5:09 am - May 17, 2025
The study by SE Ranking raises concerns among publishers about reduced external traffic and the future of SEO strategies.
A new study by SEO platform SE Ranking shows that Google’s AI-generated search overviews are now driving more than 40% of users back to Google’s own pages, intensifying concerns among media publishers about shrinking external traffic and the future of SEO.
Analysing over 140,000 AI search responses across five major US states, including New York and California, the study found that 43.42% of links in AI-generated summaries pointed to Google-owned properties.
As users navigate increasingly AI-driven search results, they now click an average of ten times within Google’s ecosystem before moving to an external site. This growing closed-loop system reflects a deliberate shift to boost internal engagement.
Google says its AI features aim to improve user experience, particularly by providing quick, reliable answers for complex queries. But publishers fear the new system could significantly reduce the flow of traffic to their own sites – eroding a vital source of both audience and advertising revenue.
The move could have major repercussions not just for publishers but for the broader digital advertising economy. Already, Google has had to respond to early criticism after its AI Overviews served up inaccurate and sometimes dangerous information, including misleading medical advice. The company says it is refining its models and adding safeguards but plans to expand the AI feature to more countries, including Brazil and Japan.
The study also revealed that 96% of the links surfaced in Google’s AI overviews relate to informational rather than transactional content. This shift places even greater pressure on publishers to rethink how they capture visibility in a search environment increasingly dominated by Google’s own properties.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2025/05/googles-ai-summaries-keep-users-within.html – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.apnews.com/article/ebb6bbbde17ed29a5f7b630d9e5e285b – Google has launched an AI-enhanced search engine that prioritizes AI-generated responses over traditional website links for complex queries, raising both anticipation for improved search efficiency and concerns about reduced web traffic. This significant transformation, starting with U.S. users and expanding globally, could impact digital advertising and website traffic, with potential revenue losses for publishers dependent on search engine links. Google assures continued emphasis on traditional links for simpler queries and highlights that AI overviews encourage more detailed searches. However, legal issues may arise regarding the use of copyrighted material, similar to ongoing litigations against services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The conference also witnessed protests against Google’s AI work with the Israeli government, though it did not disrupt the conference proceedings.
- https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/google-brings-ai-answers-search-new-countries-2024-08-15/ – Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced the expansion of its AI-generated summaries for searches to six new countries two months after reducing some capabilities following a problematic launch. The AI summaries will now be available in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, in local languages such as Hindi and Portuguese. This feature, which appears above traditional results, was criticized for inaccurate responses, leading Google to implement updates to improve quality and restrict content sources from users. According to Hema Budaraju, product director, quality has improved, demonstrating greater user satisfaction. Additionally, Google will add links in the AI summaries to benefit both consumers and publishers. These changes occur amid concerns in the media industry about losing referral traffic and a court ruling that could dismantle Alphabet.
- https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-ai-plus-9536bf60-193c-11ef-bb95-377ffd0464ed – Google’s addition of AI-generated summaries at the top of search results is receiving significant backlash due to inaccuracies, such as false advice on treating rattlesnake bites. This move could fundamentally alter the internet landscape and impact profit distribution. Google has a long-standing reputation for ensuring informational integrity, but these new AI summaries present broad challenges. While users can turn off these summaries and Google may refine them, the reliability of the product remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Anthropic researchers have started to decode the inner workings of large language models (LLMs) by identifying and manipulating specific neuron-like nodes, although this research is costly and requires individualized attention for each LLM. Overall, the implementation of AI in information dissemination continues to stir both optimism and concern regarding its potential impact and applications.
- https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-overviews-links-informational-intent-38093.html – A new study from seoClarity reveals that 96% of the links displayed in Google’s AI Overviews lead to content with informational intent. The breakdown is as follows: Informational = 96.5%, Informational/Transactional = 1.79%, Transactional = 1.2%, Navigational = 0.4%, Informational/Navigational = 0.07%, Informational/Navigational/Transactional = 0.01%, Navigational/Transactional = 0.00%, Local/Informational = 0.00%. This data was sampled from one recent day of data. The number of keywords that show an AI Overview varies somewhat from day to day, but the core holds steady, indicating a good representative sampling. Mark Traphagen, who shared the data, explained that seoClarity uses an exclusive algorithm that looks at the mix of results on the first page for every keyword they track to determine what Google sees as the intent for that query.
- https://www.apnews.com/article/33060569d6cc01abe6c63d21665330d8 – Google implemented over a dozen technical improvements to its AI systems following reports of incorrect and sometimes harmful AI-generated search summaries after launching an updated search engine in mid-May. The AI feature, intended to provide helpful overviews, was met with criticism as users shared erroneous and sometimes dangerous results. Examples included misleading information about wild mushrooms and a debunked conspiracy theory regarding a Muslim president of the U.S. Google has taken steps to correct specific issues, such as preventing non-sensical queries and reducing reliance on user-generated content that may contain misinformation. However, concerns persist about the potential for the AI to perpetuate biases and misinformation, highlighting the challenges of integrating AI-generated content with traditional search results.
- https://seranking.com/blog/how-to-optimize-for-ai-overviews/ – SE Ranking recommends performing SEO regularly to rank in the top 10. Their latest AI Overviews research shows that AI-generated answers link to at least one domain ranking in the organic top 10 in 92.36% of cases. 63.19% of the time, AI Overviews pull information from pages that rank in the organic top 10. Their blog performance data shows similar trends. For 70% of keywords where their blog pages rank in AI Overviews, they also rank in the top 10 organic search. 40% of them rank in the top 5. Anastasia Kotsubynska, SEO Team Lead at SE Ranking, emphasizes the importance of regular SEO practices to maintain visibility in AI Overviews.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative discusses current trends and recent developments in Google’s AI search features, including its expansion to additional countries and ongoing regulatory challenges. However, no specific dates or events from the past few months are mentioned that could establish its recency beyond the AI technology itself.
Quotes check
Score:
0
Notes:
There are no direct quotes in the narrative to verify.
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The narrative originates from Digital Information World, a publication that is not as well-established as major news outlets like The New York Times or BBC, but it provides informative content on digital trends. The reliability could be improved with more diverse and verifiable sources.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about Google’s AI summaries prioritizing internal content and their potential impact on publishers are plausible and align with current trends in search engine optimization and digital publishing.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative discusses plausible and current trends in Google’s AI search features but lacks direct quotes and originates from a less established source. The information is generally consistent with current digital publishing challenges, but its reliability is tempered by the publication’s relative obscurity.
Register for Editor’s picks
Stay ahead of the curve with our Editor's picks newsletter – your weekly insight into the trends, challenges, and innovations driving the future of digital media.
