Google AI overviews cut clicks 89%

Forbes reported on May 18 that Google’s AI Overviews are appearing in 58% of Google searches and reducing the number of users who click through to websites. The article, by Terdawn DeBoe, cited Stackmatix for the 58% figure and said DataSlayer found a 61% drop in organic click-through rates when an AI Overview is present. It also cited a steeper estimate — about 89% — for click-through-rate declines tied to AI-generated answers at the top of results. The numbers add to pressure on publishers, marketers and startups that still rely on Google search as a primary distribution channel. ### Where does the 89% figure come from? Forbes on May 18 attributed the broad traffic warning to recent third-party measurements of what happens when Google answers the query before a user reaches a website. The article said AI Overviews are now common enough that the issue is no longer theoretical for small businesses and publishers, and it paired the 89% figure with the 58% prevalence estimate to show both reach and impact. (forbes.com) Forbes also pointed readers to four responses: build branded search demand, publish original expertise, diversify traffic sources and adapt content formats. ### What is Google telling site owners to do? Google published a new Search Central guide on May 15 for “generative AI features” in Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode. The company said site owners should apply foundational SEO practices, create “valuable, non-commodity content,” maintain clear technical structure, and keep local business and ecommerce details current. Google also said some tactics being promoted as AI-search fixes are unnecessary, including special files or markup created solely for generative search. (forbes.com) Practical Ecommerce, summarizing the document on May 18, wrote that Google’s guidance amounted to traditional SEO basics rather than a new playbook. Search Engine Roundtable reported the same day that Google had paired the guide with “mythbusting” intended to push back on industry claims about separate AI-search optimization tricks. (developers.google.com) ### Why are publishers treating this differently from a normal SEO update? Google’s position is that the underlying ranking and quality systems still matter most. But the publisher complaint is about economics rather than only rankings: if the answer appears on Google’s page, fewer users need to visit the source page. Forbes framed that as a direct traffic threat, especially for businesses whose top-of-funnel discovery depends on informational search. (practicalecommerce.com) Search Engine Land, in a May 15 report on Google’s new guide, said much of the documentation consolidated earlier advice rather than introducing a new system. That has left site owners with a mismatch between Google’s message — keep doing strong SEO — and publisher data showing reduced referral traffic when AI summaries appear. (forbes.com) ### What are companies being told to change now? Forbes said businesses should reduce dependence on generic search traffic by building branded demand and producing material that reflects firsthand expertise. The article also urged companies to spread acquisition across channels rather than relying on a single platform for discovery. Google’s own documentation supports part of that approach by emphasizing original, useful content and strong site fundamentals, even as it argues the core rules have not changed. (searchengineland.com) Google’s Search Central updates page shows the company is continuing to revise documentation around AI features in Search. The current official references for site owners are the May 15 guide on optimizing for generative AI features and Google’s broader documentation on AI features and websites. (developers.google.com) (forbes.com)