Over the past year, many publishers have blamed Google’s AI-powered search features for a noticeable dip in website visits. Several independent traffic analysis tools show drops ranging from moderate to steep. But Google says that’s not the full story.
In a recent blog post, Liz Reid, Google’s VP and Head of Search, claimed that total organic traffic from Google Search to websites has been “relatively stable” year-over-year. She also noted that the “quality” of clicks, where users actually stay and read instead of bouncing back, has slightly improved.
Is It Affected By Google’s AI Overviews Feature?
Google’s AI Overviews, which provide quick answers at the top of search results, have been a major talking point. Many publishers say that these summaries reduce the need for users to click through to full articles. While Google admits user trends are changing, it says traffic isn’t disappearing, instead, it’s just moving to different types of sites. According to Google’s blog post, more people now click on forums, videos, podcasts, and other first-hand content rather than traditional articles.
However, not everyone agrees with Google’s optimistic view. Research from the Pew Research Center suggests that when AI summaries appear, users click on regular links only 8% of the time, compared to 15% when summaries aren’t shown. Interestingly, if a page is featured within an AI Overview, it can get a short-term traffic boost. But if a high-ranking page doesn’t make it into the overview, it can lose nearly half of its clicks.
How People Are Consuming Content?
Google also points out that younger users often start searches elsewhere, TikTok for restaurant recommendations, Instagram for trends, Reddit for discussions, or Amazon for shopping. This shift began even before AI features rolled out.
For publishers, the takeaway may be clear: relying on traditional SEO might not be enough. With AI reshaping search behaviour, strategies like “Answer Engine Optimisation” (AEO) or “Generative Engine Optimisation” (GEO) could be the way forward.
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