Evergreen content

[saladtosser]

Does anyone have an opinion on if it's only a matter of time until google AI can aggregate and then rewrite original (might be the wrong word) articles making evergreen publishers obsolete? Things like established recipes, pet information and the sorta thing that doesn't change much or at all over time?

[robzilla]

The question itself is a bit of an evergreen, and while it's obvious that Google is more and more moving towards direct answers to queries, I don't see them rewriting aggregated content and presenting it as their own work, e.g. giving an apple pie recipe or explaining how to train your dog. They probably could, but it seems to me a major liability. I think they'd prefer to rely on information provided by what the AI gathers to be authoritative sources. When there's unmistakably a single factual answer to a query, they'll try to provide that directly, either because it's common knowledge and uncontroversial (like how many meters are in a mile) or because the content is licensed (like lyrics and dictionary definitions). I do see your point, because they do continue to push boundaries (e.g. by presenting the answer in a featured snippet so the user doesn't have to click through to the site), but I think there's a limit to the extent to which they want to be a content provider.

[edited by: phranque at 3:06 am (utc) on Jan 27, 2021]
[edit reason] cleanup [/edit]

[NickMNS]

but I think there's a limit to the extent to which they themselves want to be a content provider

I'm not so sure, your lyrics example is a counter argument to the point you are making.

or because the content is licensed (like lyrics and dictionary definitions).

Google has purchased the rights to show that content, thus it is proof they have a willingness to provide content.

It appears to me that Google has quietly adopting a similar approach to Amazon's, where they look at the search data to find the most lucrative niches and then start to provide content or services in those niches. Look at travel, sports score, job searches, restaurant/business reviews and music lyrics. So far they have stuck to high level niches, but there isn't anything stopping them from moving further down the food chain. I will concede that most of the examples are more in the e-comm end of spectrum but you can't take it for granted they won't move deeper into the informational side.

[robzilla]

Yes, I wasn't saying they don't want to be a content provider at all, just that there are likely limits to that (legal or practical), and that OP's example of the possibility of Google "writing" its own content (recipes, advice, etc.) based on what it gathers from the Web seems unlikely to me. Lyrics and dictionary definitions, for example, are uncontroversial, factual things we can all agree on, so they lend themselves well as direct answers to queries. Recipes, medical advice or travel tips, I don't see Google decoupling that sort of content from Web pages entirely. It may be wishful thinking, I don't know. What they can do, and have been doing, is pull more and more of that content into specialized featured snippets that still link to the source but largely reduce the necessity for users to click through to the source.

[aristotle]

until google AI can aggregate and then rewrite original (might be the wrong word) articles making evergreen publishers obsolete?

I seriously doubt that any AI aggregater could ever produce articles with the quality, clarity, and readability of what you would find on the website of a skillful writer with an expert knowledge of the subject.

Edit: On further reflection, let me add trustworthiness and authority to the list. In other words, would google's AI merit the same trust and authority as would an expert on the subject?

[tangor]

G's answer box is self-evident, they do not need to rewrite anything, just pick a winner for that slot and keep on truckin'! :)

Evergreen data is just that. In fact, in the USA, there are limits to what can be copyrighted once it falls into the "common data" category (apple pie recipes for example) and only the presentation/annotations can then elevate it to a copyright level (see WestLaw for example).