February 2025 Google Search Observations

[mosxu]

Bros,

In the news G unveils quantum chip that confirms the existence of parallel universes…

Who is that stupid to buy their stock?

[edited by: not2easy at 5:28 pm (utc) on Feb 1, 2025]
[edit reason] New month, new thread [/edit]

[ichthyous]

Google wants publishers to create content, to train their AI for inclusion in AI Overviews, so they can keep users on their site and send publishers no traffic. The bigger question I have is how long will it take for publishers to realize this and take some sort of decisive action (quit publishing, require a login to view content/membership, etc.) so they can benefit from their work in some way?

Exactly, we are just here as fodder for Google. If you are not creating a unique product then your days are numbered online. AI can only process info, but people will always need physical products and they will have to go to a website for that....those of us using our sites to sell something physical will fare better I think. Very few webmasters have the brand or recognition to lock their content behind a paywall and charge for it.

[BigKat]

If you are not creating a unique product then your days are numbered online. AI can only process info, but people will always need physical products and they will have to go to a website for that...

Unfortunately even selling unique products still doesn't matter since Google will display ads, use the other organic results and "features" in the SERPS to direct shoppers elsewhere (mostly Amazon). Yes, people are still buying but if you can't be found then you're not selling.

[EditorialGuy]

Google wants publishers to create content, to train their AI for inclusion in AI Overviews, so they can keep users on their site and send publishers no traffic. The bigger question I have is how long will it take for publishers to realize this and take some sort of decisive action (quit publishing, require a login to view content/membership, etc.) so they can benefit from their work in some way?

There's a vast stockpile of publishers and content on the Web, so maybe Google can train its AI perfectly well with a fraction of what's out there now? Google might actually benefit from a culling of the herd.

[mosxu]

“a culling of the herd”

This sounded so wrong

[gatormark]

Google might actually benefit from a culling of the herd.

Not only should Google benefit, but those of us provide unique content should also benefit. There are so many websites out there that just regurgitate existing information. They need to be weeded out. The question is, can Google differentiate between the longtime industry leaders and the newbies who are just regurgitating existing information?

[RubicCubed]

who are just regurgitating existing information?

You just described AI Overviews.

“a culling of the herd”

For those that don't realize it yet, we're the herd being culled.

[renatovieira]

Semrush is on fire. AdSense and Analytics not working properly, SERPs up and down since morning... Here we go again...

[christianz]

Noticeable drop this morning.

[christianz]

The question is, can Google differentiate between the longtime industry leaders and the newbies who are just regurgitating existing information?

They generally can't but they could a little bit last year. This year they seem to have given up.

[BigKat]

There's a vast stockpile of publishers and content on the Web, so maybe Google can train its AI perfectly well with a fraction of what's out there now? Google might actually benefit from a culling of the herd.

If Google didn't benefit, they wouldn't do it unless it were by force.

Our content is directly competing against AI Overviews to be seen today. Therefore, "culling the herd" would eliminate Google's competition (us and our content) so that AIO can one day replace organic results completely. It's bad enough now with organic results appearing 1+ scrolls down the page, but I believe it will get worse. Maybe the next phase in eliminating organic results will be showing fewer results or just pushing them to page 2. After that, AIO may be the default view with a "web results" option given to users to search the web. After that Google would likely drop the web results tab entirely, claiming few use it, then organic results are gone for good. This is one way that Google can "cull the herd."

[Micha]

Google might actually benefit from a culling of the herd

But it is not Google's job to cull anything. This is an intervention in the market by a quasi-monopolist and should be stopped immediately. Google is a gatekeeper and it's about free access to information, etc. Unfortunately, politics is asleep in this case.

[ichthyous]

Unfortunately even selling unique products still doesn't matter since Google will display ads, use the other organic results and "features" in the SERPS to direct shoppers elsewhere (mostly Amazon). Yes, people are still buying but if you can't be found then you're not selling.

Yes the ads do cut into traffic, but if you are creating truly differentiated products then people aren't going to click on ads and go to amazon because it isn't available there. My case is unique so not very applicable to many others. My site functions like an archive really...thousands of posts with very specific content and the best of its kind available anywhere.

What I have found is this...the customers with serious budgets who need the best possible quality for this kind of work will keep searching until they find it. The customers whose main concern is the lowest price will not...I can't make those sales anyway, and frankly they are just a pain. Google can have them. My clients are top level corporations that want a guarantee of the best quality from a reputable brand which has a ton of actual examples of verified sales. What they don't have is time...they want to buy via the website ASAP.

[BigKat]

if you are creating truly differentiated products then people aren't going to click on ads and go to amazon because it isn't available there.

Likely depends on how unique those products are and if something similar exists on Amazon. We're a manufacturer and what we produce are classified as industrial products. Our products are different, including one important way - they meet current safety standards. What is sold on Amazon and elsewhere isn't, but consumers never know the difference because Google limits their choice in search. That being said, there's no reason for someone to scroll way down the page (past the ads and refinements) to see other options. We've been in business a while, so Google's choice-less search results really impacts B2C sales, not B2B and B2G sales nearly as much. The good news for us is when average consumers have problems with what they bought on Amazon, we get sales from that after they dig deeper and realize why Amazon cheap/convenient isn't always better (or safer).

[System]

The new March thread is here: [webmasterworld.com...]

[edited by: not2easy at 11:12 am (utc) on Mar 1, 2025]