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Google Search has seen many, many changes over the years, some big, some small, but each of them moves the iconic Internet search engine further and further away from its original form.
You can see an interactive timeline of Google Search on Google's website, if you're curious about how it has evolved over the years. Some of these additions, such as “Did you mean…?” Suggestions for typos and the inclusion of new search modes, including images, news and videos, were obvious successes for Google, improving the versatility and functionality of its search engine. Others, like the inevitable arrival of sponsored ads in results and the recent AI-powered 'Search Generative Experience' (SGE), have been… less popular.
Well, Google has apparently done the unimaginable: it has launched a new 'web' setup for the search engine that will take it back to the glory days of Google Search in the year 2000, displaying only a list of links based on text. That's right: no images, no shopping results, and no AI-generated responses.
A more perfect search engine
'Web' mode has been rolled out globally and should now be accessible to everyone; You'll find it under the “More” option at the top of the results, below the search bar.
As expected, it was received with huge applause on social media. Commenters on Twitter (cough, X) praised Google for the change, with many commenting that this is exactly what they want from a search engine.
We're launching a new “Web” filter that shows only text-based links, just like you could filter to show other types of results, like images or videos. The filter appears at the top of the results page along with other filters or as part of the “More” option, which is rolling out today… pic.twitter.com/tIUy9LNCy5May 14, 2024
It's a little sad that Google's decision to go back in time on its most used product has had such a positive response, and it's no doubt done to counter any potential backlash from SGE's gradual rollout. The AI-powered search tool will use machine learning to “search” the internet for relevant data and provide an AI-generated response, which may be useful to some users but poses a significant threat to news and media outlets. online.
It's worth noting that the web search view still includes sponsored text links, but I guess we can't have everything. Personally, I'm enormously happy to see this change: not only do I prefer to do my own reading rather than receive AI-generated garbage from my online searches, but as a digital journalist, I have a vested interest in Google keeping search simple. .
The dangers of AI in search
Look, I fear that Google's SGE experiment is doomed to fail, specifically because it could end up consuming itself. Without a doubt, SGE is a powerful tool that can provide a clear summary of the information users are looking for, but it needs content. written by humans To do that.
An example Google gave when SGE was first introduced was the query “best Bluetooth speaker for a pool party.” Sure enough, SGE put together a list of suggested products with links to retailers and sites that review recommended speakers.
Now, naturally, we have our own article ranking the best Bluetooth speakers, as do many other tech news sites. We have literally hundreds of buying guides and keeping them up to date with useful information for consumers is a batch of work, but it's a job we're happy to do, as it pays our bills and ultimately helps consumers find what they really need to know; You know, the main reason TechRadar exists as a site.
But if SGE takes over, all the advertising and affiliate revenue we (and all the other sites that make product recommendations) generate threaten to evaporate.
If that happens, we will turn a corner: the journalism industry has always been at the forefront, ready and able to adapt to the challenges of an ever-changing media landscape. So yes, we will find a new way to reach our readers, whether directly, through newsletters, social media, subscriptions or any other method that appears in the coming years.
However, if showing all those buying guides, recipes, and top 10 lists in Google search stops making sense for the sites that create them, many may choose to prevent Googlebot from crawling them, or at least , use them to train your LLMs. . And if that happens, Google's AI will become less and less relevant and useful in its SGE suggestions as its fuel source dries up.
I know this sounds like a complaint. 'Oh no, Google is going to kill our profitability!' But that doesn't mean it's not a problem. Google has potentially created a new version of online search that will self-destruct if successful.
In other words, I'm thrilled to see “web search” making a heroic comeback in this time of AI uncertainty. After all, I'm not going to start using Bing…
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