Coming towards the end of 2024, I’ve found myself using Google less effectively than I used to. For years, it’s been the default search engine for almost everything, but lately, things have changed. From irrelevant results to an overwhelming number of ads, it feels like Google is, well, broken. One trick I’ve been relying on is adding “reddit” at the end of my searches to get authentic, human-driven responses.
The Problem with Google
A lot of the first page results on Google are just posts by Corporate-backed Random Articles Posters (CRAPs) that are designed to look like real content but are actually just thinly veiled ads. This is a big issue.
I’ve noticed that when I search for specific information, the results are often either outdated or just plain irrelevant. It used to be so easy to find what I needed, but now I find myself scrolling through several pages and still coming up short. That's why I've started typing “reddit” after my queries. When I do that, I get directed to real conversations where people are talking about their personal experiences, offering advice or solutions that are much more useful than the SEO-optimized content Google tends to prioritize.
Adding "reddit" to my searches cuts through all the corporate fluff and gets me to actual human experiences. For instance, if I’m looking for reviews on a product, the results from Reddit tend to be more honest and unfiltered compared to the polished articles that show up in Google’s top results. Whether it's coding tips, product advice, or health questions, the discussions on Reddit just feel more authentic. People share what really worked for them, not what Google’s algorithm thinks I should see.
Contrast this with general results without "reddit", where the results are often just a bunch of ads and SEO-optimized content that doesn't really address my actual needs. It's like Google is trying to sell me something, but I'm not even sure what I'm looking for. If you are searching for 'top websites for [something]', well, you'll never find it. Instead, a bunch of cr*p affiliate links and SEO-optimized content that doesn't even address the search query. Purely profit-driven.
Search Engine Future
Google’s algorithm is missing something important — authenticity. People like me are craving real human experiences, not AI-generated snippets or ad-heavy results. If Google wants to keep up, it’ll need to focus more on what users actually need and less on what advertisers or algorithms prioritize.
I have increasingly found myself using Perplexity.ai to get answers to my questions. Still AI, but at least it seems to be capable to filter through the CRAPs and give me more relevant results. It's still not the best fix, but I feel it gets me better results than Google at least (apart from adding "reddit").
I’m not sure what the future of search looks like. I do know that Google is facing some serious issues and it’s time for them to change. I, unfortunately, do not have a solution to propose at the moment. Perhaps when we have AGI, we'll be able to search the entire internet for answers? Or get it to find meaningful results in Google? In the meantime, I’ll keep using “reddit” to get me to the real conversations and experiences that people are having.
(well until at least corporate article sh*tters find a way to game Reddit too)