What if Google Stopped Performing Search ?

What if everything just stops ?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Google simply shut down its search services? What would we do? Would the term “Google it” disappear from our vernacular or become an “old-timey” saying? Would people cease to be able to figure out how to get places? Or what would happen when there was no way to search in the moment to find the right answer to a question in a heated argument? Would the smart phone even be that smart anymore if it could not perform searches? While these are just semi-trivial problem that would arise, there are some more serious risks to ponder.

So in the event that Google really were to stop its services, what would happen to the world, as we know it?

What are businesses to do ?

So without Google search, businesses are left with few options to be noticed. Long gone are the days when people used actual phone books to find what they were looking for, why would you when you can use search instead? So in this scenario, would businesses simply resort to Social Media? Would Facebook ads actually become relevant? While businesses prospered and managed to connect with their customers just fine pre-Google, could they learn to go back? Could you go from your smartphone back to a “stupid” phone?

E-commerce without search seems impossible, would online shopping, the bread and butter of so many businesses, cease to exist? Sites like Amazon might make it okay, but what about those small sites which rely on searches for their products for sales, they would be out of luck I believe.

So in all seriousness, just how important is Google to our economy and consumerism? Taking into account how much some Google ads can cost, it is clear how competitive and successful these tactics are, they are essential for many businesses survival. Google has changed the way we shop and interact, just think if we were to try and use e-commerce protocol on traditional store setting, well better yet, take a look at the video below.

Back to Reality

Now the reality is, there are more search engines out there, not just Google, but when is the last time you heard someone say “Yahooooo” or “Bing It”, I would bet money, it has been some time. Now most likely the world would not end and another search engine would simply be used, but that is just not as much fun as thinking people would stop functioning properly for some time.

I for one am constantly saying, “just Google it” when anyone is unsure of something, so I guess I am guilty of relying way too heavily on Google, but hey, it is just so convenient, why not embrace it??

What do you think would happen without Google Search?

Capseo wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the beginning of the Holiday Season.