The goals of Google have changed. Or rather, they haven't.
At one time, the premise was that good results would bring people back. Getting the exact right answer every time was the go-to means to get customers to return, and see more Ads. More ads meant more income, which meant a successful company.
But now, Google has the dominant market power. Customers are going to Google by default, never considering an alternative. Everyone who wants to have their results above the fold have to pay to play- because everything above the fold is a paid ad. And below the fold, sure, we can have something the algorithm dug up for you too. But that isn't the point anymore.
Google is a business. They don't optimize for accuracy, they optimize for money. It used to be that accuracy made money, so they did that. But that was never the end goal, and it's become far less important.
At one time, the premise was that good results would bring people back. Getting the exact right answer every time was the go-to means to get customers to return, and see more Ads. More ads meant more income, which meant a successful company.
But now, Google has the dominant market power. Customers are going to Google by default, never considering an alternative. Everyone who wants to have their results above the fold have to pay to play- because everything above the fold is a paid ad. And below the fold, sure, we can have something the algorithm dug up for you too. But that isn't the point anymore.
Google is a business. They don't optimize for accuracy, they optimize for money. It used to be that accuracy made money, so they did that. But that was never the end goal, and it's become far less important.