Take a quick look at Reddit, and you’ll find that many people who own websites are experiencing a significant dip in traffic. Many are attributing this to the rise of AI search, where companies like Google use AI to summarize information users are looking for, giving users less reason to click on links. But Google swears it isn’t trying to destroy the web.
The rise of Google AI search
In a blog post on Google’s website, Google Search head Liz Reid defended itself. She says that click volume on the search engine has remained “relatively stable.” Reid also calls out data reports that suggest otherwise. “This data is in contrast to third-party reports that inaccurately suggest dramatic declines in aggregate traffic — often based on flawed methodologies, isolated examples, or traffic changes that occurred prior to the roll out of AI features in Search.”
There was an earlier report from Pew Research that claimed that people are less likely to click on links, especially when the information they want is presented in an AI Overview. It makes sense, though. Personally, if the information I need is given to me in AI Overview or Summaries, why bother clicking through websites, unless I need to verify the information.
However, Pew Research isn’t alone in its findings. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, websites like Business Insider, The Washington Post, and HuffPost have faced a decline in traffic from Google, thanks to AI search. Not to mention, Google’s ever-changing algorithms have made it harder for smaller websites to remain relevant.
Time for websites to adapt
So, the question is, what should website owners do? The rise of Google AI Overview, Summaries, and other AI models like ChatGPT and Copilot have definitely changed the way we find information on the web.
OpenAI has deep research tools that can help users research heavier topics. This means there are fewers reasons for users to use traditional search engines. There are some who are calling on website owners to adapt. Instead of trying to cater to Google’s algorithms, maybe format posts in a way that is more AI-friendly.
That being said, websites won’t be going the way of dinosaurs yet. After all, AI models train themselves on available data, like websites. If there are no websites, AI’s training will stagnate. Only time will tell how this will play out.
The post Google Denies AI Search Is Hurting Traffic, But Reports Disagree appeared first on Android Headlines.
