A Pew Research Center report from last month highlighted how Google’s AI Overviews affect web publishing. In essence, the results offered a bleak prognosis for web traffic-dependent individuals. But on Wednesday, Liz Reid, head of Google Search, wrote a blog post with a very different viewpoint. According to the Google VP, traffic from search engines to websites is relatively stable, and the quality of clicks has increased.
Reid views life mostly as good, and artificial intelligence is improving safety shakeups even for websites. She observed that year-over-year, the total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has been relatively constant. Moreover, Reid reported, Google is sending more quality clicks, visitors who don’t promptly leave, to websites than it did the year before. The firm also argues that consumers are happier with their search results.
Google AI Overview’s new data lacks any supporting statistics to support its claims, but the firm offers no numerical evidence. Google’s reasoning for this upbeat view is said to be, “With AI Overviews, people are looking more and asking fresh queries that tend to be longer and more complex,” said Reid. “Moreover, with AI Overviews, people are running upon more links on the page than they were before. More searches and links mean more possibilities for websites to be found and clicked on.”
Reid does note a changing surroundings. She notes that certain sites are seeing lower traffic as a result of user behavior, while other sites are seeing boosted traffic. Naturally, the head of Google Search avoided mentioning any particular websites. She claims that forums, videos, podcasts, and content with authentic voices and first-hand perspectives are growing despite all. Reid stressed that material like a comprehensive review, a unique article, a distinct viewpoint, or a thoughtful first-person study usually performs well.According to Elizabeth Reid, the Google VP said that people looking for basic Q&A kinds of questions are increasingly depending on artificial intelligence.
