Google AI Overviews decrease referral traffic as much as 25%

New data from Digital Content Next (DCN) shows that Google AI Overviews are reducing publisher referral traffic by up to 25%, this has raised some concerns around publishers and brands about declining content visibility. 

During the studied period, they saw that YoY the referral traffic from Google search has fallen a 10% overall, some of the worst weeks saw referral traffic for news down 16% and non-news down 17%. 

The Pew Research report showed that the number of users who clicked on links from overall results cut nearly half; only 8% of users clicked when AI summaries appeared vs. 15% without. Authoritas(Analytics company) showed that sites previously ranking #1 lost 79% of traffic when displaced below AI Overviews. 

What this means for us:   

Brands must adapt their strategies for AI visibility and diversify the channels in their media mix; this means that traditional SEO alone is no longer sufficient. In some cases, this might mean to update the KPIs, go beyond clicks but track brand mentions and representation in AI summaries. 

Read more: https://content-na1.emarketer.com/google-ai-overviews-decrease-referral-traffic-much-25?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8%2F17%2F25&utm_term=marketing%20%26%20advertising&jid=227892&sid=37604539