Remember the debate on Google’s featured snippets? Some said blog traffic dropped significantly for them when Google featured their articles.
Featured snippets are special boxes where the format of a regular search result is reversed, showing the descriptive snippet first.
Here is an example of featured snippets:
If the searcher is happy with the provided description, he/she won’t click on the website link. It’s okay on the perspective of searchers, but it’s very bad on the perspective of websites. Because a lot of people make a lot of efforts, spend a lot of time and money to create and publish those articles.
Yet, it’s nothing compared to the effects ChatGPT is going to make.
ChatGPT will destroy many blogs
A search engine results page shows information with a list of websites links where visitors can go to learn what they intended to. Thus, websites get visitors and sell their services or show advertisements. A lot of businesses are being run this way.
On the contrary, when users ask ChatGPT about something, it just provides the answer without providing any website links. Even if it would have provided links, the detailed answer will make them unnecessary to click. This will damage many businesses as they won’t get enough traffic for their websites.
It’s not ethical
Where did ChatGPT get those information in the first place? From those blogs. Is OpenAI paying them for that? No. I think it isn’t ethical. They are getting information for free but doing business out of it. Search bots are also getting information for free, but in return they supply visitors.
The future
I don’t think ChatGPT or any other chatbot will be able to replace search engines. Three things can happen:
- It’ll coexist with search engines,
- It’ll merge with search engines, or
- It’ll be a search engine.
If ChatGPT replaces search engines, it’ll destroy the ecosystem or food chain.
Why? If people get their answers right away, they won’t visit blogs, websites. So, ultimately websites will stop publishing articles due to the lack of visitors. Then, where will ChatGPT get information from?
So, no, ChatGPT can’t replace search engines. Even though it’ll impact website traffic and many jobs.
