Google updated its algorithm: The internet will never be the same again.
A series of updates to Google’s search engine over the past two years, along with an unprecedented artificial intelligence feature, signifies a major transformation in the internet’s most powerful tool. So, will artificial intelligence be the salvation or the demise of the web?
In a statement to the BBC, a Google spokesperson said that the company implemented changes to its Search Network only after rigorous testing confirmed that the changes would be beneficial for users. Additionally, Google offers assistance, resources, and feedback opportunities to website owners regarding Search Network rankings.
Google is steadfast in its stance that the changes will benefit the web and that the updates to the Search algorithm are just the beginning. Last week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage at the company’s annual developer conference to announce one of the most significant moves in the history of the search engine. Pichai revealed that in the future, Google Search will provide answers to most of your questions generated by its own artificial intelligence, a feature known as “AI Overviews,” which is already available to users in the United States. Pichai stated, “The result is a product that does the work for you,” adding, “Google Search is a generative AI at the scale of human curiosity.”
Google: Will solve many of the web's problems
AI Overviews is just one of a series of significant changes Google has made to its core product over the past two years. The company claims that its latest effort to revamp Search will usher in an exciting new era of technology and help solve many of the issues plaguing the web.
However, critics argue the opposite. As Google reorganizes its algorithms and uses AI to transition from a search engine to a search and answer engine, some warn that this could endanger the businesses that produce much of your favorite content.
One thing is certain: Google’s efforts are poised to have a profound impact on what many of us see when we go online.
These changes arose from Google’s recognition of a problem on the web. If you’ve ever used a search engine, you might have noticed it yourself. The internet is dominated by a web development approach known as “search engine optimization” or SEO, which aims to tweak articles and web pages to gain better recognition on Google Search. Google even provides SEO tips, tools, and advice for website owners. For millions of businesses relying on the functioning of the search engine, SEO can be an unavoidable game.
The issue is that SEO can be abused. Savvy website owners have discovered that they can sometimes make more money by creating content designed to please Google’s algorithms rather than to serve people.
Google’s efforts to address this problem haven’t always succeeded. If you’ve ever been frustrated by the results of a search like “Best Running Shoes for Women,” you’re familiar with the issue. The results for popular search terms are often filled with websites that contain little useful information but are packed with ads and links to retailers that generate affiliate commissions for publishers.
Google's fight against spam content has accelerated.
Google’s fight against spam-filled search results has accelerated. In 2022, the company released a “Helpful Content Update” to its algorithm aimed at filtering out content created solely to rank higher in search results. Google released a subsequent update in September 2023 and a third algorithm change in March this year.
Following these updates, Google claims that there is now 45% less low-quality, non-original content in search results. This can be seen as a significant achievement.
A Google spokesperson told the BBC, “Our recent updates aim to connect people with useful, satisfying, and original content from a variety of sites on the web,” adding, “As we work to improve the Search Network, we remain focused on driving valuable traffic to sites and supporting a healthy, open web.”
The melting traffic of websites
However, the updates have had some surprising consequences. For instance, data from the SEMrush analytics tool shows that the New York Magazine website lost 32% of its Google Search traffic in the past six months, while GQ.com saw a 26% decline. The data also indicates that the English dictionary website Urban Dictionary experienced a reduction of 18 million page views, equating to more than half of its Search traffic. OprahDaily.com saw a decrease of approximately 58%. (SEMrush is an industry-standard tool, but its figures are estimates and only measure traffic from Google Search).
A spokesperson for New York Magazine stated that these findings were incomplete and did not reflect the company’s internal analysis. Experts, along with many media executives and website owners, asserted that the general trends in SEMrush’s data are very much real.
Reddit doubled its traffic.
Instead of these sites, there’s a platform you’ll see much, much more of: Reddit. According to SEMrush, Reddit experienced a surge equivalent to a 126% increase in traffic from Google Search. The company is already reaping the benefits. Since becoming a public company in March 2024, Reddit announced its first quarterly earnings. The company’s total revenue skyrocketed by a staggering 48% from the previous year to $243 million.
Lily Ray, Vice President of SEO Strategy and Research at marketing agency Amsive and a renowned figure in the SEO world, says, “The traffic increase Reddit has seen is unprecedented on the internet,” and continues:
“Cooking content, adult content, video games, gardening, fashion, you name it, it’s on Reddit.”
The ones who surged in Google searches after the update
After Google’s recent algorithm updates, Reddit isn’t the only winner. SEMrush data indicates that other user-generated sites like Quora and Instagram have also seen similarly astronomical increases, with impressive rises on LinkedIn and Wikipedia as well. In a way, Google is merely following a trend.
Over the past few years, some knowledgeable internet users have begun adding the word “Reddit” to the end of web searches, hoping to bring up honest opinions from people rather than websites trying to game Google’s system. This is something Google’s public liaison for search, Danny Sullivan, also underscores.
We don't have a secret agreement with Reddit.
A Google spokesperson said, “We’ve seen that people generally want to learn from others’ experiences, so we provide content from hundreds of forums and other communities on the web.” They continued, “Our agreement with Reddit absolutely did not involve ensuring its content ranks higher in Search.”
However, Google’s results are a zero-sum game. If the search engine is sending traffic to one site, it has to come from another, and the impact on losers in the Reddit equation is equally dramatic. Ray said, “Google has declared war on publisher websites,” adding, “It’s as if Google designed an algorithm update specifically to target small blog writers. I’ve spoken to so many people who have been wiped out.”
A series of website owners and search experts speaking to the BBC noted a general shift in Google results towards websites with big brands and away from small, independent sites that seem entirely disconnected from content quality.
Lost traffic, declining employment
For Daniel Hart, Editor-in-Chief of the UK-based entertainment news site Ready Steady Cut, the change was instantaneous. Hart recorded the following:
“Our traffic immediately halved after Google’s September update and worsened even further. We were particularly hit hard by Reddit’s attack, but at the same time, spam websites stealing our content are also taking our place. This makes no sense.”
Hart says that in the following months, the lost revenue forced Ready Steady Cut to reduce its team of 20 writers and editors down to four.
A Google spokesperson said the company’s recent updates have dealt a significant blow to spam and non-original content, and Google closely monitors misuse practices leading to low-quality information in Search.
Following Google’s updates, the company provided tips to website owners and stated that there was a way to recover. Hart says the site hired consultants to focus on Google’s recommendations and spent sleepless nights updating the site. Nearly a year later, none of it worked. Hart continued, “I’ve wasted the last eight months of my life trying to follow Google’s advice,” adding:
“Google says it wants content from people with firsthand experience and useful content, and we’re a tremendous example of that. It’s very disheartening.”
The biggest culprit for the traffic loss is artificial intelligence.
However, according to website owners and content creators speaking to the BBC, the biggest culprit is the responses generated by artificial intelligence.
Google argues that AI Overviews in search results would be a boon for websites. Liz Reid, Google’s search chief, wrote in a blog post that the company’s artificial intelligence search results actually increased the traffic sent to Google’s websites.
Reid stated, “AI Overviews get more clicks than a traditional web listing for that query. As we expand this experience, we’ll continue to focus on sending valuable traffic to publishers and content creators.”
However, the company has not shared any data to support this claim, and many website owners and industry experts are concerned that the opposite effect could also be possible.
Artificial intelligence is stealing both content and traffic.
Others, like travel writer David Leiter, say that potential consequences are particularly problematic because they believe Google’s artificial intelligence is outright stealing their content.
For example, Leiter claims that a search for “Best Slot Canyons Near Las Vegas” used to bring up an article from his website, World Travel Guy. However, a search made earlier this week resulted in an AI-generated response box at the top of the page instead.
Leiter said, “Google replaced my article with a giant AI Overviews box, which mostly gives incorrect answers,” and continued:
“The first four places it lists aren’t even slot canyons. A slot canyon is a specific type of canyon with a narrow passage, but the AI doesn’t understand that. Instead, it lists random canyons and even a hiking trail.”
AI Overviews included a link to Leiter’s article, which he says was only a tiny link that you could see if you took the time to click on a small arrow at the bottom of the result.
95% of my web traffic has been wiped out.
Leiter says he doesn’t believe he’ll get more traffic from being the top search result than he did before. In either case, it’s a small consolation. Leiter says Google’s recent algorithm updates have wiped out 95% of his traffic.
Google acknowledges that AI tools can provide incorrect information but says it’s constantly working to improve the results. A Google spokesperson says AI Overviews often draw from multiple web pages, not just a single source, and are designed to highlight relevant links.
The spokesperson says publishers can check if AI Overviews include a link to their sites by using a special tag on their web pages. However, once an AI model scrapes your content, it may be impossible to remove that data.
Those questioning Google’s control over the internet aren’t just media executives. Google is also fighting numerous antitrust cases against various segments of its $2.2 trillion empire. The company is currently awaiting a decision in a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, accusing Google of illegally monopolizing the search engine industry.
Controlling over 90% of the worldwide search sector, Google defends its success as solely coming from producing superior products. A Google spokesperson says the company faces intense competition and people have many options for how they seek information online.
