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Publishers Worry AI Summaries Are Cutting Online Traffic
UK media publishers are raising alarm over a sharp drop in web traffic, blaming AI Overviews Google’s AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results. These summaries, which answer users’ queries directly, often eliminate the need to click through to news websites.
One of the largest UK publishing groups, Reach owner of The Mirror and Daily Express has noticed declining page visits on stories that previously performed well. The company points to Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) as a major factor behind the loss.
What Are AI Overviews?
AI Overviews are short, conversational summaries that appear at the top of Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). They provide quick answers to user queries, often pulling data from publisher websites without requiring the user to visit them.
“Now with Google Overviews, it’s reducing the need for somebody to click through to us in the first place,” says David Higgerson, chief digital publisher at Reach. “But there’s no financial benefit for the publisher.”
DMG Media, which owns MailOnline and Metro, claimed in a July submission to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that click-through rates have fallen by up to 89% due to AI summaries.
Industry-Wide Concern
Other publishers, like Bauer Media (home to Grazia and Empire), are monitoring similar trends. Though their traffic hasn’t yet dipped, SEO director Stuart Forrest believes it’s just a matter of time.
“We’re definitely entering an era of lower referral traffic from Google,” says Forrest. “As users become used to AI summaries, this will become a real challenge.”
Another worry is Google’s upcoming AI Mode, which presents search results in a chat-style interface with far fewer clickable links. Industry experts fear this could deal another blow to news traffic.
Google Responds
Google has defended its AI features, saying they still drive “billions of clicks” to websites daily. In a blog post, Liz Reid, Google’s Head of Search, stated that overall click volumes remain “relatively stable” year-over-year, and that quality clicks (where users stay on a site) have even increased.
She argued that AI Overviews are encouraging users to ask more complex questions, resulting in more search queries and more chances for websites to appear.
Legal Complaints and Policy Pressure
In July 2025, a coalition including the Independent Publishers Alliance, Foxglove, and Movement for an Open Web filed a legal complaint with the CMA. The group accuses Google of misusing publisher content in AI summaries without compensation and has requested regulatory action.
Adapting to a New Search Landscape
Despite the challenges, publishers are looking for ways to adapt. “Google doesn’t give us a manual,” says Higgerson. “We test and optimise our headlines and copy to increase visibility in AI summaries.”
Some, like Reach, are also diversifying their traffic sources, building platforms on WhatsApp, email newsletters, and other direct audience channels.
“It’s all about meeting people where they are,” says Higgerson, “so next time they’re looking for news, they come straight to us not through a third party.”
