Google Zero: The web's old deal is dead, what's next for publishers?
·2 min read·Beginner
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There once was a sacred web pact: Google indexed, and you got traffic. That deal is now dead, leaving publishers facing a black hole.
In 30 seconds
01Google no longer sends traffic to websites, keeping users on its own pages with direct answers.
02Publishers are losing visitors, leading to a drastic reduction in advertising revenue.
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What this means for you
For the average person, this means answers to your questions will increasingly come directly from Google, not external websites. You might notice less variety in information sources and a greater reliance on what Google chooses to show you.
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·2 min·2·Beginner
03The web risks becoming a closed ecosystem, with Google controlling much of the information.
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What happened to the old deal?
For years, the web operated on an implicit handshake: you, the publisher, created content, and Google indexed it, sending you tons of traffic in return. Sure, Google made more money, but the wheels kept turning. It was a balance, precarious perhaps, but it worked for everyone.
This agreement, even if lopsided, allowed countless websites to exist and thrive. Google, with its search engine, was both your best friend and your worst enemy at the same time. It brought readers but made you dance to its algorithm's tune. A complicated relationship, to say the least.
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What is Google Zero and why should we care?
Today, that pact is dead. Google has started keeping users on its own properties, providing direct answers in search or via its AI, without sending you to the original site. This phenomenon is called "Google Zero" because traffic to external sites is, well, zero.
Imagine asking Google "who won the Oscar in 2023?" and it tells you directly, without you needing to click on a Wikipedia article or a news outlet. Google actually began displaying answers directly in its SERPs, the search results pages, as early as 2018 with "featured snippets."
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With the advent of generative artificial intelligence, the situation has worsened. New AI-powered search results, like Google's "AI Overviews," offer complex summaries that make clicking an external link even less necessary. What's the point of an article if the answer is already there, ready-made? Publishers are thus left with fewer clicks, fewer readers, and, obviously, less advertising revenue.
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What happens to the web when Google turns off the tap?
This move by Google has a huge impact on content creators. Without traffic, websites struggle to monetize their work. This means less money for journalists, fewer investments in investigations, and less diversity of voices on the web. It's a problem that goes beyond mere profit.
What will happen to smaller sites or those without a strong brand? Will they survive in an ecosystem where the Mountain View giant takes all the spoils? The risk is that the web becomes a less free and more homogeneous place, where only those with deep pockets can afford to exist. Not exactly the open web we were promised, is it?
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