Google Admits Open Web is Declining Despite Claims of a Thriving Search Ecosystem

Google is asserting that web traffic is not suffering because of AI tools and that its search engine directs visitors to an unprecedented array of websites.

But last week, Google contradicted this stance in a court filing. The tech giant acknowledged that "the open web is already in rapid decline."

Google's Contradictory Statement on Open Web Decline

Google Admits Open Web is Declining Despite Claims of a

In a pre-trial filing, Google reacted to the US Department of Justice's suggestion to sell off its advertising division. Google maintained that it would only hasten the downfall of the open web, an environment that a majority of publishers depend on for display advertising revenue. Search Engine Roundtable first reported about this.

The filing says that, unlike the company's past assertions, it recognizes the accelerating decline of the open web, especially in display advertising. Google's rivals are making major investments in newer formats such as Connected TV and retail media that are picking up steam at the cost of open-web ads.

"The fact is that today, the open web is already in rapid decline and Plaintiffs' divestiture proposal would only accelerate that decline, harming publishers who currently rely on open-web display advertising revenue."

This report directly contradicts Google's public stance on the health of Search and its role in the ecosystem.

For years, the company has claimed that the internet is thriving and that its search engine drives traffic to a wider range of websites. However, this new declaration is concerning in the context of the skyrocketing AI use and Google's algorithm changes affecting online publishers.

Even though the company's court document indicates that open-web advertising is on the decline, Google spokesperson Jackie Berté quickly dispelled this notion. Berté maintained that the wording referring to the open web diminishing was only applicable to open-web display ads and not to the web in general.

She noted that other forms of non-open-web displays, such as Connected TV and retail media, are expanding significantly and doing so at the cost of classic open-web display advertisements.

But even after Berté's explanation, numerous independent publishers and online content creators have complained of a drastic reduction in web traffic. This is mainly because of Google's algorithm changes as well as the increasing prominence of AI chatbots, which now frequently give users direct answers without having to click on traditional search results or go to external sites.

Google Leadership Supports the Search Ecosystem

To push back against these worries, Google executives have continuously claimed that their search engine continues to drive plenty of traffic to websites, The Verge reported. CEO Sundar Pichai defended Google's initiative and said that the firm continues to route users to an increased number of publishers.

In a May appearance on Decoder, Pichai claimed that Google continues to send traffic to a diverse mix of sources despite the increasing popularity of AI tools in search.

Just last week, Google won the antitrust trial. The company can keep both its Chrome and Android OS. However, the jury requested that Google share the data with its competitors.