Amid rising concerns, Google denies AI Overviews cutting website traffic

Google has pushed back against claims that its AI Overviews and other AI-powered search features are significantly reducing website traffic.

In a new blog post, Liz Reid, Google’s Vice President and Head of Search, said total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has remained “relatively stable” over the past year, with the company now delivering more “quality clicks”, defined as visits where users stay on the page rather than quickly returning to the search results. Reid argued that some reports of declining traffic rely on flawed methodologies, isolated examples or reflect unrelated changes that occurred before the rollout of AI features.

While Google did not release detailed data to support its assertions, it acknowledged that user behaviour is shifting, with some sites seeing reduced traffic and others experiencing gains. A Pew Research Center analysis, however, found that searches featuring an AI Overview lead to lower click-through rates, dropping from 15% to 8%, with just 1% of such searches resulting in a click on a cited source.

There also have been concerns with publishers reiterating Google’s shift towards answering queries directly in search results reduces the need for users to click through to external sites. Reports from major news outlets suggest organic traffic from Google has dropped by more than half in recent years, coinciding with the rollout of AI-generated summaries.