Google AI overviews are affecting news publishers’ visibility in Google Search.
New research reveals that GoogleThe AI Overviews feature is having a significant impact on how news editors They appear in search results and could soon affect Indian audiences as well. AI-generated summaries are now being shown at the top of search results in the US, UK, India and other regions, raising concerns about how local publishers could be affected.
Google initially introduced AI summaries in May, but suspended the rollout due to several errors in AI-generated responses. Now, according to research by Authoritas, 17% of search queries in the UK and US include these AI summaries, especially for trending topics. This change is already affecting the visibility of well-known publishers.
For example, US-based Martha Stewart’s website used to rank #1 for the search “how to kill wasps,” but now an AI-generated summary takes the top spot. The original article is buried further down and is only visible after scrolling through several sponsored links.
The situation could get worse for Indian publishers, as Google accounts for a significant share of Indian media outlets’ web traffic, often generating between one-third and one-half of total site visits. AI Overviews’ design keeps users on Google’s platform for longer by offering a preview link rather than guiding them directly to the original source, thereby limiting traffic to publishers’ websites.
Laurence O’Toole, CEO of Authoritas, warns that as Google expands this feature to more countries and topics, including India, publishers could see a drastic drop in traffic. Organic search rankings, which many Indian publishers rely on, may be further affected, forcing them to rethink their SEO strategies.
As AI insights transform search results globally, Indian publishers will need to prepare for the potential disruption this new technology could bring to their visibility and revenue.
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