# How Google Perfected the Web
URL:: https://www.theverge.com/c/23998379/google-search-seo-algorithm-webpage-optimization
Author:: Mia Sato
## Highlights
> The changes start small, but they can quickly transform a website — until it’s optimized for Google first and readers last. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6txc7n9qc0c26vvf88t2w))
> The relentless optimizing of pages, words, paragraphs, photos, and hundreds of other variables has led to a wasteland of capital-C Content that is competing for increasingly dwindling Google Search real estate as generative AI rears its head. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6x5b2cnctq2a2yp3kt3kq))
> Much of the information we find on the web — and much of what’s produced for the web in the first place — is designed to get Google’s attention. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6xf3znk1p5jrx3b8ps975))
> Bit by bit, the internet has been remade in Google’s image. And it’s humans — not machines — who have to deal with the consequences. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6xvcqwsxwznehvdt9st1q))
> Optimizing pages for Google isn’t inherently a bad thing. Google uses its influence over the web to push for objectively good results, [like fast-loading sites](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ranking-factors/page-speed/) and accessibility features like alt text on images, which can help audiences understand what’s on a page if an image doesn’t load or if readers use assistive technology like screen readers. Google’s [Core Web Vitals](https://web.dev/articles/vitals#core-web-vitals) metric pushes down sites with certain kinds of intrusive ads or which have slow-loading ads that cause content on the page to shift around.
> “[Google’s changes] did sort of homogenize the design of the internet.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6z3s7v993b71bp495j1z2))
> But subheadings are also a piece of information Google uses to understand what a page is about and to rank it in Search. Historically, subheadings [have been an easy, fast way](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ranking-factors/html-heading-tags-h2-h6/) to juice content for maximum visibility. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma729r44tj46tgbre8cxt1j))
> 3. Keyword research and what content is made ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma7351gtrmtz4qha87zaz0z))
> The result feels like an AI summary of my story — at any moment, a paragraph could start with “In conclusion…” or “The next thing to consider is…” The nuance, voice, and unexpected twists and turns have been snuffed out. I’m sure some people would prefer this uncomplicated, beat-by-beat version of the story, but it’s gone from being a story written by a real person to a clinical, stiff series of sentences.
> Now imagine thousands of website operators all using this same plug-in to rewrite content. No wonder people feel like the answers are increasingly robotic and say nothing. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma74zeefr9gd7s54j0rhdpw))
> In December 2022, Google updated the metrics it uses to assess the quality of the content it serves up to searchers. Previously, the company looked for expertise, authority, and trust in webpages — [now, the company said it would tack on *experience*](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/google-raters-guidelines-e-e-a-t) to the rating system. In SEO parlance, it’s called E-E-A-T. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma762k6mf11bsbz091v50x9))
> When users opt in to Search Generative Experience (SGE), Google puts AI content front and center, spitting out AI answers and placing them above organic search results. Google has experimented with how to cite sources its AI tool is pulling from, but SGE takes up valuable real estate on the results page, pushing down standard links and potentially killing publishers’ traffic. Why keep scrolling if you can find an answer to your cooking question right at the top of the page? ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma77eawm7v13yxhxrsvn024))
---
Title: How Google Perfected the Web
Author: Mia Sato
Tags: readwise, articles
date: 2024-01-30
---
# How Google Perfected the Web
URL:: https://www.theverge.com/c/23998379/google-search-seo-algorithm-webpage-optimization
Author:: Mia Sato
## AI-Generated Summary
Google's dominance in the search market has led to the reshaping of the internet, with websites designed to be optimized for Google first and readers last. The practice of search engine optimization (SEO) is now ubiquitous, with businesses trying to understand and outsmart Google's algorithm. Google's influence over the web has led to a homogenization of website design and a focus on producing content that meets Google's preferences rather than building an audience. Despite Google's emphasis on creating helpful content for human audiences, the SEO industry continues to thrive, with publishers producing content based on Google keywords and AI-generated synthetic content flooding the web.
## Highlights
> The changes start small, but they can quickly transform a website — until it’s optimized for Google first and readers last. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6txc7n9qc0c26vvf88t2w))
> The relentless optimizing of pages, words, paragraphs, photos, and hundreds of other variables has led to a wasteland of capital-C Content that is competing for increasingly dwindling Google Search real estate as generative AI rears its head. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6x5b2cnctq2a2yp3kt3kq))
> Much of the information we find on the web — and much of what’s produced for the web in the first place — is designed to get Google’s attention. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6xf3znk1p5jrx3b8ps975))
> Bit by bit, the internet has been remade in Google’s image. And it’s humans — not machines — who have to deal with the consequences. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6xvcqwsxwznehvdt9st1q))
> Optimizing pages for Google isn’t inherently a bad thing. Google uses its influence over the web to push for objectively good results, [like fast-loading sites](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ranking-factors/page-speed/) and accessibility features like alt text on images, which can help audiences understand what’s on a page if an image doesn’t load or if readers use assistive technology like screen readers. Google’s [Core Web Vitals](https://web.dev/articles/vitals#core-web-vitals) metric pushes down sites with certain kinds of intrusive ads or which have slow-loading ads that cause content on the page to shift around.
> “[Google’s changes] did sort of homogenize the design of the internet.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma6z3s7v993b71bp495j1z2))
> But subheadings are also a piece of information Google uses to understand what a page is about and to rank it in Search. Historically, subheadings [have been an easy, fast way](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ranking-factors/html-heading-tags-h2-h6/) to juice content for maximum visibility. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma729r44tj46tgbre8cxt1j))
> 3. Keyword research and what content is made ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma7351gtrmtz4qha87zaz0z))
> The result feels like an AI summary of my story — at any moment, a paragraph could start with “In conclusion…” or “The next thing to consider is…” The nuance, voice, and unexpected twists and turns have been snuffed out. I’m sure some people would prefer this uncomplicated, beat-by-beat version of the story, but it’s gone from being a story written by a real person to a clinical, stiff series of sentences.
> Now imagine thousands of website operators all using this same plug-in to rewrite content. No wonder people feel like the answers are increasingly robotic and say nothing. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma74zeefr9gd7s54j0rhdpw))
> In December 2022, Google updated the metrics it uses to assess the quality of the content it serves up to searchers. Previously, the company looked for expertise, authority, and trust in webpages — [now, the company said it would tack on *experience*](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/google-raters-guidelines-e-e-a-t) to the rating system. In SEO parlance, it’s called E-E-A-T. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma762k6mf11bsbz091v50x9))
> When users opt in to Search Generative Experience (SGE), Google puts AI content front and center, spitting out AI answers and placing them above organic search results. Google has experimented with how to cite sources its AI tool is pulling from, but SGE takes up valuable real estate on the results page, pushing down standard links and potentially killing publishers’ traffic. Why keep scrolling if you can find an answer to your cooking question right at the top of the page? ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hma77eawm7v13yxhxrsvn024))