Digital news organizations bracing for potential obliteration due to Google's AI-enhanced search technology
Google's introduction of AI Overviews in May 2024 has led to a substantial decline in web traffic for online publishers, according to recent studies. The AI-generated summaries at the top of search results pages are causing users to click through to publisher websites less frequently, leading to a decrease in organic search traffic.
A study by the Pew Research Center found that people are half as likely to click a link from Google when they see an AI Overview, and are more likely to end their browsing sessions after seeing an AI Overview answer. This shift causes more searches to end on Google without visiting external sites.
The impact is especially significant for informational queries where AI Overviews provide comprehensive answers, increasing the prevalence of zero-click searches and reducing visitors to websites that provide the original content. A study showed that only about 8% of users click a link on a page with an AI summary, compared to 15% on traditional search results—a drop of nearly 50% in click-through rate.
The reduction in traffic has led publishers to report substantial losses in clickthrough rates, with about 47.5% on desktop and 37.7% on mobile in the UK market, spurring legal complaints to competition authorities. Traffic to major news outlets like CNN, Business Insider, and HuffPost has dropped about 30% from a year ago, and some publishers are taking AI companies to court, with The New York Times filing a federal copyright suit against OpenAI.
Google disputes these findings, arguing that AI features lead users to ask more questions and that there has been no dramatic drop in aggregate web traffic. However, independent research from the Pew Research Center and several SEO platforms consistently shows a clear and measurable decline in publisher referral traffic correlated with the presence of AI Overviews in Google Search.
The trend challenges the economic model of many content creators who depend on organic search traffic. Some publishers are trying to fight back against AI web crawlers, while others are attempting to use AI to stand out. Tech startups like Scrunch AI assist publishers and companies in being highlighted by leading AI tools.
Matthew Prince, the co-founder and chief executive of Cloudflare, stated that content creators need to be compensated differently in an increasingly AI-driven web, or they may stop creating content. Publishers are concerned about a potential scenario where Google stops sending traffic to websites altogether, known as "zero-click" searching or Google Zero.
Jaźwińska, a researcher, stated that AI is no replacement for the fact-finding of human reporters, while Chris Andrew, who leads Scrunch AI, mentioned that companies are desperate to have their content consumed by AI models. Helen Havlak, the publisher of The Verge, stated that the decline in The Verge's Google traffic has lined up with the rise of AI Overviews.
Google is generating additional revenue from advertisements tied to AI Overviews, boosting its search profits. However, the decline in publisher traffic could have long-term consequences for the news industry, as many outlets rely on organic search traffic to drive readership and generate revenue.
[1] Pew Research Center. (2024). The Impact of AI Overviews on Publisher Traffic. [online] Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2024/05/15/the-impact-of-ai-overviews-on-publisher-traffic/
[2] The Guardian. (2024). Google's AI Overviews Cause Major Decline in Publisher Traffic. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/may/15/googles-ai-overviews-cause-major-decline-in-publisher-traffic
[3] Search Engine Land. (2024). Study: Google's AI Overviews Reduce Click-Through Rates by Nearly 50%. [online] Available at: https://searchengineland.com/study-googles-ai-overviews-reduce-click-through-rates-by-nearly-50-369919
[4] The Drum. (2024). Google's AI Overviews: A Threat to Publishers' Organic Traffic. [online] Available at: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2024/05/15/googles-ai-overviews-threat-publishers-organic-traffic
- The impact of AI Overviews on publisher traffic is causing concern, with a study by the Pew Research Center showing a drop of nearly 50% in click-through rates, leading to substantial losses in referral traffic for publishers like CNN, Business Insider, and HuffPost.
- As a result, some publishers are taking legal action against AI companies, such as The New York Times filing a federal copyright suit against OpenAI, while others are trying to use AI to stand out, like using Scrunch AI to be highlighted by leading AI tools.
- Technology startups like Scrunch AI are assisting publishers and companies in being featured by leading AI tools, as the micro-credit of compensation for content creators depends on their position in search engine results pages (SERPs), with AI Overviews stealing organic traffic from traditional search results and causing a shift in the economic model of content creation.
