Islamabad, Aug 9, 2025: Google has pushed back against mounting claims that its AI Overviews feature is cutting into publishers’ traffic, stating that organic click volumes from search have stayed “largely stable year-over-year.”
According to the tech giant, the integration of generative AI into Search has not weakened its role in directing visitors to websites, despite industry reports painting a different picture.
Click Quality Over Quantity
Liz Reid, Google’s Head of Search, explained in a recent blog post that while user interaction patterns have evolved, the overall flow of clicks to websites remains steady. She noted that the quality of clicks has actually improved—fewer users bounce back to the search results immediately after clicking a link, signaling more satisfying results. Google also claimed that AI Overviews encourage more specific search queries and display a greater variety of links per page, helping balance concerns over in-SERP content displays.
Clashing with Industry Reports
These statements follow several independent studies suggesting that AI-generated summaries reduce the need for users to visit external sources. BrightEdge, for instance, reported a more than 30% drop in click-through rates for the top search position after AI Overviews launched. Search Engine Land also noted even steeper declines for lower-ranked pages.
Google has disputed these conclusions, describing them as “inaccurate” due to limited sample sizes and outdated measurement models that fail to reflect post-AI Overviews user behavior.
Fears for the Open Web
Publishers and analysts have voiced concerns that tools like AI Overviews could undermine the open web by giving users answers without sending them to the original content. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince warned that over-reliance on AI-generated search results might discourage the creation of original work, potentially “damaging” the internet ecosystem.
In response, some organizations are restricting AI crawlers or seeking compensation for content used in AI training or summaries.
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Google Stands Firm
Google maintains that AI Overviews enhance the search experience without damaging publisher relationships. The company says it still delivers billions of daily clicks, helping users discover in-depth sources including articles, videos, forums, and personal accounts. Reid reaffirmed that the aim is to connect users with the most relevant, high-quality information available:
“We believe the value exchange between Google Search and the web remains strong. Our mission is to link people with the best resources—whether from publishers, creators, or experts—in the most effective way possible.”
