“Overall, total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has been relatively stable year-over-year. Additionally, average click quality has increased and we’re actually sending slightly more quality clicks to websites than a year ago,” Liz Reid, vice president and head of Google Search, said in a blog post published on Wednesday, August 6.

Google Search has long been seen as the backbone of the internet, but AI chatbots and generative AI-powered search engines are now emerging as compelling alternatives for users to look up information online. In response to the rapid shift in user behaviour, Google has rolled out AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search.

These features have raised concerns among online publishers and content creators who worry that AI-generated summaries of search results are reducing web traffic. As users increasingly rely on these summaries to find information online, fewer of them are clicking through the links to the publishers’ websites.

Their fears have been corroborated by numerous studies and surveys from SEO firms like OneLittleWeb, market research organisations like Gartner, and web traffic analytics platforms such as Tollbit.

Last month, a survey of 900 individuals in the United States by Pew Research Center found that those who encountered an AI Overview only clicked on a website link eight per cent of the time. Meanwhile, those who were not shown an AI Overview were 15 per cent more likely to click on relevant website links.

However, Google has said that user response to AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search has been tremendous. “Our data shows people are happier with the experience and are searching more than ever as they discover what Search can do now. With AI Overviews, people are searching more and asking new questions that are often longer and more complex,” Reid said.

“In addition, with AI Overviews people are seeing more links on the page than before. More queries and more links mean more opportunities for websites to surface and get clicked,” she added. Notably, Google has not shared specific figures to support its claims.

What are quality clicks?

Google defines ‘quality clicks’ as visits where a user is interested in the website which is indicated by the fact that they do not immediately click back.

For search queries such as ‘when is the next full moon?’, the user may be satisfied with the initial response and not click further. “This has also been true for other answer features we’ve added, like the Knowledge Graph or sports scores,” Reid said. But users will continue to click through to the websites when they want to explore a topic more deeply or make a purchase, she argued.

How can website owners attract quality clicks?

AI-powered features in Google Search are reportedly redistributing traffic between websites. Sites that meet the evolving user needs are benefiting from the shift in behaviour and generally seeing an increase in traffic, as per the company.

According to Reid, users are increasingly clicking on sites with forums and content such as videos, podcasts, and posts “where they can hear authentic voices and first-hand perspectives.”

“People are also more likely to click into web content that helps them learn more — such as an in-depth review, an original post, a unique perspective or a thoughtful first-person analysis,” she said.

A report from web traffic and analytics firm Similarweb last month appears to support Google’s position. It found that the number of referrals from AI platforms to news and media websites has increased by 770 per cent since June 2024. Over 1.13 billion referrals to the top 1,000 websites globally came from AI platforms in June this year, up by 357 per cent from the year-ago period, as per the report.

However, it found that OpenAI’s ChatGPT accounted for a majority (80 per cent) of the AI referrals to the top 1,000 websites.