On Wednesday, Google publicly rejected claims that its AI search features are causing widespread declines in website traffic.
The company stated that the overall volume of organic clicks from its search engine to websites has remained “relatively stable” year-on-year, and the quality of visits may even be improving, pushing back against numerous reports suggesting a substantial drop in traffic due to AI-generated search summaries.
AI search’s impact on website clicks: fact vs perception
The conversation intensified as many studies reported that Google’s AI-driven features, such as AI Overviews, which answer user queries directly on the results page, have led to decreased click-through rates by 30 per cent or more.
Data from sources like BrightEdge and Similarweb show drops ranging from 30 per cent to 70 per cent in visits to some sites, with a 55 per cent decline in search traffic for popular content categories, including news, health tips, and product reviews, between 2022 and 2025.
These AI Overviews provide users quick answers without visiting individual websites, causing many online publishers to worry about their revenue and visibility.
Some independent news sites have even faced severe financial troubles. Yet, Google’s Vice President and Head of Search, Liz Reid, contested these findings on August 6, stating, “This data contradicts third-party analyses that misleadingly imply drastic drops in overall traffic — frequently based on flawed methodologies, singular instances, or traffic fluctuations that occurred before the introduction of AI features in Search.”
She admitted that changing user behaviour affects some sites more than others, but emphasised that traffic changes are not uniform.
“Some sites have experienced declines, while others have seen gains,” Reid added, without specifying the scale or numbers involved.
Google’s AI mode and the future of search traffic
Google announced a new AI Mode in 2025 that provides detailed, chatbot-like responses instead of traditional link-based results.
Experts warn that this could further reduce website traffic. SEO specialists argue that if AI Mode becomes the default, it could “devastate” web traffic that supports many content creators.
Despite concerns, Google insists its AI features help users and the web ecosystem. Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, stated, “If anything over the last year, it’s clear to us the breadth of where we are sending people to is increasing. From our point of view, the web is thriving.”
Google’s senior leadership continues to stress that its AI tools will evolve to support users and content publishers.
While AI summaries are changing how users interact with search results and may reduce some websites’ traffic, Google maintains that the overall organic search ecosystem remains robust and adaptable.