We’re currently experiencing the most significant change in search behavior since Google’s inception, and it all started when people began to ask AI to find information instead of, well, Googling it.
AI-powered features are changing the way users interact with search results. Website owners are finding that achieving a top three SEPR position isn’t as valuable as it used to be.
The data is scary. According to a new Authoritas analysis, websites that were previously ranked first in search results can lose up to 79% of their traffic when Google’s AI Overviews appear above traditional results. While major publishers are already feeling the effects of this traffic drought, small websites are less impacted — but this might change in the near future.
AI Overviews Are Decimating Traditional Traffic
Now, when users ask an AI assistant for a summary of a topic, the search engine often provides a comprehensive answer without requiring the user to click through to a website. This new method of searching is possible using Google itself — thanks to AI overviews, those little snippets that appear above search results. There are also tools like Article Summarizer by Overchat AI — paste any link and ask the AI to summarize it in seconds.
According to MailOnline, one of the world’s largest news websites, click-through rates on desktop decreased by 56.1% and rates on mobile fell by 48.2% when AI summaries were introduced. These aren’t outliers; they’re early indicators of a fundamental shift in user behavior.
A Pew Research Center study of 69,000 Google searches revealed an even more scary statistic: Users clicked on links under AI summaries only once out of every 100 searches. This represents a significant shift in how search traffic flows to websites. Traditional SEO metrics such as rankings and impressions are becoming increasingly disconnected from actual traffic and conversions.
Rosa Curling, the director of the tech justice group Foxglove, describes the impact as “devastating” for independent publishers. However, the implications extend far beyond the news media. Every website that relies on organic search traffic must now face this new reality.
If you Think This is Already Bad, Brace for Much Worse
It appears that Google is doubling down on AI-powered search with Web Guide. Just as SEO professionals were beginning to grapple with AI Overviews, Google announced an experimental feature that uses AI to reorganize search results pages entirely.
Launched through Search Labs, Web Guide uses a customized version of Gemini to better understand queries and web content, grouping related pages in ways that Google deems helpful.
Austin Wu, Google’s Group product manager for search, explains that Web Guide uses a “query fan-out technique,” which involves executing multiple related searches simultaneously to identify relevant results. In other words, Google is no longer just matching keywords to pages; it’s interpreting user intent and reorganizing the entire search experience.
Apparently, this feature is designed for “complex, open-ended searches”.
Google provides examples of informational queries, such as “how to solo travel in Japan,” as well as detailed, multi-sentence queries about maintaining relationships across time zones.
These types of informational queries have traditionally driven significant organic traffic to content-rich websites and have been the cornerstone of traffic acquisition and the main content of many blogs. But if this type of content stops bringing in traffic, what will?
New Search, New Strategies
The usual way of doing SEO, which was to try to show up in search results for certain keywords, isn’t as effective as it used to be. That’s because AI can find information from many sources and show it in search results. This means that being the best result for a search doesn’t automatically mean that a website will get more visitors.
Owen Meredith, the head of the News Media Association, says that Google is acting like a “walled garden” by keeping users inside its own system and making money off of content created by others. He predicts that this situation “will ultimately result in the death of quality information online” unless addressed urgently.
The change means SEO strategies need to go beyond the usual factors that determine a site’s position. Content should be created to provide value that can’t easily be summarized or replicated by AI. This means:
- Focusing on new research and different points of view
- Making tools that people can interact with
- Adding experiences that require people to engage directly with the website
Here’s how to apply this theory in practice:
- First, make sure you’re getting traffic from multiple sources, not just Google organic traffic. Use email lists, push notifications, and social media communities. They all offer reasons for users to skip the search and go straight to your site.
- Second, focus on AI inclusion instead of traditional rankings. Google hasn’t shared specific guidelines, but it’s likely that the inclusions are based on how well-written and well-organized content is. Lists, tables, headings, and clear structure are important. If you haven’t paid much attention to these elements, now is the time.
- Third, create content that AI can’t copy. Interactive tools, calculators, personalized experiences, and real-time data dashboards provide value that static AI summaries cannot match. If users have to visit your site to use it, you will still be relevant even with AI.
- Finally, look at new metrics that go beyond the usual rankings. Track brand searches, how much traffic there is, and how engaged users are. This will show if you are building an audience on your own or depending on search engines. In the AI era, success means users actively seek you out, not finding you by chance through generic searches.
Bottom Line
Prepare for continuous evolution. The Web Guide is explicitly experimental, and Google plans to expand its use of AI-organized results across different search tabs. Those working in SEO must be quick to adapt and willing to ditch effective strategies when the situation calls for it.
