Google’s CEO Was Asked If Companies Should Plan for ‘Zero’ Search Traffic — His Answer Was Alarming
The Google CEO sat down with The Verge and got pressed on whether websties should plan for the death of search traffic.
Google’s search traffic has been the lifeblood of online business for 25 years. Now it may be hitting a dead end.
In a recent interview with The Verge, Google CEO Sundar Pichai was asked whether businesses should plan as if Google search traffic will hit “Google Zero.” Pichai didn’t disagree. “I’m not in a position to tell such an iconic publisher what they should think about their business,” he said. Publishers like Condé Nast aren’t waiting around to find out. CEO Roger Lynch recently told his teams: “Assume there is no search. You have to have your businesses planned as if search is zero,” according to TBTN.
The implications go far beyond publishing. AI-generated answers in Google Search now resolve queries directly on the results page, meaning fewer clicks for ecommerce stores, service providers, and anyone relying on organic traffic. Pichai said Google is “very committed” to connecting users with the web and pointed to ongoing iterations. But for entrepreneurs who built businesses on Google’s free firehose, the message is clear: don’t count on it flowing.
Google’s search traffic has been the lifeblood of online business for 25 years. Now it may be hitting a dead end.
In a recent interview with The Verge, Google CEO Sundar Pichai was asked whether businesses should plan as if Google search traffic will hit “Google Zero.” Pichai didn’t disagree. “I’m not in a position to tell such an iconic publisher what they should think about their business,” he said. Publishers like Condé Nast aren’t waiting around to find out. CEO Roger Lynch recently told his teams: “Assume there is no search. You have to have your businesses planned as if search is zero,” according to TBTN.
The implications go far beyond publishing. AI-generated answers in Google Search now resolve queries directly on the results page, meaning fewer clicks for ecommerce stores, service providers, and anyone relying on organic traffic. Pichai said Google is “very committed” to connecting users with the web and pointed to ongoing iterations. But for entrepreneurs who built businesses on Google’s free firehose, the message is clear: don’t count on it flowing.
