Google defends AI search traffic impact amid publisher concerns
Google is pushing back against a growing chorus of web publishers who claim its increasingly prevalent AI-powered search features are siphoning off valuable traffic, asserting that overall organic click volume remains stable and the quality of user engagement has, in fact, improved. The tech giant’s defense, articulated recently in a blog post by Liz Reid, Google’s VP and Head of Search, attempts to assuage mounting industry concerns that AI Overviews and AI Mode are fundamentally altering the digital content ecosystem.
Reid’s statement contends that Google continues to send billions of clicks to the web daily, emphasizing that the introduction of AI in Search, including features like AI Overviews, encourages users to ask more complex and diverse questions. This, according to Google, leads to more links being presented on the search results page, thus creating more opportunities for websites to be discovered. Google defines “quality clicks” as those where users don’t immediately bounce back to the search results, suggesting deeper engagement with the content. The company also dismisses some third-party reports of traffic decline as based on “flawed methodologies” or reflecting shifts predating AI features. Furthermore, Google acknowledges a natural evolution in user behavior, where some sites may see less traffic while others gain, particularly those offering “authentic voices and first-hand perspectives” such as forums, videos, and podcasts.
However, this optimistic outlook sharply contrasts with the experiences of numerous publishers and findings from independent research. Major news organizations and smaller content creators alike have reported significant drops in traffic from Google Search since the broader rollout of AI Overviews. A Pew Research Center study, for instance, found that users encountering AI summaries clicked through to websites only 8% of the time, compared to 15% for traditional search results. Other analyses, including those by Similarweb, have indicated that searches resulting in no clicks to news websites have risen from 56% to 69% since AI Overviews were introduced. Specific media outlets like CNN have reported traffic declines of 30%, while Business Insider and HuffPost have seen drops around 40% since AI Overviews launched. Business Insider, in particular, saw its organic search traffic from Google plummet 55% between April 2022 and April 2025, leading to significant staff reductions. Smaller publishers have faced even more catastrophic losses, with some reporting traffic crashes of 70-90%.
The core of the issue for many publishers is the “zero-click” phenomenon, where AI-generated answers directly satisfy user queries on the search results page, eliminating the need to visit an external website. This has led to accusations from groups like the News/Media Alliance that Google’s AI Mode constitutes “theft” by summarizing content without adequate attribution or revenue sharing. Critics also point out that publishers currently have no option to exclude their content from AI summaries without removing their sites entirely from Google Search.
Google’s defense also acknowledges that the shift in user behavior predates the widespread adoption of AI in search, noting that younger demographics have increasingly turned to platforms like TikTok and Instagram for certain types of searches, functioning as alternative search engines. While Google maintains its commitment to the web ecosystem and claims AI expands opportunities for content discovery, the lack of specific, verifiable data from Google to support its claims of stable aggregate traffic, especially in light of widespread publisher losses, keeps the debate fiercely alive. Publishers, meanwhile, are increasingly exploring strategies like direct subscriptions, newsletters, and licensing deals to mitigate their reliance on Google’s evolving search landscape.