Google has addressed growing concerns that its new AI Overviews feature is reducing traffic to websites, claiming that total organic click volume from search remains “relatively stable year-over-year.” The company argues that the introduction of generative AI in Search has not diminished its role in directing users to publishers, despite third-party reports claiming otherwise.
Click Quality has Improved
In a blog post by Liz Reid, Google’s Head of Search, the company explained that although the nature of user interaction has evolved, the total number of clicks sent to websites has not declined significantly. Reid noted that click quality has improved, as users are less likely to return to search results immediately after clicking a link, a sign, Google suggests, of more satisfying outcomes.
According to Google, AI Overviews have led to more detailed user queries and increased the number of visible links per search, which offsets concerns about content being surfaced directly on the results page.
Disputes Over External Reports
Google’s comments come in response to multiple studies that suggest AI-generated summaries have reduced the need for users to visit external sites. For example, a study by BrightEdge claimed average click-through rates for the top search result dropped by over 30% following the rollout of AI Overviews. Another report from Search Engine Land showed that results in lower positions lost even more visibility.
Google, however, challenged the accuracy of these claims, calling the findings “flawed” due to limited data sets and outdated traffic patterns that may not reflect actual user behavior since AI Overviews were launched.
Alarm Over Search Ecosystem
Media companies and analysts have expressed concerns that generative AI tools like AI Overviews could undermine the open web by summarizing content without driving traffic back to the source. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince recently warned that AI-generated search results risk “killing” the internet by disincentivizing original content creation.
In response, some companies are moving to block AI bots or demanding compensation for the use of their content in training data or AI summaries.
Google’s Position
Despite criticism, Google maintains that AI Overviews offer a better search experience without hurting publishers. The company says it continues to deliver billions of clicks per day and that users benefit from more comprehensive answers and easier discovery of relevant sources, including videos, forums, and first-person accounts.
Reid emphasized that the goal is not to reduce web traffic but to increase relevance and value for users:
We believe the value exchange between Google Search and the web remains strong. Our goal is to connect people with the best information including from publishers and creators, as effectively as possible.