I read a fascinating article in the Irish Times this morning about Google doing away with search results and links to sites in the United States.
And replacing them with results from Google’s own AI tool, Gemini AI.
The impact on the website traffic to sites dependent on advertising and ranking well in search has been devastating in the United States. And as sure as day follows night this Gemini model of giving a searcher the information, they are looking for will roll out in Europe, too.
The link system is being eradicated and Google’s decision in relation to search results, combined with the decisions of social media companies such as X, Facebook and others to downgrade links from their websites has seen devastating consequences for sites and businesses who seek to attract traffic by dropping links on other sites.
You can read Hugh Linehan’s article here. Yes, this article is behind a paywall. But maybe you should consider the value of supporting newspapers who, for a small fee, bring you good information and news.
Because soon your only source may be whatever some AI tool serves up to you.