Google AI Overview Cuts Publisher Traffic by Up to 90%

Takeaways

• Google’s AI-generated Overviews are cutting referral traffic to publishers by up to 80–90%.

• Independent publishers have filed antitrust complaints in the EU and UK over loss of traffic and control.

• Industry is eyeing licensing deals, creating proprietary AI tools—desperate to stay in the game.

Google’s AI Overviews- those bite-sized summaries at the top of search pages- are rewriting the rulebook for online news.

Major publishers like Reach (Mirror, Daily Express) and DMG Media (MailOnline, Metro) report click-through rates down by as much as 90%, based on filings to UK regulators. Users often stop at the summary and never make it to the actual article.

As search traffic shrinks, publishers argue their content fuels Google’s AI but they get little in return. “Our journalism drives their summary panels. Yet all financial reward stays with Google,” one publisher told regulators.

Even subscription funnels are at risk. Without search-based referral traffic, readers may never reach paywalls or newsletters. For small outlets, the threat is existential.

Publishers Push Back, Regulators Respond

Publishers aren’t just complaining- they’re filing legal action.

In July, a coalition of independent media- led by the Independent Publishers Alliance and Foxglove Legal- filed antitrust complaints with the European Commission and CMA (UK). They argue Google’s AI Overviews abuse market dominance and harm news publishers by diverting clicks.

Meanwhile, Google is doubling down. Search head Liz Reid insists overall traffic remains stable, pointing to more complex queries and longer links. 

However,  Pew Research found users click links only 8% of the time when summaries appear- down from 15% when they don’t.

Why This Feels Like an Existential Crisis

If Google’s AI tools shift default behavior toward no-click results, publishers lose not just traffic- but their entire distribution model. The term “Google Zero”- where search no longer drives traffic- has gone from fear to near reality.

The problem goes deeper when AI “hallucinates” inaccurate or harmful content. One high-profile case involved AI advising users to add glue to pizza sauce. That kind of misinformation erodes trust in both news providers and Google summaries. 

What Publishers Are Doing About It

Adapt or die.

Some publishers are striking licensing deals- the Financial Times, Axel Springer, and others have agreements with OpenAI and Google to be compensated for training AI. 

Others, like the Washington Post and FT, are building their own chatbots- Climate Answers and Ask FT- driven exclusively by proprietary content.

Subscription strategies and direct audience engagement (newsletters, podcasts, membership models) are taking center stage.

For publishers already tightening budgets and cutting editorial roles, the shift is both painful and urgent. Reach recently announced major restructuring- 600+ roles at risk- as it pivots toward subscriptions and live content.

The Bottom Line

Google’s AI Overviews aren’t a minor feature- they’re a seismic shift in how search surfaces information- and they’re rearranging the economics of news overnight.

What comes next will depend on regulation, collective bargaining, and whether publishers can reclaim value from content tech giants once thought to be partners.