Google’s AI search is changing traffic forever — here’s what brands need to know

As Google shifts from search engine to “answer engine,” both publishers and ecommerce operators are being forced to adapt.

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AI Overviews are shaking up search — and it’s just the beginning

In case you missed it: Google’s new AI-powered search experience is reshaping how users find information — and who gets traffic.

The biggest shift? Users are getting answers directly from Google, rather than clicking on the classic “10 blue links.” That means fewer referrals for publishers, less visibility for brand content, and a new SEO game for everyone in ecommerce.

Here’s what we know:

• Google rolled out AI Overviews in 2024 and AI Mode in May 2025 — a chatbot-style experience for search queries
• Publishers report sharp traffic declines:
  • Business Insider down 55% in 3 years
  • HuffPost and Washington Post each lost ~50%
  • NYT saw a 17% drop in organic share, now at 36.5%

The change isn’t just impacting news. Travel guides, health content, and product reviews are all getting less traffic, because users don’t need to click when the AI summarizes everything up top.

Google’s evolving role: from search engine to smart assistant

Google says these AI tools enhance the user experience — and to be fair, they do.

In many cases, AI Overviews offer faster, more helpful answers than traditional search. Google’s position is that these tools unlock new types of queries and increase discovery, even if traffic patterns are changing. As a company spokesperson put it:

“Every day, we send billions of clicks to websites… new experiences like AI Overviews and AI Mode expand the types of questions people can ask.”

But not everyone is convinced. Critics — including the News Media Alliance — argue that the shift to AI summaries erodes the open web and undermines content creators. Their concern? That AI answers are often built on scraped content, with no clear compensation or link-back.

Why this matters for ecommerce brands

Even if you’re not a news publisher, the implications are big.

Your product pages, blog posts, and reviews are all part of the same content layer Google is summarizing. That means:

• You may show up in the answer, but not get the click
• Your brand might be visible — or it might be anonymized in a multi-source AI result
• Traditional SEO tactics (backlinks, long-form content, meta descriptions) are less reliable

This isn’t just about lost traffic. It’s about lost control of the customer journey.

Operators: don’t panic — pivot

The AI shift isn’t going away. So the smartest brands are asking: how do we adapt?

✅ Audit your AI presence
Search your top queries in AI Mode and Gemini. See how your brand appears — if at all.

✅ Double down on owned channels
Email, SMS, and direct traffic matter more than ever. Don’t rely solely on search.

✅ Invest in structured data and product feeds
Make your content machine-readable. Google and AI agents favor clean, structured inputs.

✅ Experiment with agent ecosystems
As platforms evolve, some may offer paid inclusion or co-op models. Be ready to test.

The big picture: AI is the new front door

Think of this like the mobile shift all over again. When smartphones took over, brands had to rethink UX, ads, and conversion paths. Now, AI is forcing a new evolution — from website-first to answer-first.

That doesn’t mean SEO is dead. It means the rules are changing.

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So what?

Google isn’t trying to destroy publishers — it’s trying to stay ahead of how people search. But in doing so, it’s upending the ecosystem.

Operators who treat this as a wake-up call, not a death sentence, will have the edge.

The game hasn’t ended. It just moved into a new arena.