Google's Perspective: AI in Search Boosts Queries and Quality Clicks
So, Google's saying everything's coming up roses with AI in Search, which is quite a different tune than what we heard last month. According to Google Search head Liz Reid, all that AI integration isn't killing website traffic; it's supposedly keeping it stable and even sending better quality clicks our way. I mean, that's a bold claim, especially when you consider some recent reports suggesting otherwise. It's like they're saying, "Don't worry, the AI overlords are actually helping!"
Reid claims that the total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has remained "relatively" stable year-over-year. Not only that, but Google is supposedly sending more "quality clicks" to websites – you know, visitors who actually stick around instead of bouncing right off. Apparently, users are happier with their search experience too. The interesting thing? They didn't back up any of this with actual data. It's all just…trust them.
Google's explanation for this rosy picture is that "With AI Overviews, people are searching more and asking new questions that are often longer and more complex". They're suggesting AI is actually fueling curiosity! Also, Reid highlights that people are seeing more links on the page than before thanks to AI Overviews. More queries and more links, according to Google, equal more chances for websites to get noticed and clicked. I guess more visibility is good, if true.
What kind of sites are benefiting?
Reid does point out that the landscape is shifting. Some sites are seeing less traffic, while others are seeing more. Apparently, forums, videos, podcasts, and posts with "authentic voices and first-hand perspectives" are doing well. So, if you're running a site full of generic content, you might be in trouble. If you have a blog with in-depth reviews, original posts, unique perspectives, or thoughtful first-person analysis, you're supposedly in a good place.
She also mentioned that for simple Q&A searches, people might be satisfied with the AI Overview and not click further. For example, if someone asks, "When is the next full moon?", they might just get the answer from the AI and move on. However, for more complex questions, people are still clicking through to dive deeper, explore further, or make a purchase. According to Reid, it is the reason click quality is increasing. If an AI response provides some basic context, people might then click to get more in-depth information, and those clicks are more valuable.
It's a completely different story than we've heard from other sources. One report found that people who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional search result only 8% of the time, compared to 15% for those who didn't see an AI summary. Only 1% of people clicked on the source links in AI summaries. And users were more likely to end their browsing after visiting a page with an AI summary. One CEO said his company is seeing search traffic referrals plummeting. He said that Google used to send a publisher one visitor for every two pages it crawled. Early this year, it dropped to one visitor for every six pages, and recently it was down to one for every 18.
Honestly, I don't know what to make of all this. One side says AI is great, the other says AI is killing the web. But it is really Google's own world, so they can say whatever they want. It's up to us to see if the Google numbers are reflecting our own data.
Source: Engadget