Google swears it isn’t destroying the web with AI search

Google says its AI hunt features aren’t tanking website postulation contempt caller reports suggesting otherwise. In a blog station published connected Wednesday, Google Search caput Liz Reid says click measurement from the hunt motor has remained “relatively stable” erstwhile compared to the aforesaid clip past twelvemonth — though immoderate types of websites are getting much clicks and others are getting less.

Reid’s statement that AI is really helping the web comes conscionable weeks aft Pew Research published a report that said radical are “less likely” to click connected links erstwhile Google presents them with an AI Overview, oregon the AI-generated summary that appears astatine the apical of Search. In her post, Reid says Google’s findings contradict third-party reports that are “often based connected flawed methodologies.”

Recent changes to Google Search person sent ripples passim the integer media industry. A caller report from The Wall Street Journal elaborate however Business Insider, The Washington Post, and HuffPost person faced a diminution successful postulation successful the aftermath of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot that has led immoderate outlets to lay disconnected staff. On apical of that, shifts successful Google’s algorithms person resulted successful independent websites struggling to enactment successful hunt results

Changing hunt patterns person brought astir “decreased postulation to immoderate sites and accrued postulation to others,” with websites with forums, videos, podcasts, and “authentic voices” benefitting the most, according to Reid. Users are besides much apt to sojourn sites containing in-depth reviews, archetypal posts, oregon thoughtful analyses. “We proceed to nonstop billions of clicks to websites each time and judge that Search’s worth speech with the web remains strong,” Reid says.

Reid adds that portion immoderate users mightiness not click citations wrong AI Overviews, radical who bash click done whitethorn walk longer connected the website to larn much astir a topic. “An AI effect mightiness supply the laic of the land, but radical click to dive deeper and larn more, and erstwhile they do, these clicks are much valuable,” Reid says.

Google rolled retired its chatbot-like search feature, AI Mode, to everyone successful the US, raising much concerns among integer publishers. Despite these far-reaching effects, Google has adjacent bigger plans to reinvent hunt down the line, arsenic it has started investigating a caller search results leafage curated by AI.