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Editor’s note: This article has a companion piece, “Surviving Google’s AI Overviews: Strategies for News-Based Publishers,” here.
For years, Google has been the go-to search engine for billions of people seeking information on the Internet. However, the company’s latest update, called AI Overviews, has many publishers worried about its potential impact on website traffic.
Google Is Changing The Internet As We Know It
Google has a history of implementing interface changes that have reduced the amount of traffic it sends to websites. Features like featured snippets and knowledge panels, which provide users with direct answers to their search queries, have diverted some traffic away from publishers. While convenient for searchers, these changes have raised concerns among news organizations and content creators who rely on website visits for revenue. Google’s AI Overviews appear to be the latest development in this trend.
Image via Google
Announced at Google’s I/O developer conference in last month, AI Overviews is a new product that generates AI-powered summaries in response to certain search queries, particularly those containing words like “how” or “why.” Although not present in all search results, these AI-generated answers not only will decrease click-through rates to publishers’ websites, but it further increases Google’s control of information.
In an announcement, Liz Reid, the head of Google Search, touted the benefits of AI Overviews: “Now, with generative AI, Search can do more than you ever imagined,” she said. “So you can ask whatever’s on your mind or whatever