Is Google Dead?

Has anyone else noticed that Google doesn't index source code from GitHub anymore? I could have sworn that you used to be able to search for source code that is on GitHub (e.g. error message strings), but today the index doesn't seem to include the source code at all. The pages with the source code are in the index but you can only find them by file name. Big loss for Google if so.

I also mourn the Google cache. I bet site owners were lobbying to get rid of it, but it's really lame that Google caved after all these years...

Google isn't dead because it still has a massive user base, generating more money than ever. Many people think Google is the internet, and Android and Chrome users have Google as their default search engine. Google even pays Apple billions to be the default on their devices. So from a business perspective, Google is thriving and will continue to do so for years.

However, the quality of Google's search results has declined, which is widely acknowledged by tech-savvy users and even the general public. As an SEO expert, I've observed that while Google has always battled spam, they've recently shifted their focus away from website content and towards other factors like brand recognition and user engagement metrics. This change likely stems from their anticipation of AI-generated content.

Consequently, a poorly written article on a well-known site like Forbes can outrank a well-researched piece on a lesser-known blog. Google has also started using AI for ranking, despite previously stating they wouldn't.

As a result, alternative search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo have become viable options. However, Bing hasn't significantly improved; Google has simply gotten worse. People are likely to leave Google as soon as a clearly superior alternative emerges.

An ideal Google alternative would be like ChatGPT but with less abstraction and more factual accuracy. While ChatGPT provides direct answers, it's a 50/50 chance whether the information is true or made up. A real competitor would offer ChatGPT-like functionality with a stronger emphasis on facts and sources, providing up-to-date knowledge on any topic.

I don't get it. People around me have been saying Google is shit for years now but I can't see it.

I still reach for google for any minor query, and it's super responsive and it's super helpful.

Yes of course I am aware that for certain queries you get a lot of results that have manipulated their way to the top. I just think I have a very good natural bullshit-filter.

Reddit’s search is notoriously bad, so at least for now, there is still some value in searching Reddit via Google.

It lends some credence to the idea that no matter how bad a service decays, it doesn’t matter if there is no better alternative. It can get worse and worse forever if competition doesn’t exist.

It's the top search engine by a large margin and generates tens of billions of revenue.

You can't declare something dead just because you notice a decline in it.

A Google query returns in <<500ms (for me anyways). Try that with your shiny LLM's.

They completely lost the plot. Google search went from great to terrible to Ryanair check-in experience within a few years. Now they just killed traffic to a lot of independent websites in favour of a hundred or so generic superwebsites‘ slop.

The internet is turning into just a dozen websites at an alarming speed.

If you are browsing with an ad-blocker you are not their target audience. Then Google may seem dead to you, but more accurately you are dead to Google.

I give them 2-5 years. One thing is crappy search, but another is bad company culture.

On the other hand, their AlphaFold effirts seem to have no real competition, so it would be funny if the whole company pivoted into biotech one day :D

Still using Google Workspace in our company to collaborate and send/receive emails, still using Google Maps for recommendations and routes, still using a Google phone. I guess the answer is no.

I dont like the Reddit Search Engine, I use Google as a substitute.

Reddit has the worst search functionality. Drives me mad. I use google to search for reddit content. If reddit search improves google will lose it's value even more.

There are still no better alternatives, but the market is very ripe for some kind of new search paradigm. When it comes Google will lose it's share overnight.

I think good content is now in video, tiktoks, shorts & reels. Google is unable to show this in the rankings.

https://google.com -site:reddit.com

-site:amazon.com

-site:ebay.com

-site:etsy.com

-site:facebook.com

-site:*google.com

Google's search of Reddit is better than Reddit's search of Reddit. Google AI search can also give you the information you're looking for directly without having to manually filter through a bunch of on page junk (ads, distracting UI, irrelevant content)

The reports of the death of google are greatly exaggerated.

Definitely at the end of maturity, IMO

> Ask HN: Is Google Dead?

> Betteridge's law of headlines: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

Google will remain dominant because of the ease of returning to something familiar.

It is the same reason that MS is pushing OpenAI - once they become the familiar brand, people will stay there even if Anthropic blows them out of the water in terms of quality.

All the more so here where Bing results (aka DDG etc) are comparable or worse for a large number of queries.

no ofc