The ASCI numbers do actually compare well with a change in consumer confidence toward Google that has been reflected in Google’s declining search market share (of course, only Compete has released numbers for July and it’s possible that Google has stopped its two month slide that began in late May).

Wall Street’s disapppointment with Google’s earnings also indicates that investors had hoped for more from the giant. As such, the indicators are too close for certainty right not but there are more and more indications that Google’s Universal Search isn’t nearly as good as they hoped.

In fact, given that Google still treats Supplemental Pages as if they don’t exist in competitive search results, no one shoudl be surprised at a possible growing consumer backlash. Google has sacrificed quality and relevance for an algorithmic poke-in-the-nose directed at link managers.

It’s not too late for Google to turn this around but as the indicators stack up against them their task will become more and more difficult.