Google Says AI Search Features Haven't Hurt Web Traffic Despite Industry Reports (blog.google)

(Wednesday August 06, 2025 @05:21PM (msmash) from the how-about-that dept.)

Google says total organic click volume from its search engine to websites has remained " [1]"relatively stable year-over-year " despite the introduction of AI Overviews, contradicting [2]third-party reports of dramatic traffic declines. The company reports average click quality has increased, with users less likely to immediately return to search results after clicking through to websites. Google attributes stable traffic patterns to users conducting more searches and asking longer, more complex questions since AI features launched, while AI Overviews display more links per page than traditional results.

[1] https://blog.google/products/search/ai-search-driving-more-queries-higher-quality-clicks/

[2] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/06/10/2126217/news-sites-are-getting-crushed-by-googles-new-ai-tools

Nothing to see here... (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward

Move along... these are not the stats you're looking for.

Anyone else getting tired of being lied to? (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

Especially in such a transparent way. Like how the person in charge of job numbers just got shit canned. Or how we are literally taking down satellites because they keep churning out inconvenient data.

I am so sick and tired of being lied to. Maybe if I had 50 fewer IQ points it wouldn't be so transparent. I sometimes wonder if it would be better to be dumber. I mean if I was a lot smarter that would be fine because I could use that intelligence to overcome the current mess but if I can't be smarter I ki

It's an indictment either way (Score:2)

by nothinginparticular ( 6181282 )

Either google is lying or their front and centre AI results (combined with enshitified results) are not swaying people to use AI of normal results. Either way it's not good. Let's be honest, it's most likely both.

Re: (Score:3)

by anoncoward69 ( 6496862 )

Yup, its a glaring admission that users don't trust AI search results.

Re: (Score:2)

by nightflameauto ( 6607976 )

> Yup, its a glaring admission that users don't trust AI search results.

Along with a glaring admission that their public discourse is handled by people not bright enough to realize that they just admitted publicly that nobody really wants to deal with their AI first results on the search page.

This Just In: Google Says Google Is Great! (Score:2)

by ihadafivedigituid ( 8391795 )

1: Be Evil

2: ...

3: Profit!

No we haven't punched ourselves in our own dicks (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Please stop saying that

News: 0178594530