What Is Going On With Google Search?

I’m having a problem with Google Search? If you’re experiencing something similar, please leave a comment.

In fact, if you have already switched search engines, tell me which you are now using.

This started when Search queries began generating responses from the Google AI.

At first I ignored those AI generated results and scrolled down to find results from credible websites.

Those SERPs with credible websites grew smaller and smaller.

On Wednesday of this week, I wanted to write a birthday letter to one of our grandsons. I wanted it to be inspirational because this was a milestone birthday for him.

I thought to include a couple of quotes tailored to a young man—quotes from men who were admired for their leadership and accomplishments. So I typed in a search string, beginning simply with “inspirational quotes for young man.”

The number of SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) was shockingly small. The first third of the page were AI generic results—kind of what you’d see in a birthday greeting card.

To my search string, I added “wise quotations by famous men” and received some that sounded like an actual quotation by someone learned but none of the quotes had attribution. I’m not going to use something without attributing it to its source.

I scrolled down to the page and realized many of the quotation websites that I would normally see like BrainyQuote were not shown. 

This is a site I often peruse, and I couldn’t believe it had shut its doors so I typed in the direct link, and there it was!

BY NOW I WAS INTRIGUED

I changed the search string to be very precise: inspirational birthday quotes for men by men.

The AI generated 3 quotes with attribution, a bunch of generic greeting card stuff, and 8 SERPs below that. Those were for 2 Pinterest boards, Quora, and websites that had something to sell: Swifdoo, FloraQueen, Alibaba, Shutterfly, and The Today Show website. Of those, only the Today Show website had attributions for the quotes they displayed. They also had popups for products featuring the show’s “cast.”

I think we have reached an era where one must carefully check the credibility and truth of articles displayed by search engines. Even if the source cited is something credible, that doesn’t mean that the article was written by a “real” write who fact-checked for accuracy. 

Most AI-written articles are created by pulling multiple articles from the internet. Some of those may be fact-checked accurate pieces where others may also be AI-generated. If false information is used then the article you end up with may be inaccurate.

 TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Unfortunately, it appears the Google AI has taken over the Search Engine so be careful in using any resource you find using those SERPs. See if you can find independent websites—hopefully with source material written by people and fact-checked—that address the topic.

Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves

Source: https://slingwords.blogspot.com/2025/01/what-is-going-on-with-google-search.html