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233

You're Not Imagining It: Google Search Results Are Getting Worse, Study Finds (gizmodo.com)

submitted 10 months ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

62 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For the past few years, a growing number of users, analysts, and experts raised alarms about a truth that feels obvious to a lot of people who surf around in web browsers: the quality of Google results is in serious decline. Google disagrees.

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[–] orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 55 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Google search is horrendous now. Instead of showing you relevant search results, it’s become an advertising race to the top game. If they can find “sponsored” links or shopping results related to your search, those go to the very top space. It’s about to get way worse as the rise of AI continues to rot the brains of board room suits.

I use Ecosia and DDG. Ecosia on my personal laptop, and DDG on my phone browser.

[–] frog@beehaw.org 35 points 10 months ago

Back in the early 00s (I think), there was a running joke about how the search engine Ask Jeeves had one purpose, and one purpose only: to amend any search to "where can I buy...?" Because no matter what you searched for, it would inevitably prioritise adverts and online shopping.

That's what Google is now.

I also use Ecosia now. It's powered by Bing on the back end, I believe, but the results are consistently better than what I get from Google. And it's like... okay, yes, this is the world we live in now, where Bing is more useful than Google.

[–] mnglw@beehaw.org 26 points 10 months ago (3 children)

DDG keeps changing my search query because its "not returning a lot of results" or because it thinks I typo'd and it is infuriating to me, sometimes it doesnt even inform me that it did, not even giving me a link to click to get to my actual search query

'also noticed that it got worse around the same time google did

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 10 months ago

Yeah, that’s because it gets the results from Bing.

[–] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, jeez. The number of times I give up and Ctrl+F on the page I've clicked to, just to find that the phrase I double-quoted just does not exist there and that my time has been wasted

[–] Juno@beehaw.org 3 points 10 months ago

Omg yes

Search: "staplers"

"What's all this saint stuff?? Hmm wtf?"

'Where you trying to search for "St. Rap Lore?" Here are your results.'

[–] orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 1 points 10 months ago

It’s very hit or miss for deeper searches. Sometimes at work I just default back to Google because I need quick results that are more relevant. Ecosia has been decent but I don’t have enough hours into it yet. I’m open to ideas, honestly.