Google's AI summaries now sit atop search results, and publishers report steep drops in clicks. Here is what the data shows and what it means for any business that relies on Google.
Google's AI search tools are sending fewer readers to news sites, and the drop is large enough that publishers are changing how they work. One UK publisher told regulators its click rates fell by as much as 89 percent in a single month. Google says the web is doing fine.
For years, news sites and Google had a simple deal. Sites filled Google's search index with content, and Google sent them readers. In 2024, Google launched AI Overviews, an AI-written summary placed at the very top of search results. Links to sources appear below it, but readers may never need them.
In May 2025, Google went further with AI Mode. It replaces the standard search page with a chatbot-style screen that gives detailed summaries drawn from web results.
Pew Research also found that people are less likely to click links to other websites when they see an AI Overview.
Google disagrees with the gloomy picture. Search head Liz Reid said click volume stayed relatively stable. She said AI search sends more clicks to sites with forums, videos, podcasts and posts from other users. Nick Fox, a Google senior vice president, told the BBC, "the web is thriving."
Publishers have also tried the courts. Many lawsuits have failed. A judge dismissed an antitrust case from Chegg and Penske Media, and rejected a proposed class action from Arkansas newspapers.
Many publishers now lean on social media, newsletters and subscriptions. Some use a switch that opts their pages out of AI Overviews and AI Mode without hurting their normal search ranking. Google rolled it out broadly after an order from the UK. It does not fix falling traffic.
Google has made some changes, including more prominent source links. It says 400 publishers, including CNN, Axios and the Financial Times, are in a News AI pilot that licenses their content. It is also reportedly testing payments to publishers. Whether that repairs the relationship is not yet known.
Any business that depends on Google visitors should plan for fewer clicks. Building direct ties, such as an email list or paying subscribers, gives you readers and customers that do not depend on a search page.
If your business relies on Google traffic, plan for fewer clicks and build direct ties such as email lists and subscribers.
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