Publishers consider opting out of Google as search traffic declines • Hacker News Board

Re: Publishers consider opting out of Google as search traffic declines

#21

Post by suburban_strike » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 6:20 PM UTC

asar wrote: post #6

They should opt out of Google. What they are doing here in open daylight is insane. They stole the entire internet to train their models and are now shoving AI overviews down everyones throat. Clicks to publishers were already decreasing over the last years even without AI, but 2026 is showing what the future will look like, zero clicks from Google, because they dont care. Google got what it wanted and is now racing…

I'm with you in spirit but publishers are hardly blameless. SEO optimization and framework bloat made internet browsing downright unpleasant since the late 2000s.

Google is delivering a solution to a problem they [indirectly?] created.

Re: Publishers consider opting out of Google as search traffic declines

#22

Post by watwut » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

rickydroll wrote: post #18

watwut wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is not discovery mechanism for them anymore. They amount to free labor for Google. Basically, there are two futures: a.) they do free labor for google without being discoverable through them b.) they are not discoverable on google without providing free data to google.

Good points. On item B. In the natural experiment of AI getting between the information consumer and the information provider, it appears that even providing free data to Google, they're still not discoverable. What is the alternative mechanism for discovery? Do they flood the world with even more advertising as a way of forcing discovery onto consumers?

I am not publisher, I dont know or see where the things are going. Personally, I realized I am not using google like I used to anyway, stuff I actually use comes from a recommemdation on a blog I already follow, podcast or something. Kind of unintentional old school way, because google returns less relevant results.

In both a. and b., they are not discoverable through google. So, not provinding free labor makes sense. Either they find a new channel or stop publishing ... but if they are NOT on google, people may end up lookin for stuff elsewhere. If they are on google, they are guaranteed to not find them

Re: Publishers consider opting out of Google as search traffic declines

#23

Post by rickydroll » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 9:40 PM UTC

watwut wrote: post #22

rickydroll wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good points. On item B. In the natural experiment of AI getting between the information consumer and the information provider, it appears that even providing free data to Google, they're still not discoverable. What is the alternative mechanism for discovery? Do they flood the world with even more advertising as a way of forcing discovery onto consumers?

I am not publisher, I dont know or see where the things are going. Personally, I realized I am not using google like I used to anyway, stuff I actually use comes from a recommemdation on a blog I already follow, podcast or something. Kind of unintentional old school way, because google returns less relevant results. In both a. and b., they are not discoverable through google. So, not provinding free labor makes sense…

Those are good examples of serendipitous discovery. But what if you have a targeted need? For example, how to drive a woodchuck away from your yard before it causes more damage, how do you know when DIY solutions are not working, and it's time to call a professional? What's a good environment for ever-bearing strawberries? You know, asking for a friend.

Re: Publishers consider opting out of Google as search traffic declines

#24

Post by watwut » Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 7:14 AM UTC

rickydroll wrote: post #23

watwut wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not publisher, I dont know or see where the things are going. Personally, I realized I am not using google like I used to anyway, stuff I actually use comes from a recommemdation on a blog I already follow, podcast or something. Kind of unintentional old school way, because google returns less relevant results. In both a. and b., they are not discoverable through google. So, not provinding free labor makes sense…

Those are good examples of serendipitous discovery. But what if you have a targeted need? For example, how to drive a woodchuck away from your yard before it causes more damage, how do you know when DIY solutions are not working, and it's time to call a professional? What's a good environment for ever-bearing strawberries? You know, asking for a friend.

Imo, we will kind of regress. If it was described in previous materials, llm will output it reasonably reliably. If it was not in the old data, it will tell you some bullshit. And you will have to hope serendipitous discovery will get you there anyway.

I like the era of open internet where people who knew stuff had blogs you could find and read. That era ended when google started to require a lot of SEO to just find things. It will be over and that is it.