Google is increasingly resembling Netflix in recent years, focusing on providing ready-made answers and meeting user expectations directly.

Google is changing. Netflix, not Blockbuster

For many years, Google has served as an internet search gateway based on the traditional model of information retrieval through keywords. However, in recent years, particularly due to the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the company is starting to resemble Netflix more and more, focusing on providing ready-made answers and meeting user expectations directly. This has a profound impact not only on the structure of internet search but also on the entire media sector.

What is changing in the search engine

After the introduction of AI Overviews, users often no longer see a reason to click on website links, preferring to get answers to their questions directly on the search page. This means that generated content based on third-party sources often appears at the top of Google's search results, but without directing the user to those sources.

From SEO to GEO. The new shock to the media business

This is a blow to the multi-billion dollar SEO (search engine optimization) sector, which has helped media companies capture search traffic for advertising revenue for years. As the classic search model changes, the need for GEO, the optimization of generative engines, arises, which is a new and still undefined field.

As a result, many media outlets find themselves in a difficult position: the decrease in clicks means less advertising revenue, which can accelerate already initiated layoffs and closures.

The risk of losing local media

Media outlets have long transitioned to digital payment models, which users have mixed feelings about. Now, as AI summaries reduce traffic to websites, small local media outlets, which do not have large platforms or teams of SEO specialists, are particularly affected. Their revenues depend on directed traffic, which is now increasingly diminishing.

The issue of trust and information

Of course, AI can provide quick and comprehensive summaries, but at the same time, the issue of trust arises: does AI make mistakes, distort information, or focus attention on superficial answers while missing in-depth analyses? An analysis published in the Columbia Journalism Review highlights that this trend could have a long-term negative impact on the level of public informedness.

Who is most affected

Besides the media sector, these changes can greatly affect the thousands of small businesses that have learned over the years how to present themselves through Google—store websites, local services, specialized bloggers. If people no longer click on those links, the number of visits to those websites could plummet.

What businesses should do

Businesses cannot change at the speed of light. However, they need to think about new platforms, marketing strategies, and opportunities for direct engagement with users. Perhaps the focus should be on email marketing, building online communities, or developing specialized applications.

Artificial intelligence still cannot fully replace journalism. But it can change the ways information is consumed, forcing media and businesses to rethink their models.

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This change is not just a technological advancement. It is also a social, economic, and institutional shock. The transformation of Google’s search suggests that media, businesses, and users need to adapt more quickly, trying to maintain a balance between the supply, consumption, and profitability of information. As with previous technological revolutions, those who adapt faster are likely to emerge stronger from this crisis.

Source: Forbes

*The article was also prepared using data from AI․