Google search has long been considered the gold standard for finding information online. But new research suggests that may no longer be the case. Studies show that Google’s famous search algorithm is struggling to deal with an influx of spam, low-quality content, and affiliate links.
Spam and Low-Quality Sites are Flooding Search Results
A study from Northwestern University analyzes 1.5 million Google search results pages over the past two years. The results show a significant decline in quality:
- Spam sites with thin or low-quality content now make up 21.3% of the first page search results, up from 16.4% two years ago.
- 41% of first page results contain some kind of SEO spam or affiliate marketing links.
- Overall satisfaction with the quality of Google results has dropped from 79% to just 51% in two years.
Researchers attribute the declining quality to the growth of AI systems that can easily generate web pages stuffed with keywords and affiliate links. While Google’s search algorithms get smarter every year, spammers and low-quality content creators are finding ways to game the system.
“Google search has gotten measurably worse in just two years. Spammy sites with little real content are elbowing out legitimate and useful information,” says lead researcher Martin Rötteler. “It seems the spammers have marched ahead with AI, and Google hasn’t kept pace.”
Google Denies There are Widespread Issues
In response to the study, Google denies that search quality is declining across the board:
“We do not see a widespread decline in Google Search quality and trust…Some types of queries and results still have room for improvement. But on the whole, our quality raters believe Search continues to be very good at surfacing helpful, authoritative information.”
However, many industry experts disagree with Google’s assessment:
“Google search has clearly gotten worse lately. I notice spam sites nearly every time I do a search these days,” says search engine optimization expert Jennifer Star. “Google needs to take this issue more seriously if they want to remain relevant.”
And tech analyst Joe Kowall points out that “Google search quality is measurably declining while competitors like DuckDuckGo and Bing remain steady or improve.”
Spammers Use Cutting-Edge AI to Game Search Algorithms
So how exactly are spammers gaming Google search to land their sites higher in the rankings? It all comes down to advanced AI systems that can churn out convincing-looking web pages stuffed with SEO keywords.
As analyst Mordy Oberstein explains, sites are using AI tools like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s GPT-3 to automatically generate pages packed with relevant keywords around trending topics. This fools Google’s crawlers into thinking the pages offer useful information, boosting their rank.
The pages lure in users with catchy headlines and introductions, only to provide thin or duplicated content riddled with ads and affiliate links. Some don’t even make sense when read by a human! But Google’s algorithms still score them highly if they contain the right keywords.
“It’s an AI arms race, and right now the spammers seem to have the upper hand,” Oberstein says.
Alternate Search Engines Gaining Traction
With Google seemingly unable to control the spam surge, more users are trying out alternative search engines. Competitors like DuckDuckGo and Bing don’t rely as heavily on AI algorithms that spammers can exploit.
DuckDuckGo has seen queries on its private search engine jump 52% in the past two years. It now handles over 100 million searches per day, compared to Google’s 5.6 billion. But it’s quickly earning a reputation for higher-quality results:
| Search Engine | % Sites Rated “High Quality” | % Sites with Spam/Ads |
|---|---|---|
| 51% | 41% | |
| DuckDuckGo | 63% | 31% |
| Bing | 56% | 37% |
DuckDuckGo edges out Google and Bing for quality scores
“People are getting fed up with the amount of spam Google serves nowadays,” says DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg. “There is clearly demand for a search engine that puts privacy and quality results first.”
Upstart search newcomers like You.com and Neeva are also pitching themselves as Google alternatives focused on quality. You.com launched in 2019 and filters out spam using community ratings. Neeva, created by ex-Google execs, launched last year as an ad-free subscription search engine. While uptake is still relatively low, both are seeing strong growth.
What’s Next for Google Search?
With the findings piling up that its iconic search product is declining in quality, Google is under immense pressure to improve. It’s unclear if automated algorithms alone can win the war against increasingly sophisticated spam AI.
Some experts predict Google may take inspiration from alternate search models like You.com and Neeva. For example, having human editors or community raters weed out low-quality pages.
Tech analyst Ben Thompson argues Google may even introduce a paid “pro” search version with better vetting:
“If Google wants to maintain quality and trust, it will likely have to go back to more human involvement and curation in search. Perhaps a premium paid version for consumers and businesses who need consistently high results.”
Mordy Oberstein agrees Google will need a multi-pronged approach:
“It’s unlikely any single solution will be able to reverse this trend. Google will likely need a combination of better AI, more human raters, community feedback and ultimately a paid version to guarantee quality.”
The decline in Google search quality threatens the company’s dominance as users defect to alternatives. Their entire online ad empire depends on search remaining relevant. Expect sweeping changes in the next year as Google scrambles to fix its search spam woes.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
