Many studies indicate that the shift of AI search features and the use of AI Chatbots kill traffic to versions of the publications. But Google on Wednesday refused, at least overall. Instead, the search giant says that the total volume of organic click from the search engine on site was “relatively stable” on an annual basis and that the average click quality is slightly increased.
“These data are in contrast to third-party reports that report that they are inaccurately indicating dramatic reductions in overall circulation-often based on incorrect methodologies, isolated examples or circulation changes that occurred before AI features in search,” A new blog post.
Although Google has not shared specific data to support its conclusions, even if we assume that Google’s claims are true, it does not necessarily mean that AI has no impact.
Even Google must admit this, as Reid recognizes that “users’ trends shift traffic to different sites, resulting in reduced traffic in certain locations and increased traffic to others”.
This word “some” makes heavy lift here, as Google does not share data on the number of websites they earn or lose. And while chatbots like chatgpt have definitely seen the increase in traffic in recent months, this does not mean that online publishers do not suffer.
Google has renewed the search engine for years to answer more questions directly to the search results page and now it does it with AI through the “AI” shown at the top of the search results. Google also allows users to interact with an AI Chatbot for some questions. However, Google denies that this is significantly reshaping the search landscape. On the contrary, it shows users shifting their attention to other sites to start their questions.
Reid explains: “People are increasingly looking for and click on forums, videos, podcasts and places where they can hear authentic voices and first -hand prospects.”
Reading between lines seems that Google.com is not necessarily the first attitude of people on the web these days. But this is something we knew for some time. Back in 2022, a Google Exec also said that social sites such as Tiktok and Instagram ate on Google’s basic products, such as search and maps.
“In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they are looking for a place for lunch, do not go to the maps or google search,” said Google SVP Prabhakar Raghavan, who ran the company’s knowledge and information organization at the time (now is the chief technologist). “They go to Tiktok or Instagram,” he noted.
Google also worried that Amazon.com had become the first stance of people for online shopping and reddit.com had become the first stop to investigate issues of interest.
For over many years, the company has tried to find exciting features for both consumers and retailers who will attract more users to Google Shopping. These efforts have included universal shopping strollers, local inventory checks, trading detectors, shopping from website product images and much more. He even made the market lists for free for traders in 2020.
Meanwhile, as users complained that Google Search Quality declinedThe search giant saw so much demand for Reddit that he finally added a “Reddit” filter to allow users to limit the results to related search questions. (Now that the filter is simply reading “Forums.”)
So maybe there is some truth in Google’s denials – it’s not AI that is completely responsible for the killing of the search. The search had already died.
Google’s new blog post is also trying to move goals a little about what it means for Google clicks. Now, instead of counting clicks, it wants publishers to think of the quality of the click.
The company says the average click quality has increased and Google sends “slightly more quality clicks” on sites than a year ago. (Google explains that a quality click is where users do not quickly click back – stay and read.) How much increase, but Google does not say. The company only points out that when people click on an AI answer in the source, they are more likely to dive deeper so that these clicks are more valuable.
In addition, Google paints AI as an opportunity for tissue publishers to get increased exposure, saying that “with AI reviews, people see more links on the page than before,” Reid writes. “More questions and more links mean more opportunities to superficial more opportunities for websites and click.”
But AI, while a growing source of referral, is not yet the difference in clicks, have shown references. A recent study by similarweb shows that the number of internet searches with zero clicks on news sites has increased from 56% (when Google started AI’s reviews in May 2024) to 69% in May 2025.
Google seems to know that this is also a trend, as it recently launched a product for publishers that help them create revenue from reducing their circulation in other ways not only based on advertising, such as micro -communications or newsletters.
The fact that Google is pushing it “AI is not the end of search traffic! “PR now makes the situation more difficult.
