Search is changing — and it’s bad news for Google
Plus: More Meta courtroom drama
This week, Apple stated that Google searches via Safari have declined for the first time in 22 years. This is indicative of a much wider trend; for a couple of decades, “just Google it” was both an action and an indirect ad channel. However, that instinct is quietly changing - especially with younger users.
Now, instead of Googling it, people are asking ChatGPT for recipes, using TikTok for travel tips, and searching Reddit or YouTube to solve tech issues. After Google won what was an initially fragmented search battle, it’s now fragmenting again.
The shift isn’t just a generational one however - it’s structural. AI has already massively changed how we access information, and this is only going to change further.
Tools like Perplexity and the aforementioned ChatGPT are offering citation-rich, direct answers rather than sending you 10 links and asking you to work it out for yourself. In an age of ever-shortening attention spans, it’s easy to see why this might appeal.
Google’s own attempts to compete - AI Overviews - are somewhat ironically accelerating the erosion of trust, with glitchy summaries and hallucinations doing little to reassure users. It’s actually possible this feature is causing Google more harm than good.
Either way, marketing is seeing the impact; lower levels of organic website reach, changing keyword patterns, and a real need to diversify how content is presented.
Of course, we should beware of hyperbole, and note that Google still has the largest slice of the pie - but, for years, I have nearly always advised clients just to focus on Google due to its dominant market share. Now, that’s not necessarily the case. However, this brings opportunities - we just need to be smart about picking which platforms to focus on.
Meta’s courtroom chaos
In its ongoing antitrust trial, Meta’s legal team came out swinging - not just at the FTC, but at journalists in general. The company’s lawyers called noted tech journalist Om Malik a “failed blogger” and accused the even more celebrated Kara Swisher of bias in what felt less like legal strategy and more like a comments section beef.
It’s all very weird. Meta’s trying to argue that its acquisitions (like Instagram and WhatsApp) didn’t hurt competition - but in doing so, it's attacking critics instead of defending its business practices. It comes across as desperate.
Elsewhere, a privacy group in the EU is threatening legal action over Meta’s plan to train AI on user posts without consent. Eye-catchingly, “Meta could be on the hook for more than €200 billion ($224B), assuming €500 in non-material damages per each EU monthly active user.”
Further reading
Google will pay a record fine for secretly collecting biometrics, location data, and incognito searches without user consent.
Meta is giving advertisers new predictive tools to theoretically boost performance - though so far, I am thoroughly unconvinced. Perhaps one to revisit in a few weeks.
Before I took a few weeks out, China and the USA were in the midst of a trade war. Remember that? Anyway, now we’re talking about trade deals, and this might unlock a new path forward for TikTok in the USA. However it seems we’re still some way off anything concrete (just watch an announcement roll out this afternoon now I’ve said that).
That’s it! If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week 🫶