Google Search has been getting progressively worse for some time now, especially when you’re looking for specific products. This is mainly due to affiliate marketing. Critics also point to the growing number of ads in search results and Google displaying information from its own services
A recent study by researchers from the University of Leipzig, the Bauhaus University Weimar and the Center for Scalable Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence highlights a decline in the quality of Google search results, especially in product review searches.
The study focused on 7,392 product review search terms over a year on Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo. The results revealed that the top rated pages had more optimization, affiliate links and lower quality text.
This decline is attributed to aggressive affiliate marketing strategies, where websites prioritize monetizing product reviews with affiliate links.
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Affiliate marketing involves websites earning commissions by directing users to retailers such as Amazon, Flipkart, BestBuy and Walmart through special links.
While major publishers tend to maintain strict policies that separate reviews and editorial decisions from business concerns, some less scrupulous sites focus on maximizing profits, contributing to the prevalence of low-quality content.
The study indicates that search engine optimization (SEO) tactics, employed to increase website visibility in search engines such as Google, are intensifying, resulting in a constant battle between search engines and SEO engineers.
Google, along with competitors, is constantly tweaking algorithms to combat spam and improve results. However, the study suggests that search engines are losing the cat-and-mouse game against SEO spam, with spammers exploiting new loopholes as algorithms evolve.
Despite these challenges, the study acknowledges that Google performed better compared to Bing and DuckDuckGo, with Google’s results showing improvement throughout the study. However, the broader narrative suggests growing concern about the declining quality of Google’s search results.
Lily Ray, Senior Director of SEO and Head of Organic Research at Amsive Digital, notes that while Google is aware of its issues and actively working to fix them, there is a consensus within the SEO community that the engine search is currently in a state of disarray.
The complexity of managing billions of daily searches, combined with the evolving nature of SEO tactics, presents a constant challenge for Google.
Critics also point to the growing prominence of ads in search results and Google’s preference for displaying information from its own services.
The study adds to a growing body of evidence and narratives suggesting a decline in the quality of Google search in recent years, raising concerns about the overall state of the Internet economy, which it largely depends on the search giant.
(With input from agencies)
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