Is content still king? What will be the future of the web after AI-supported Search Engines?
Warning: That would be a long article. I recommend you to save this article with Pocket, Instapaper or Medium Bookmark and read on a peaceful Sunday afternoon. Take your coffe and let’s think together about the future of our world.
“In today’s world..” Haha just joking 😅. This is not AI-generated content. I know you've all seen AI-generated pieces of content starting with “In today’s world” or something like it since 2023. Nowadays, it is hard to find original human-generated content. Even Elon Musk shared a tweet that recommended searching on Google by adding “before:2023”. Of course, it is a good approach, but our problem is bigger than finding content: if people mostly use search engines for an “ask and get reply” approach, what will be the future of the web, domains, and even blogs? How it will affect the other industries such as hosting, software development, and SEO.
Before starting the analysis, let’s quickly look at the history of the web and try to understand our current situation by comparing it with the early times.
1. The early times of the Web
In 1989, Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and in 1991, the first web site published. Here, you can find it. It was describing WWW, HTML, and the context of the internet.
In 1993, Mosaic, the first graphics-based browser, was announced. It played an important role in popularizing the Internet. It was developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
2. The times when we met with the librarians (Google, Yahoo, Altavista)
In 1994, Yahoo! was founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo at Stanford University. At first, it’s name was “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web”.
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995. eBay was also founded in 1995.
Amazon initially started as an e-commerce site selling only books.
These were the smart guys who understood the potential of the web. They were calm and acting as if they have done it before. They were not shocked by this big technology. They were just living in the future and welcoming the new technology warmly.
3. The times when we started to use the Web interactively
The introduction of Web 2.0 brought a significant change. Websites were no longer just static pages but became interactive platforms. Users could now contribute content, leading to the rise of social media, blogs, and user-generated content platforms. This era saw the birth of giants like Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005), and Twitter (2006).
4. The times when we preferred to use mobile devices for surfing
The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a shift from desktop to mobile. With the launch of the iPhone in 2007 and the subsequent rise of Android devices, the way we accessed the web changed dramatically. Mobile-friendly websites and apps became crucial, and the responsive design became a standard practice.
5. The times when we could use voice assistants for searching
The advent of voice assistants like Apple’s Siri (2011), Google Assistant (2016), and Amazon’s Alexa (2014) brought another paradigm shift. People started using voice commands to search the web, set reminders, and control smart devices. This change required websites to optimize for voice search and featured snippets.
6. The times of search engines using AI
Now, we are in an era where AI is transforming search engines. Google’s Gemini, Perplexity, and GPT models like ChatGPT are revolutionizing how we find information. We can start to wonder about the future of websites, blogs, and online tools earning money from their traffic. If the new search engines briefly referenced our projects, wouldn’t it affect traffic and income?
These AI systems understand context better and can generate human-like responses, making search interactions more conversational and intuitive.
Given this history, we can start to wonder about the future of websites, blogs, and online tools that earn money from their traffic. If new search engines only reference our projects, wouldn’t it affect traffic and income? I will try to find some areas to struggle with this new, AI-driven search engine result which will affect the traffic of content-based websites.
Idea 1: Is there fresh content that AI can’t produce?
The line between human and AI-generated content blurs as AI becomes more proficient in generating content. However, there is still a realm of fresh content that AI struggles with: personal experiences, emotions, and unique perspectives. Human creativity and spontaneity remain areas where AI falls short.
Idea 2: What do you prefer? Your friends’ photos or AI-generated photos?
The authenticity of human-generated content, like your friends’ photos, carries the emotional value that AI-generated content lacks. While AI can create stunning visuals, the connection we feel to real human experiences and memories is irreplaceable.
On the other hand, we spend most of our time scrolling digital content that satisfies us.
Idea 3: Everything is there for human beings
Relax guys. If robots rule the world, who will pay for a ChatGPT subscription 😄 We will have new jobs and areas to work. They can be more ai-related. To be honest, I think industries like health, food, and traveling would be more profitable. The world may become more suitable for “digital nomads”.
Idea 4: Being a supermarket franchise instead of a small general store
The future monetization of the web may see a shift towards B2B (business-to-business) models.
I think this revolution is a bit like “The Supermarket revolution”. In the past, there were small, charming “bakkal” stores on every street. After the 2000's, huge markets beat them and took their places. These supermarkets had franchising systems and many entrepreneurs found their own big bakkals.
The new supermarket franchising system can be used to symbolize the new OpenAI API-based SaaS projects. I think, in the following 5 years, we will see more AI-supported SaaS projects than WordPress-powered content websites and tools.
For example, you may stop copywriting and build SaaS tools to help your customers create mass content in a short time. On upwork, you may decrease your hourly price and let AI do your job in less time.
Idea 5: Personal Brands and Remote Working
The rise of personal branding and remote work is likely to continue. AI tools can help individuals build their brands, manage their online presence, and connect with global audiences. Remote work, facilitated by AI, will become more efficient and widespread.
We may see more professionals who found their digital agencies and work for more companies instead of working for one company.
Key Point: The New King: API
Ten years ago, it was relatively easy to earn money from the Internet by building a blog with original content. Nowadays, creating blog articles is cheap and easy, leading to massive competition. The number of ad display opportunities on Google remains the same, but the number of websites vying for attention has increased significantly. This requires a shift in our approach. We need new strategies to engage users and keep them on our websites. Remember when we were told that long articles were best for SEO because they kept visitors on our site longer?
Those were the days when content was king. However, I believe that APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are becoming the new king of the web.
APIs enable seamless integration between different services, allowing businesses to innovate and scale rapidly. AI-driven APIs can provide personalized experiences, real-time data analysis, and automation, making them indispensable in the modern web ecosystem.
In conclusion, while AI is transforming the web, humanity is at a level where they can develop their skills in more valuable areas. Personal branding, working for multiple companies with the help of AI tools, and building your own AI-supported AI tool are the new opportunities.
The future of the web will likely be a blend of AI efficiency and human ingenuity, creating a dynamic and enriched online experience. So, as we sip our coffee and ponder these changes, let’s embrace the possibilities and prepare for a fascinating digital future.
Thanks for reading. Please share your ideas in the comments. That will help all of us!
