AI Overviews in Google Search ruining publishers’ website traffic: Bloomberg

A growing number of small and independent website owners are reporting devastating traffic losses amid Google’s rollout of AI-generated answers in its search results, known as AI Overviews. Once celebrated by Google for their helpful content, many publishers now say their businesses are crumbling as a result of the very platform that once fueled their growth.

Morgan McBride, owner of the DIY blog Charleston Crafted, was featured in a Google ad last year, highlighting how the tech giant had supported her family business. Just weeks later, her site’s traffic plunged by over 70%. Display ad revenue dropped 65%, causing significant financial damage. “You can’t just sit around waiting for things to turn around,” McBride told Bloomberg.

She is not alone. Interviews with 25 publishers and web data from Similarweb reveal a consistent pattern: drastic declines in traffic across websites focused on home improvement, travel, cooking, fashion, and lifestyle. Creators suspect that Google’s AI Overviews—summaries that often appear at the top of search results—are giving users answers without requiring them to click through to the original sources.

Google denies that AI Overviews are to blame, attributing traffic declines to multiple factors including algorithm updates, seasonal changes, and shifting user interests. However, even creators who have closely followed Google’s own guidelines on experience and authoritativeness (EEAT) say they’ve seen their visibility disappear.

Some publishers say AI Overviews frequently quote their work without providing meaningful traffic in return. Gisele Navarro of HouseFresh noted that while her content appears in AI Overviews, users rarely click through to her site, undercutting ad revenue. Others report AI responses recommending nonexistent products or offering inaccurate advice.

At a private summit in October 2024, Google acknowledged the challenges but offered no assurances to the 20 creators in attendance. “The search product has fundamentally changed,” attendees recalled being told.

The most severe impact appears to be on travel publishers. The Planet D, a popular blog run by Canadian couple Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil, lost 90% of its traffic in the wake of AI Overviews. Eventually, they stopped updating the site entirely and shifted focus to YouTube.

While Google insists it’s aiming to deliver high-quality answers quickly, many publishers feel the company is severing their relationship with readers—and with it, their livelihood. As one creator put it, “I do feel betrayed by Google.”