According to a new report, Google's AI overview feature significantly increased the frequency of “zero clicks” searching for queries.
According to the latest figures from digital intelligence companies, since the Big Tech giant deployed artificial intelligence tools in May 2024, the percentage of news-related web searches without clicking on news sites jumped to 69% from 56% in the same month last year.
The decline in “click-through rates” has led to overall organic traffic to news sites (usually coming through Google's dominant search engines), sinking to less than 1.7 billion visits, from a peak of over 2.3 billion in mid-2024.
The numbers were first reported by TechCrunch.
Earlier this week, Simarweb released data showing that 37 of the 37 news domains from the previous year had declined year-on-year since the launch of the AI overview.
A Google spokesperson introduced the post to a comment that he provided about the news site's plunging web traffic when he contacted him about the latest Simerweb data.
“We've seen a lot of inaccurate claims about traffic from searches based on speculative or incomplete information, suspicious methodologies, or data prior to AI overview,” the representative said.
The spokesman added, “The new AI experience in search allows people to ask more questions and create new opportunities for businesses and content to be discovered.”
Google is facing a prospect of disbanding after the judge named the company “monopoly” after determining that it violated federal antitrust laws to build a dominant hold on the online search market. A verdict on treatment is expected next month.
The surge in “zero clicks” completely bypasses traditional publishers and highlights how users consume news directly through AI-generated summaries.
It lands high in Google search page results and uses traditional SEO strategies, so news publishers are no longer being offered the same value, the Simorweb report says.
“There are few solutions to the news publishers' crisis,” the report said.
Even the rise of Openai's ChatGpt, which is becoming a more popular source of news content, has not compensated for a sharp drop in traffic from Google, according to data from SimaryWeb.
From January to May 2024, ChatGPT was introduced to the News site with just under 1 million. That number jumped to over 25 million in 2025.
The report, entitled “AI is rapidly changing the way people consume news,” also highlights the gap in how different news outlets carry under a new AI-driven referral ecosystem.
On Reuters, ChatGPT referral traffic rose 8.9% year-on-year, followed by the New York Post 7.1% and Business Insider 6.5%.
Last year, Post's parent companies, News Corp and Openai, collided with a five-year, groundbreaking $250 million deal. It provided Sam Altman-led startup access to current and archived content from MediaGiant publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Sun and the Times (UK).
According to the Sirseweb report, topics such as stocks, finance and sports make up the majority of ChatGPT's news-related prompts. However, interest in subjects such as politics, economics and weather is also growing.
Similar web reports suggest that this trend could indicate a shift in users from seeking “reactive information” to deeper “problem-driven engagement” through AI tools.
According to SimaryWeb, using the ChatGPT app has more than doubled in the past six months.
In response to pressure from the publishing department, Google recently introduced a tool called Opherwall for publishers using Google Ad Manager.
The service allows publishers to test monetization options beyond traditional ad-driven models, such as offering micropayments and encouraging users to subscribe to newsletters and access content.
According to Google, the offerwall screen will be customized by the publisher.
Many outlets are beginning to experiment with different forms of monetization, including more aggressive paywalls.
Still, the media industry was a fierce hit with layoffs.
In a recent interview with the New York Times' “Hard Folk” podcast, Altman acknowledged the growing economic pressure brought on by the rapid adoption of AI.
“I think there are areas where there are some jobs out, or maybe there's an entire category of jobs that leave,” Altman said.
“And even if it's good for society and the economy as a whole, the work that disappears is very painful and very painful – in that moment, there is often real pain.”
This post is being asked for comment from Openai.
