Is Perplexity a Google Killer?
Netflix vs. Blockbuster 2.0?
Lots of tech bros and even some SEOs think the AI-POWERED™ Perplexity is going to put an end to Google’s search dominance.
First of all, I don’t even see how Perplexity can properly be referred to as a search engine to begin with, since it doesn’t have real SERPs with links to webpages.
By definition a search engine is designed to help users search the web, and Perplexity doesn’t do that.
All Perplexity does is give AI-generated answers to simple fact-based questions - similar to Google’s AIOs - with no links at all (other than sources for the AI answers).
Random observation: it’s interesting to see things come full circle. Perplexity markets itself the exact same way Ask Jeeves did back in the day.
It can’t handle navigational or buying intent queries at all.
It seemingly doesn’t even have the extremely basic ability to understand search intent to begin with, despite using the POWER OF AI™.
Here’s the Perplexity search results page when you type in “facebook login”:
You get AI slop with instructions for how to log in to Facebook.
That might be useful if the query was ‘how to log in to facebook’ (informational). But not for ‘facebook login’ (navigational).
Perplexity fails to understand search intent on a basic level.
Detecting the search intent for a query like ‘facebook login’ is so preposterously basic that it’s borderline unbelievable that a purported Google-killer would struggle with it.
Google, of course, returns the official Facebook login page as the first result:
So does Bing:
But the AI-POWERED DESTROYER OF GOOGLE™ can’t figure it out?
What about buying search intent? Surely something POWERED BY AI™ can figure that one out, right?
Let’s see what Perplexity returns for the query ‘buy allen edmonds shoes’.
More AI slop.
There are a few links to seemingly random Allen Edmonds products interspersed within the slop. But they have nothing to do with what I searched for.
I searched for ‘allen edmonds shoes’ in general, not a specific model.
There’s nothing about the query I entered that indicates that I wanted the Allen Edmonds Park Sneaker in Black Leather.
It’s blindingly obvious that if I search for ‘buy allen edmonds shoes’, I want to browse different options on the official Allen Edmonds site and/or other e-commerce sites that sell the brand.
Perplexity doesn’t understand this. Google does.
I have beef with Google for many, many, many reasons. But even I have to admit they’re capable of detecting search intent for basic queries.
Perplexity lacks the most basic capability a search engine needs to be considered functional.
I don’t know if the SEOs hyping up Perplexity are completely retarded, getting under-the-table payments, or are just trying to get more social media engagement by tapping into the POWERED BY AI™ mass formation psychosis, but they’re wrong.
Perplexity is an extremely niche product that will only be used by tech bros with Asperger’s.
It simply isn’t a useful search engine outside of its (very narrow) niche as 2024’s Ask Jeeves.
And even then it has the same downsides as any other LLM-based product: hallucinations, bad sources, voiceless text that’s horrifically boring to read, etc.
Many wannabe disruptors have tried to slay the King of Search. They’ve all failed.
Perplexity may be able to carve out a percentage point or two and stay profitable. But they won’t be Netflix to Google’s Blockbuster.
The product needs to be much, much, much better for that to happen.
As much as I want to see Google go down in flames, Perplexity just ain’t it.
I’ve been playing around with Perplexity and see potential. While I rarely use Google any longer, the times I do yield pages and pages of sponsored search results. It’s only a matter of time before someone unseats the champ.
I've been a user for a while. Perplexity has utility but not when used as a search engine. It is good for quickly getting answers to straightforward, questions. (You use "Facebook login" as an example. I would argue that shouldn't ever be searched for anyway, that's the job of a browser: just type facebook.com into the address bar, then click on login).