Google’s AI Summaries Are Changing How People Click on Search Results

A new Pew Research Center study (22 July 2025) has found that Google’s AI-generated “AI Overviews” are reshaping how users interact with search results—and not in a way that favours website owners. When these summaries appear at the top of search pages, users are almost 50% less likely to click through to individual web pages. Specifically, only 8% of users clicked on links when an AI Overview was shown, compared to 15% without it.

This shift is significant because it demonstrates how Google’s content is increasingly keeping users on its platform, rather than sending them to explore other sites.

Authority sites dominate AI summaries

Another key finding is that Google’s AI Overviews tend to rely heavily on established authority sites such as Wikipedia, government pages, and major institutional sources. While this might ensure the summaries are accurate, it also means that smaller publishers, blogs, and niche sites are left out—reducing their visibility and potential traffic.

For many content creators and publishers, this represents a major threat to their traffic and revenue streams.

Why Publishers are worried

Since launching in the U.S. in late 2024 and rolling out in Sweden in May 2025, Google’s AI Overviews have faced growing criticism from the publishing industry. Critics argue that by answering users’ questions directly within Google, the feature discourages users from clicking links and deprives websites of the opportunity to engage visitors directly.

For publishers, news outlets, and smaller businesses, this change could make it more challenging to grow their audiences organically through search.

What this means for your website

If your website relies on Google search traffic, these changes highlight the importance of adapting your SEO strategy and diversifying your traffic sources:

• Optimise for authority - Create well-structured, factually supported content to increase your chances of being referenced in AI summaries.
• Diversify traffic channels - Build audiences on email lists, social media, and niche communities to avoid over-reliance on Google.
• Focus on engagement - Encourage direct visits through newsletters, podcasts, or exclusive offers.

The rise of AI summaries marks a shift towards a “zero-click” internet where Google provides answers without sending users away. For content creators, the challenge now is to make their work stand out in this new landscape.

Read the full Pew Research article