Study claims sites previously ranked first can lose 79% of traffic if results appear below Google Overview. AI is changing how people intera...
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| Study claims sites previously ranked first can lose 79% of traffic if results appear below Google Overview. |
Google’s AI Overviews are intended to give users concise answers to queries using AI-generated summaries pulled from various web sources. However, these summaries often provide enough detail that users no longer click through to the original websites.
While convenient for users, this is sounding alarm bells for digital publishers whose business models depend heavily on search engine referral traffic. According to UK-based analytics company Authoritas, sites that once ranked first in Google search results are seeing traffic drop by nearly 80% if AI Overviews appear above them.
A second, independent study by the Pew Research Center looked at nearly 69,000 searches and found that users only clicked a link under the AI Overview box once in every 100 searches. For newsrooms already under pressure from declining ad revenue and social media disruption, the AI click-through collapse could be existential. Outlets like MailOnline have reported a 56% drop in desktop clickthroughs and 48% on mobile. Smaller, independent publishers may not survive this second wave of disruption.
News organizations argue that AI summaries often aggregate and rephrase content from original reporting—effectively using journalism to fuel automated tools without giving proper credit or traffic. The issue is now the subject of formal complaints to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority by a coalition that includes Foxglove and the Independent Publishers Alliance. Critics argue that Google is attempting to “trap” users inside its own ecosystem, monetizing journalistic labor while restricting access to original content creators.
Google’s Response
Google has called the studies "inaccurate," citing outdated methodologies and asserting that it still drives billions of clicks to websites every day. It also claims AI experiences are prompting users to explore more topics, creating "new opportunities" for discovery. However, publishers say they are operating in the dark, as Google has not shared traffic or engagement data that would allow them to properly assess the impact.
This controversy isn’t just about ad revenue—it’s about who controls access to information. AI Overviews could weaken the feedback loop between audiences and journalists. If readers no longer visit news sites, outlets may be forced to scale back reporting or shut down entirely. “The current system is unsustainable,” said Owen Meredith, CEO of the News Media Association. “If allowed to continue, it will result in the death of quality information online.”
If the public no longer supports fact-checked journalism through engagement and visibility, we risk replacing verified information with algorithmic noise. In health, politics, and science, that’s a dangerous path.” He argues for ethical guardrails around AI content delivery, where original creators are compensated and users remain aware of their sources.
As AI continues to disrupt search, regulators, publishers, and technologists must navigate a new digital economy—one where the balance of power has shifted toward AI intermediaries. Transparency, fairness, and compensation may become central pillars of the next phase of web policy.
