Is Google Search Deteriorating? Measuring Google's Search Quality in 2022

Recent discussions on Hacker News and personal experiences suggest a perceived decline in the quality of Google Search, particularly when compared to Bing. Users have noted issues such as Google's inability to accurately interpret search queries, possibly due to prioritizing short-term ad revenue and the complex evolution of the internet beyond traditional web pages. A study using human raters from Surge AI evaluated the quality of Google versus Bing by having raters assess search results based on their intent, revealing that Bing often provided more relevant results for certain queries. The findings highlight the challenges in measuring search quality, the potential impact of machine learning, and suggest that Google may not always understand user intent as well as its competitors. This evaluation method also identifies specific areas where Google Search might improve, such as providing concise, directly relevant information, similar to Bing's approach, which includes maps and comprehensive resources in response to user queries.