The Google search engine has been considered one of the biggest sources of traffic for websites for many years. However, the recent proliferation of AI-supported content summarization systems shows that this situation is changing rapidly.

Google’s artificial intelligence feature has reduced website traffic

In particular, the direct answers offered through Google’s AI Overview module reduce the need for users to click on relevant links. This change has led to a significant decrease in the traffic of many websites.

Artificial intelligence systems provide quick access to information by providing direct summary answers to users’ queries. Thanks to these systems, users can now get the information they need directly on the search results screen instead of browsing through dozens of sites after searching.

Although there are advantages such as saving time and security for the user, this transformation has negative consequences for websites that do digital publishing and content production. According to the latest data, Google traffic is still vital for large websites on the internet.

For example, 63% of Wikipedia visits and 58% of Tripadvisor traffic start directly from Google searches. However, this dependency causes every change in search engine strategies to directly affect the performance of these sites.

However, the AI ​​Overview module, which Google has made more widespread as of March 2025, is seriously reducing the rate of users clicking on links. While the click-through rate in search results with AI Overview remains at 23%, the rate is calculated as 36% in traditional results without this module. The difference indicates a significant loss of traffic for websites.

With the further development of artificial intelligence-based systems, users will access information faster, while content producers will face the risk of losing their visibility. So what do you think about this issue? You can share your views with us in the comments section below.