SEJ on The Impact Of AI Overviews

AI overviews are reshaping how users consume information by delivering quick, summarized answers instead of long search results. This shift impacts businesses by changing traffic patterns, making high-quality, AI-friendly content more critical than ever.

Search Engine Journal contributor Matt G. Southern has published an article on the impact of AI overviews and how publishers need to adapt.

He says, “Google rolled out AI Overviews to all U.S. users in May 2024. Since then, publishers have reported significant traffic losses, with some seeing click-through rates drop by as much as 89%. The question isn’t whether AI Overviews impact traffic, but how much damage they’re doing to specific content types.

Search (including Google Discover and traditional Google Search) consistently accounts for between 20% and 40% of referral traffic to most major publishers, making it their largest external traffic source. When DMG Media, which owns MailOnline and Metro, reports nearly 90% declines for certain searches, it’s a stark warning for traditional publishing.

After more than a year of AI Overviews (and Search Generative Experience), we have extensive data from publishers, researchers, and industry analysts. This article pulls together findings from multiple studies covering hundreds of thousands of keywords, tens of thousands of user searches, and real-world publisher experiences.”