Google Dismisses Claims That AI Overviews Are Hurting Website Traffic
Google has responded to increasing speculation that its AI Overviews feature is negatively impacting website visits, assuring that organic search traffic has remained “relatively stable year-over-year.” The tech giant insists that integrating generative AI into its search engine has not reduced its ability to direct users to publishers, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
Improved Click Quality, Says Google
In a recent blog post, Liz Reid, Google’s Head of Search, highlighted that while user behavior has shifted, the total number of clicks to websites has not dropped significantly. According to Reid, the quality of clicks has improved, as users are now less likely to bounce back to search results after clicking a link — a sign that they are finding more relevant and satisfying information.
Google further explained that AI Overviews have encouraged users to submit more detailed queries, resulting in richer search results with a greater number of visible links per search. This, the company says, helps balance concerns that AI-generated summaries might keep users from visiting original sources.
Google Pushes Back Against Third-Party Reports
Google’s remarks come after several independent studies claimed that AI summaries were lowering website traffic. BrightEdge reported a 30% drop in click-through rates for top search results since AI Overviews were introduced. Similarly, Search Engine Land suggested that lower-ranking results had suffered even greater visibility losses.
However, Google disputes these findings, calling them “misleading” due to outdated traffic data and small sample sizes that don’t accurately reflect post-AI Overview search patterns.
Concerns Over the Future of the Open Web
Many publishers and digital analysts remain concerned that generative AI could weaken the open web by summarizing information without encouraging users to visit the original source. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince warned that such AI-driven search results could “kill” the internet by discouraging content creators from producing unique material.
In response, some organizations have started blocking AI crawlers or demanding compensation for their content’s use in AI training and summaries.
Google Stands Firm
Despite mounting criticism, Google maintains that AI Overviews enhance the search experience without harming publishers. The company says it still delivers billions of clicks every day and that users benefit from comprehensive, well-structured answers along with easier access to relevant resources — from videos and forums to first-hand accounts.
With the debate far from over, the tug-of-war between AI innovation and content sustainability continues to shape the future of search.
