Google's AI search summaries are reducing website clicks, study finds

Google's AI-generated search summaries, part of its 'AI Overviews' feature, are significantly decreasing click-through rates to external websites, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, a US-based think tank.

The research, based on 900 US adults' search behaviours, reveals that users click on traditional website links just 8% of the time when these AI overviews appear, which is nearly half the 15% click-through rate for standard search results. 

The study, conducted on March 2025, revealed these key findings:  

• Only 1% of users clicked on sources cited within AI summaries themselves  
• 26% ended their browsing session entirely after seeing an AI summary (vs 16% for regular results)  
• AI summaries appear in 18% of searches overall, but much more frequently for:  
  - Long queries (53% for 10+ words vs 8% for 1-2 words)  
  - Questions (60% when starting with "who," "what," etc.)  
  - Full sentences (36% when containing both nouns and verbs)  

According to the study, Wikipedia, YouTube, and Reddit dominate as sources, appearing in 15% of AI summaries and 17% of standard results. Government websites appear more in summaries (6% vs 2%), while news sites maintain equal presence (5%). Most summaries (88%) cite three or more sources and average 67 words, though lengths vary widely.  

The findings help explain publishers' complaints about declining traffic, as AI answers appear to be replacing website visits, suggests the study. With 58% of users encountering at least one summary during the study period, the research also suggests that Google Search's AI integration is fundamentally reshaping online information consumption habits.