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Quality Clicks: Google Rebuts Its Critics Sans Data
GLOBAL INTERNET ECOSYSTEM, AUG 6 – Google search chief Liz Reid says total organic click volume has stayed relatively stable year-over-year despite external reports of traffic drops linked to AI-generated search features.
- On Wednesday, Google denied that its AI search features are impacting website traffic, with Liz Reid asserting organic clicks remained 'relatively stable' and quality increased over the past year.
- Recently, Pew Research found a drop in click activity during search sessions when AI Overviews are present, and Business Insider saw a 55% traffic decline from April 2022 to April 2025.
- Reid counters that Google rejects external findings, citing a 357% jump in AI referrals since June 2024 and rising search volumes.
- Recently, Google launched a product for publishers to monetize dwindling traffic via micropayments or newsletter sign-ups and urged focus on click quality; AI Overviews are active in around 20% of desktop searches.
- Experts say the traditional search landscape is undergoing a profound transformation as Google tests an AI-curated search results page and platform shifts favor TikTok, Instagram, Amazon, and Reddit.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Quality Clicks: Google Rebuts Its Critics Sans Data
Google disputes claims its AI Overviews reduce search traffic, citing stable “quality clicks,” but publishers, researchers, and SEO experts present data showing major click declines, accusing Google of deflecting blame and shifting burdens onto content creators.
Google told to 'stop the BS' as it claims AI has not harmed website clickthroughs
Google’s head of search has claimed that the platform is seeing “slightly more quality clicks to websites than a year ago” following the launch of AI Overviews. In response multiple SEO experts have pointed out that many websites are seeing declines in traffic as documented by the Google Search Console measurement tool, and that there are various surveys showing a drop in clickthroughs. They also contended that any overall stability or growth in…
Despite the organic volume of clicks, Google ensures that the average quality clicks, when a person stays on the same page for some time, has grown.
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