Can you still trust Google’s search results?

If you’ve tried to use Google to research a product recently, you’ve probably encountered a whole lot of extremely similar ‘Best Of’ lists, right at the top of the rankings. They’re published by familiar brands, even trusted names like Forbes, Popular Science or Rolling Stone. But these big names are unlikely to have suddenly started thoroughly product testing things like air purifiers or humidifiers.

What’s happening here is a tangled story of a collapsing media industry, affiliate marketing gone mad and an algorithm that’s incapable, or unwilling, to stop it. 

Gisele Navarro is the managing editor of HouseFresh, an air quality advice website. “Right now, publishers are struggling and they’re trying to find other sources of revenue — and this became one of them,” said Navarro.

So, what’s happening to Google results in the age of sold-off legacy brands, artificial intelligence and sponsored content? Nothing good.

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