Did We All Misread Google's AI Playbook?

Google AI Overviews might actually be a net benefit to publishers. At least, SOME publishers.

Google’s AI Overviews might not be the web-traffic bogeyman that everyone assumed they were going to be. (Credit: Midjourney)

When Google launched AI Overviews in the spring, many observers (not naming names here) declared it a "death blow" to publishers. This was Google hard-wiring AI summaries directly into search results, right at the top, and the result seemed easy to predict: more people reading the summary and then just… stopping. They'd read the AI-generated synopsis, close the tab, and go back to what they were doing. As for the publishers: no clicks for you!

Now it looks like that might not be the case. According to a report from AdWeek, AI Overviews may actually be better for audience growth and engagement than what a publisher would have otherwise gotten without the feature.* The surprising result is partly due to Google tweaking the design by adding in-line links to the summary. After testing the change in August, Google says it's releasing the feature broadly to all seven countries where Overviews are available.

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Before media executives uncork the champagne, keep in mind this is only one report, and Google didn't elaborate or provide the background data on its claim. The effect may not be that large, and it may not apply to every kind of search.

Still, reporter Trishla Ostwal's story made clear this was an official presentation, with a named presenter (Rhiannon Bell, VP of UX at Google), not some back-corridor rumor, so there's reason to be optimistic. If it's true, and it applies to a large number of searches, it would mean media sites should regard AI Overviews less as an existential threat and more as a tool to be leveraged.

*Clarification: Google reached out and clarified that the new Overviews design increases traffic vs. the previous design, not vs. traditional search. It also said its tests sshow users “are more satisfied” with results and that the clicks are “higher quality” for websites, meaning users spend more time on them. So while Overviews may not be a net traffic driver, they’re still potentially more valuable to publishers. The premise of the article remains the same.