For the past year, Google has been experimenting with a feature called Recipe Quick View – a feature allowing users to click an icon inside search results to view an entire recipe without leaving Google Search.
To say this pilot program was controversial among food content creators would be an understatement, and for good reason.
Ultimately, Google decided that this feature could not adequately support creators and has officially ended the pilot, as reported by Bloomberg on July 3.
This news is a cause for celebration – not just for content creators in the food space but for the open web more broadly. Had the program succeeded, there’s little doubt that this approach would have extended to other niches and categories.
The motivation behind Recipe Quick View was Google’s belief that it could enhance the user experience for recipes.
Reading between the lines, that meant retaining users within Google Search and preventing them from seeking food content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram or the open Internet in general.
Of course, this raised concerns among the recipe creators who own that content.
If their unique recipes were summarized and presented by Google without compensation, how would their voices be heard? How could they continue to build a following and grow a business based on the content now being effectively kept inside one of big tech’s walled gardens?
During the Recipe Quick View beta, Mediavine engaged in extensive discussions with Google and raised these issues. While Google continued testing the program, the company was made aware of creators’ questions and concerns and wrestled with them internally.
More importantly, I believe this is a strong signal from Google that creators are central to its decision-making.
The relationship between Google and creators has always been mutually beneficial–creators provide the content that Google Search needs to attract users, and in return, Google provides traffic so that thousands of unique voices (and businesses) flourish.
This relationship has formed the core of Mediavine’s business for 20 years, both as an independent web publisher ourselves, and more significantly, as a representative of nearly 17,000 creators in the present day.
We will continue to collaborate with Google to make sure that this value exchange continues into the future. In the age of generative AI, where features like AI Mode and AI Overviews threaten this balance and have caused widespread publisher concerns about loss in traffic and attribution, it’s critically important that we remain vigilant and united in our mission.
Today’s news is not the end of this fight, but it is a win, and a step in the right direction we need Google to take. So fire up the grill and visit your favorite food blogs today, and tomorrow, and all holiday weekend long, knowing independent creators will be fairly compensated for those 4th of July recipes.
And if you’re outside the U.S. and not celebrating a holiday, we recommend visiting some quality food sites anyway. Same idea!
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Eric Hochberger
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