Google Zero: The Web Faces a Traffic Drought
The long-standing deal between Google and websites is over, leaving sites grappling with a sharp decline in traffic and uncertain future.
On a recent episode of The Vergecast, the phenomenon known as “Google Zero” was discussed – a point at which websites no longer receive the expected traffic from Google search. For years, an implicit deal existed: Google collects data and indexes pages, sending vast traffic in return. The arrangement never favored websites, but it worked. Now, it is dead.
The discussion highlighted Reddit’s interest in exiting an AI training deal, and multiple publishers considering blocking Google’s crawlers altogether. Google’s own search business is feeling the AI pressure, and no one can predict what comes next.
Other topics: OpenAI accidentally “hacked” Hugging Face, raising security concerns; numerous platforms are deploying dubious AI content detectors; a new Apple payment plan is available; a minimalist phone was released; and Ford struck a deal with Apple Maps.
