As Google faces its biggest challenge yet, here’s how you can turn uncertainty into your next big win.
Google is cooked … cooked like a luxurious, rich, decadent, yet tender steak on the Fourth of July.
I know that sounds dramatic, but we could be witnessing the slow demise of Google as we know it.
Testifying in Google’s antitrust trial, Apple’s head of services, Eddy Cue, confirmed that fewer iPhone users are using Google Search on Safari and are instead turning to AI.
Cooked!
Now, before you think I’m writing Google’s obituary, let me be clear. Like I’ve said before, I’m confident they’ll figure it out, even if that means changing their business model.
That said, if your business depends on Google in any way, whether it’s your business profile, reviews, SEO, or products like Ad Manager to drive traffic, you needddddddddd to pay attention to what’s happening.
In today’s article, we’ll dive into what’s going on with Google and how it impacts you. I’ll also walk you through how we got here and what the future may hold, as well as share three things you can do to prepare.
If you’re new to my work, my name is Lester, but feel free to call me Les. I’m a founder with a successful exit, currently the executive chairman of a group of ecom brands, and an award-winning performance marketer.
My team has adopted AI to develop internal tools that allow us to stay ahead in a highly competitive space. We operate more like a tech and data company than a typical ecom brand, which gives me a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping the world of online business.
If you’re finding it hard to keep up with AI and want insights and opportunities in this crowded space, check out my free newsletter, No Fluff Just Facts. I share what’s working, what to watch for, and the AI innovations that are worth your time.
But enough about me. We need to talk about why Google losing its grip on search could be detrimental to small businesses.
Understanding the landscape
Before we jump into it, we need to understand why Eddy Cue spilled the beans on what’s happening with Google’s core business of search.
The Department of Justice and several states are suing Google’s parent company, Alphabet, arguing that its exclusive deals with companies like Apple are anticompetitive and potentially monopolistic.
Basically, Google is paying billions to be the default search engine on Apple devices, effectively shutting out any real competition. The ruling in this case could break up their reported $20 billion-a-year agreement.
On the stand, Apple’s Eddy Cue revealed that, for the first time in over two decades, Google’s search traffic on Apple devices actually dropped last month as users started turning to AI instead. Cue also mentioned Apple is considering revamping Safari’s search feature to incorporate more AI features … Yikes.
promise I’m not trying to be that guy, but the DOJ is about 10 years late. The reality is that AI is already changing the way people search for information organically. Search habits are evolving on their own, whether or not there is a courtroom battle.
Google’s position as the default search engine is starting to feel like a moot point when users are pivoting to tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. It’s kind of like going after Blockbuster today for being a video rental monopoly.
The world has already moved on.
What does this shift mean for you?
Long story short, the way people discover, research, and choose businesses is changing one AI update at a time, but it’s essential to note that people are still searching, just not in the same places they used to. That nuance is critical to understanding your next move.
As more users turn to AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for answers, traditional search engines are no longer the only gateway to your business. This shift in behaviour over time will result in less traffic to your product or service. If you are buying traffic from Google in the form of search or shopping ads, you can expect those ad rates to increase.
However, if you are selling traffic to Google in the form of Google AdSense, you can expect your ad revenue to decrease unless Google and others quickly overhaul how search integrates AI.
So, not only will these changes compress your margins when it comes to paid traffic, but they’ll also affect your revenue as your business gets less visibility overall.
But it’s not just traffic and margins on the line. Data is disappearing, too.
What’s also not discussed enough is that if users are going directly to AI to answer their questions, online business owners will lose insight into which keywords customers are using to find them. Even worse, we lose the ability to do competitor analysis since we can no longer see what’s working for them.
Yeah, this situation is less than ideal for us.
Feature Image Credit: Svetlana Repnitskaya/Getty Images
