Google Search as you know it is over | TechCrunch
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Google is transforming Search from a list of links into an AI-powered experience filled with conversational answers, autonomous agents, and interactive interfaces — a shift that could further reduce traffic to publishers across the web.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47107360

Google is making its Search more centred around AI, turning it into a conversation.

Besides being a worse experience, the websites from which it sources its information are losing all traffic and recognition.

Recommend a list of alternatives:

  • Kagi - Paid but better experience than Google
  • Ecosia - Similar experience while supporting a good cause
  • Qwant - Increasingly unique results and building a EU-first index
  • DuckDuckGo - Privacy-focused search, but quality of results may vary

More options: https://purchasewithpurpose.io/category/search-engine/

  • melfie@lemmy.zipEnglish
    2·
    1 month ago

    I wouldn’t know because I mainly use DuckDuckGo and haven’t had a reason to use Google in a long time.

  • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    1 month ago

    Google Search has long since diminished from it’s peak. 15 years ago we used to play a “game” by describing something as vaguely or strangely as possible and would be entertained to find it still on the first page of search results.

    SEO and paid ranking caused a steady decline in Google search performance, and LLMs are the kill shot.

    Indexing and ranking were already a solved problem, and conventional algorithms accomplished it much better than LLMs do. Unfortunately, LLMs need to find uses to justify investment, so now they must be used for any task that they can be used for, even if its worse than the solutions that we already had.

    • lechekaflan@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      SEO and paid ranking caused a steady decline in Google search performance

      Yeah, this much started eating into the users’ need for that one good answer.

    • _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      even if its worse than the solutions that we already had.

      Like Gemini replacing Assistant. Holy shit, what a dumpster fire.

    • bedwyr@piefed.caEnglish
      0·
      1 month ago

      The other factor is companies, interests, paying the Google and their ilk to not include things in search results. And only include what they choose as an alternative.

      Then you might have different interests gaming the search results to bury something they don’t like.

  • JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    Ugh, damn post title. I went through the whole article looking for the alternatives before realizing the title of the article says nothing about alternatives.

  • TheLastOfHisName@piefed.socialEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    Kagi and Startpage are my go-to search engines these days.
    I have a paid Kagi account and feel it is very much worth the investment.

    • Bo7a@piefed.caEnglish
      0·
      1 month ago

      Yeah I don’t think that one will go over well with the current wording on their FAQ.

      Frequently asked questions What is this? This is a metasearch engine that gets results from other engines, and strips away all of the tracking parameters and Microsoft/globohomo bullshit they add. Most of the other alternatives to Google jack themselves off about being ““privacy respecting”” or whatever the fuck but it always turns out to be a total lie, and I just got fed up with their shit honestly. Alternatives like Searx or YaCy all fucking sucks so I made my own thing.

        • Bo7a@piefed.caEnglish
          0·
          1 month ago

          ‘globohomo bullshit’ doesn’t strike you as a red flag?

          Maybe they are trying to ‘take back’ a bigoted term, but I don’t get that feeling. Especially since the vast majority of people using that term are shithead chuds.