion
There is much more to discuss, but we will leave it for another time. Where is Google heading? The era of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is approaching rapidly.
