Google isn't paid for keywords, that's not how search works. They sell ad space, Google does not rank up search content for payment.

And also the obvious point is, you don't need to trust Google because they merely point you to content, they don't produce the content. They're an index for real existing content on the web which you can judge for yourself. A search index unlike an AI model, does not output uniform or even synthetic content.

???

Looks like my comment wasn't as clear as I thought. I do not trust Google at all, and don't use it. That's why I pay for Kagi.

And Kagi has an option to disable the AI crap, so it's just like "a good search engine" instead, which is all I need.

A high quality search engine without ads, and without hallucinated bullshit.