Google’s rollout of AI Overviews has generated a lot of buzz, especially among publishers and content creators. Despite the concerns, two major publishers – Dotdash Meredith and Ziff Davis—report that these AI overviews haven’t significantly affected their website traffic, at least for now.
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Dotdash Meredith’s Experience
Dotdash Meredith, owned by IAC, shared in their Q2 2024 shareholder letter that the impact on their traffic has been “negligible.”
- Traffic Sources: Less than half of their traffic comes from Google search queries.
- AI Overview Frequency: AI-generated answers appear in about 15% of searches within their key categories, like Health, Technology, and Finance.
- Click-Through Rates: The difference in click-through rates between pages with and without AI Overviews has been minor. However, they caution that this could change as Google continues to update its features.
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Ziff Davis’s Perspective
Ziff Davis has seen a similar trend. CEO Vivek Shah discussed this during the company’s earnings call:
- AI Overview Appearance: Their analysis showed that AI Overviews appeared in only 8% of important queries, leaving 92% of search results without AI Overviews.
- Impact: So far, Shah noted that they don’t see AI Overviews as causing a “significant change” in the search experience.
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It’s Still Early
While the impact seems minimal right now, it’s important to remember that Google’s rollout of AI Overviews has been limited. BrightEdge research shows that AI Overviews appeared in only 7% of queries by the end of July, peaking at 15% in May.
Though publishers like Ziff Davis may not see AI overviews as a significant change yet, it’s worth noting that Google has made it clear that search is moving more towards AI-driven experiences.
