Update July 29: OpenAI is prototyping Search GPT, a natural language search interface for the web. Very much what Perplexity AI has been doing for some time. Serious trouble for Google, Search with Google Ads is their main revenue source.

Here's what happened in May 2023 to the visibility of five travel blogs after a Google search system update, as posted by Lily Ray on Twitter:

Visibility index for five travel blogs on Google search

In 2022, Google sold link clicks for $54.4 billion. When you click on a sponsored link, Google makes money. When you click on an organic link, a search result from a blog, Google makes no money. Not surprisingly, sponsored links appear at the top of the page.

  • Google Search attracts users by providing relevant high-quality search results. Reviews, travel tips, personal finance, communities, news. Content Quality is the number one Ranking Factor for content creators.
  • These "quality search results" are produced by humans. Humans who make money from visitors to their site: affiliates, subscriptions, selling products, sponsorships, and ads - on their site.
  • To generate more revenue, Google Search wants users to spend more time on the SERP, or Search Engine Result Page. This increases the likelihood that users will click on a paid link.
  • By presenting AI-summarized 'Quality Content' they keep visitors on the SERP, and remove the incentive to click through to the site.
  • Google makes $54.4 billion. Content creators, nothing.
    Google is competing directly with creators.

As Jed White tweeted, Google is not a search company, it's an ad tech company.

Real world cases

Here's how this plays out...

I Google "things to do in Denver" and get a great summary and picture - sounds fun! I put "visit botanical gardens" on my list of things to do when I'm in Denver.

I stay on Google's search result page (the 'SERP') which kills any potential revenue for the creator. Google does not compensate creators for their work.

Nate Hake writes..

It sure feels like it's the intention of Google to reduce click outs to creators. It seems like the company can't grow market share anymore, so it's turned to squeezing everything it can out of SERPs by keeping searchers on Google.

What to do as a content creator?

Google could share revenue with creators. With a 95% market share, they have little to no incentive to do so. As a creator, you need to find other strategies...

Brand your images!

Use automated services like Placid or Bannerbear to brand your images. The World Travel Guy images are showing up without attribution. It's his wife in the photo.

Image

With Placid, social media images are created instantly when publishing. Images in Search results promote your site, strengthens your brand, and drive traffic.

Paywall your content

Put some of your content behind paywalls for registered or paid subscribers. Allow some of your content to be indexed and served by Google, lock down unique and valuable content. Experiment with "leaky paywalls" that offer a series of free articles and other strategies.

Build a mailing list

Have visitors sign up for your own e-mail list. Ghost does this really well, integrating blog posts, subscriptions, paywall and mailing list.

Become a brand - use all available channels

Don't rely on Google search as your only source of traffic - use subscriber email lists, reciprocal links with other sites, and content sharing on social media channels. Don't build your community or your revenue model on a single platform that you don't control. Ryan Frahm tweeted...

There are other options...

Here's Perplexity AI search for Things to do in Denver - with the sources for the result listed and clickable. The summary creates an incentive to click through; some things in the summary catches my eye - I click through for more details. Perplexity AI has a subscription model, they do not make money from link clicks.

Cover image by Pascal Claivaz