Google’s constant algorithm tweaks, AI integrations, and its relentless insistence on squeezing out organic search results in favour of paid advertising have left its search engine far less useful than it used to be.
And that’s not the end of the search engine’s problems.
Google became obsessed with web authority, an in-house concept that ensures its organic search results are dominated by news organisations, government sites, Reddit, and Wikipedia. Everyone else is squeezed out because the “big brains” at Google decided that ordinary people like you and me have nothing worthwhile to say.
SEO’s fortunes are tied directly to those of Google search, and as the company is actively engaged in killing it, it really does look like SEO is dying. Here are five ways Google is killing its search engine...
So, yes, I do think SEO is dying. Let’s dig in and take a closer look at each of the reasons why I think so...
Google's AI overviews, rolled out widely in 2024, now dominate SERPs by providing instant, generative answers to queries.
This reduces click-through rates dramatically, as users get what they need without visiting sites. Search Engine Optimisation focuses on driving traffic via blue links, but this is crumbling as zero-click searches soar to new heights.
In other words, being ranked number one in Google’s organic search is worthless if most people get what they want from the AI answer at the top of the page. Given that, it’s hard to discount the idea that SEO is dying.
The March and November 2024 core updates targeted spammy, AI-generated fluff, causing massive traffic drops for sites like Forbes Advisor.
Google’s spam policies now prioritise helpfulness, making generic, keyword-stuffed articles irrelevant and pushing creators toward authentic, value-driven content. The problem Google has lies in its addiction to the content generated by corporate entities. Especially corporate entities that spend a lot of money on Google AdWords.
If you’re a small business with modest resources, you can forget ranking well in Google’s search engine for any search term worth pursuing. It's clear that SEO is dying, and you're better off focusing on other ways to promote your business website.
Google’s leaked documents emphasised Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Sites without first-hand insights or brand authority plummet in rankings, killing off superficial optimisation in favour of niche, experiential content that provides real-world value.
As usual, a lot of lofty words proclaim a dedication to quality content. In reality, the company continues to favour well-heeled corporates over those who can’t afford to spend a fortune on advertising. SEO is dying because anyone who can overcome Google’s prejudice is far too expensive for you and me.
With features like snippets and knowledge panels, Google satisfies most search queries on its results page. This trend, amplified by AI, means less organic traffic for publishers.
Google has transformed itself from a search engine that helps people find websites like yours into an answer engine that ensures the company retains the bulk of the web’s traffic because users rarely scroll past the top results.
SEO’s traffic-chasing model is being eroded and Zero-Click results ensure SEO is dying.
Google’s AI-driven personalisation tailors results to individual behaviours, locations, and intents, sidelining exact-match keywords.
The shift to conversational queries and platforms like Reddit in SERPs demands content that anticipates user needs, not just ranks for terms.
Actually, SEO isn’t dying. It’s dead. Google set out to kill it five years ago, and they have succeeded. If you’re upset about that, you might take some consolation in the fact that, in doing so, the company accidentally shot itself in the foot.
Yes, SEO is dying. But so is search, because Reddit, legacy news organisations, Wikipedia, and AI simply aren’t enough for most of us.
Meanwhile, you have other ways to get traffic to your business website. And unlike Google search, there is reason to believe your business website still has plenty of life left in it.
“Hang on a minute,” I hear you exclaim! “If search engine optimisation is dying, why on Earth have you written a blog article designed to index well for the search term ‘SEO is dying’?”
You raise a good point, mon ami. I shall explain myself...
Yes, search engine optimisation is dead. There’s no question that this is true. Google forced SEO practitioners to dig their own grave, then, while they weren’t looking, it pushed them in and filled in the hole.
Nevertheless, there are other search engines out there, and some of them are still useful. For example, contrast the difference in the results delivered by Google versus Yandex. You’ll find the latter still delivers useful search results.
Even Google allows local businesses to be found for local search terms; thus, for tightly targeted geographic searches, even Google can produce useful results.
In this blog article, I claim SEO is dead, and then wrote an article designed to index well for a search term almost nobody uses. Why on Earth would I do that?
Because this article may index in unexpected ways for search terms I can’t conceive of, and it contributes to the overall picture I want search engines to form about the purpose of my site.
This blog post will also add a fractional amount to my website’s overall authority when it comes to content relevant to web design. It’s all part and parcel of a larger web strategy that has nothing to do with whether or not SEO is dying.
And finally, it may also help small business owners avoid wasting money on search engine optimisation. In my opinion, such people are better off focusing on content.
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