You’ve probably heard people grumbling that Google Search just isn’t as useful as it used to be. But is it going downhill, or have our expectations simply changed?
One thing throwing people off is the rise of zero-click searches. That’s when Google gives you the answer right there on the results page—no need to click through to a website.
Handy? Sure.
But it also means content creators miss out on traffic, and it can feel like Google’s boosting its stuff over everyone else’s.
Then there’s the rollout of AI-generated summaries—called AI Overviews.
These are meant to give you a quick rundown, but sometimes they oversimplify complex topics or miss the finer details, which makes for a hit-and-miss experience.
That said, Google’s not just sitting still. They’re always tweaking their algorithms to cut down on spam and improve the quality of search results.
The internet is massive, and not everything can be perfectly curated. A bit of inconsistency is bound to happen.
So, is Google getting worse?
Not really.
It’s more like it’s shifting gears to keep up with a digital world that’s constantly changing. Whether we love the changes or not, they’re part of how search keeps evolving.