Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, explained why Google has made it harder to find the results count in Google Search. He mentioned that the results count can be a distraction and that Google Trends offers better data for researchers. Sullivan stated that Google aims to present the most immediately useful information, and the results count is more relevant to researchers, hence its reduced visibility.
He emphasized that the counts are broad estimates and not necessarily indicative of interest or popularity, making Google Trends a more robust tool for such analysis. Recently, Google has been testing the complete removal of the results count, not just hiding it under the tools menu.
Additionally, Google confirmed that it would not remove the site command from Google Search and would fight to keep it despite its flaws. However, there have been instances where Google has removed the estimated count due to bugs and tests.
To find the results count, users can look under the "Tools" menu.