Chapter 1
The era of the blue links
Chapter 2
The rise of the answer engine
Chapter 3
The brain under the hood
Chapter 4
The battle for the web's economy
YOUR GOAL
Master of The death of search
Ch 4 · The battle for the web's economy
steve The Future of Web Search
Goodbye to the search box and those dusty blue links / I want a quick answer that cites the way it thinks
steve Media companies are blocking AI bots and demanding licensing fees to protect their copyrighted work.
steve Conversational search disrupts the traditional ad-click business model that has funded the internet for decades.
BETA
steve Swipe away cluttered blue links to discover how AI search engines deliver direct answers.
Fun Fact
Zero-click stats: In 2024, research showed that nearly 60% of Google searches ended without the user clicking on any external link.
Glossary
revenue sharing (noun)
The distribution of a portion of generated profits or revenues to partners, employees, or stakeholders. In 2024, Perplexity launched its Publishers' Program, sharing advertising revenue with media companies cited in search results.
The distribution of a portion of generated profits or revenues to partners, employees, or stakeholders. In 2024, Perplexity launched its Publishers' Program, sharing advertising revenue with media companies cited in search results.
Quiz
What is the main source of revenue that Google stands to lose if search boxes disappear?
Quiz
How do some major publishers now get compensated by AI companies for using their articles?
Quiz
What is the name of the file websites use to block AI crawlers from scraping their content?
Quiz
Which major news organization sued Microsoft and OpenAI in late 2023 over copyright infringement?