Why Google Search feels like it’s gotten worse

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2024

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you’ve been listening to Decoder or the Vergecast for a while, you know that I am obsessed with Google Search, the web, and how both of those things might change in the age of AI. But to really understand how something might change, you have to step back and understand what it is right now. So today I’m talking with Verge platforms reporter Mia Sato about Google Search, the industries it’s created, and more importantly, how relentless search engine optimization, or SEO, has utterly changed the web in its image. Mia and I really dug into this to explain why search results are so terrible now, what Google is trying to do about it, and why this is such an important issue for the future of the internet. Links: How Google is killing independent sites like ours — HouseFresh How Google perfected the web — The Verge The people who ruined the internet — The Verge A storefront for robots — The Verge The end of the Googleverse — The Verge The unsettling scourge of obituary spam — The Verge What happens when Google Search doesn’t have the answers? — The Verge The AI takeover of Google Search starts now — The Verge AI is killing the old web, and the new web struggles to be born — The Verge Google is starting to squash more spam and AI in search results — The Verge Ethics Statement — The Verge Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this show is brought to you by Vanta. Managing the requirements for modern security programs is increasingly challenging.
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0:26.8	That's VANTA.com slash Decoder. Support for decoder comes from Clavio. Growth is good for your business until you're
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0:45.1	predictive insights so you can more accurately see what your customers want and when they want it.
0:50.8	It uses both real-time and historical data and can make sense of that data for you,
0:56.2	so you can work smarter. You can join brands like Every Man Jack,
0:59.8	who have optimized their marketing strategy and drive more revenue with Clavio AI.
1:04.3	Clavio powers smarter digital relationships.
1:07.2	Visit clavio.com slash fox to learn more.
1:11.0	That's K-L-A-I-Y-O-O-D-O-K-O-K-O-K-O-K-O-O-X.
1:17.0	Hello, welcome to Decoder. I'm NEL A Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, and
1:22.4	The Verge, and Decoder is I'm Neil Abatel, editor and chief of The Verge, and
1:23.0	Decoder is my show about big ideas and other problems. Here's a question for
1:27.4	you. What platforms most shape the internet and with it our culture? Take a
1:32.4	second. Name some names. I bet I can guess some of your answers.
1:36.5	Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tik-Tok. Some of you probably said Twitter and then caught
1:41.6	yourself. That's a whole different episode. Those are all You probably said Twitter and then caught yourself?
1:42.6	That's a whole different episode.
1:44.4	Those are all social media platforms,
	...

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