Google AI overviews cut traffic by 34% as publishers demand action

Four days ago, Google announced its most aggressive AI search expansion yet, launching AI Mode for US users while Brazilian publishers face mounting evidence of traffic losses from existing AI features. The timing highlights a growing tension between Google's artificial intelligence ambitions and the economic foundation of web publishing.

According to Ahrefs analysis, when AI Overviews appear in search results, the first organic link loses an average of 34.5% of clicks. The study compared 300,000 searches from March 2024 – before AI Overviews activation – with the same period in 2025. This represents the first comprehensive measurement of traffic impact since Google expanded AI-powered search responses beyond experimental phases.

The Brazilian digital scene exemplifies these broader concerns. Content creators report significant drops in organic traffic, with some educational sites experiencing decreases of 40% or more. According to O Sul's analysis, producers of content dependent on organic traffic for advertising revenue face the most severe impacts.

Google's AI Mode uses advanced language models to provide conversational search experiences that may eliminate the need for users to visit external websites. According to Sundar Pichai, who discussed the web's transformation during a May 27, 2025 interview, "when we crawl, when we look at the number of web pages available to us, that number has gone up by 45% in the last two years alone."

Despite this growth in web content, Pichai confirmed a fundamental shift toward database-driven architecture. "The web is a series of databases, etcetera. We build a UI on top of it for all of us to consume," he stated. This perspective suggests significant changes ahead for web interaction patterns, with optimization required for both human and AI agent consumption.

The technical shift creates what experts term "zero-click searches" – queries resolved entirely within Google's interface without directing users to source websites. Google's multimodal AI capabilities promise automatic conversion between text, audio, video, and interactive formats, potentially reshaping publishing strategies entirely.

Related Stories

• Google's AI Overviews cut organic clicks by 34.5% despite company claims - April 20, 2025
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• Google expands internal links in AI Overviews - April 13, 2025
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• Google's shift away from web traffic - March 27, 2025

Brazilian journalism organizations escalate pressure

Brazilian media entities have intensified their campaign against Google's practices, moving beyond traffic concerns to direct regulatory intervention. According to the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ), "journalistic content used by AI models can only be utilized with authorization and adequate compensation."

The Federation of Journalists (Fenaj) characterizes Google's approach as "self-preferencing" – prioritizing the platform's own responses over external sources. According to Samira de Castro, Fenaj's president, this practice "requires urgent regulation for concentrating even more control of information."

Organizations including ANJ, Abert, Ajor, ABI and Reporters Without Borders have jointly requested that Brazil's competition authority (Cade) investigate whether Google abuses its dominant position by displaying journalistic content without compensation. This echoes similar challenges in other countries where Google faces antitrust scrutiny.

Article 19's Paula Guedes noted that in regions like the European Union, Google is already classified as a "gatekeeper" for its capacity to influence information access. With AI summaries, this power tends to intensify further.

Revenue model tensions intensify

The News Media Alliance president issued strong criticism of Google's AI features: "Links were the last redeeming quality of search that gave publishers traffic and revenue. Now, Google takes content by force and uses it with no return, no economic return. That's the definition of theft."

This represents an escalation from previous discussions about traffic impacts to direct accusations of content appropriation. The organization has called for Department of Justice intervention, indicating potential legal challenges ahead.

Google maintains that AI features help users discover more web content and that clicks from summaries demonstrate higher quality, with greater time spent on destination sites. According to Google, AI Overview reaches 1.5 billion monthly users, with 10% increases in searches in markets like the US and India.

However, analysis from consultancy Terakeet shows pages cited in AI summaries gain traffic advantages while ignored pages lose visibility. Google has not revealed criteria used for including links in AI-generated responses, creating uncertainty for content creators attempting to optimize for the new system.

Measurement challenges complicate assessment

Tools like Google Analytics do not differentiate click origins, making it difficult to evaluate whether AI summaries truly benefit websites. CEO Sundar Pichai previously claimed the feature would increase website access, contradicting Ahrefs' study findings.

Despite publisher complaints, Pichai maintains Google continues expanding traffic distribution across broader source sets. "We are definitely sending traffic to a wider range of sources, publishers, because, just like we've done over 25 years, we've been through the same with featured snippets," he explained.

Individual publishers may experience decreased traffic as Google distributes referrals more broadly. "People may be, you know, surfacing more content, looking at more content, so somebody individually may see less," Pichai acknowledged.

International regulatory pressure builds

Google faces antitrust scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions. In the United States, the Department of Justice has proposed that Google sell its advertising platforms AdX and DFP after a federal judge concluded the company illegally dominates two online advertising markets.

Similar developments occur in South Africa, where the Competition Commission recently published a preliminary report arguing that Google's monopoly prevents news companies from securing and monetizing digital traffic. The regulator suggested Google pay news outlets up to 500 million rands ($27 million) annually over five years.

"This inequality materially contributed to media erosion in South Africa over the past 14 years and will continue to do so unless remedied," the oversight body's report stated.

Marketing implications

These developments create significant challenges for digital marketing professionals who rely on web traffic for business success. Traditional SEO strategies may require substantial revision as AI-mediated search reduces direct website visits.

Publishers must consider diversified traffic acquisition strategies beyond Google search dependence. The shift toward agent-driven interactions could create new opportunities for businesses willing to participate in AI-mediated commerce, though terms and revenue sharing models remain undefined.

Content creators may need to optimize for both AI consumption and human readability, potentially requiring new technical approaches to content structure and metadata implementation. The restaurant analogy Pichai used illustrates this dual approach: serving both dine-in customers and takeout orders requires different operational considerations.

Enterprise adoption leads consumer deployment

Agent-driven web interactions will likely emerge first in enterprise environments rather than consumer markets, according to Pichai. "I do think it'll happen in enterprises faster than consumer, because in the context of an enterprise, you have a CIO who's able to go, and say, I really don't know why these two things don't talk to each other," he explained.

Enterprise decision-makers can mandate interoperability requirements that individual consumers cannot impose on service providers. Consumer adoption faces different dynamics as service providers must determine value propositions for agent-mediated interactions without losing direct customer relationships.

Despite concerns about AI reducing traditional search usage, Google reports continued growth in overall query volume. "We are seeing overall query growth in search," Pichai stated, addressing speculation about declining search patterns. The growth includes queries generated by AI features themselves, as users ask follow-up questions based on initial AI-generated responses.

Why this matters

The rapid deployment of AI-powered search features represents a fundamental shift in how audiences discover and consume content. Marketing professionals face immediate challenges in maintaining visibility and traffic while adapting to new technical requirements for AI optimization.

Traditional metrics for measuring search performance may become obsolete as zero-click searches increase. Teams must develop new frameworks for evaluating content success beyond direct traffic generation, potentially focusing on brand awareness and thought leadership metrics.

The regulatory pressure across multiple countries suggests potential changes to platform policies regarding content usage and compensation. Marketing leaders should monitor these developments for implications on content distribution strategies and platform relationships.

Timeline

March 2025: Google announces significant upgrades to AI Overviews and launches experimental AI Mode for select users

April 2025: Google introduces additional internal links within AI Overviews directing users to other Google pages rather than external websites

May 23, 2025: Brazilian journalism organizations request Cade investigation into Google's practices

May 27, 2025: Google I/O conference announces AI Mode rollout to US users alongside revelation of 45% growth in crawlable web pages over two years

May 28, 2025: News Media Alliance escalates criticism, calling Google's AI features "theft" and demanding Department of Justice intervention

May 30, 2025: Current date - ongoing regulatory pressure in Brazil and internationally