Digiday reported that a Google spokesperson told them they made link updates to AI Overviews in May 2024 that added more links and made it easier for searchers to click on links. But I don't think that is true, that didn't come until August 2024, and did they really help drive clicks to your sites?
Plus, Google said it knows people spend more time on your site after clicking from an AI Overview than a normal search result. How the heck does Google know this?
Here is the full content from the Digiday report:
A Google spokesperson said Google has made updates since AI Overviews went live last May to add more links and make it easier for people to click those links and visit sites. Those changes include adding in-line links and a right-hand display on desktop that shows links when previously they would have appeared at the bottom of the AI Overviews feature. The spokesperson also said people who click from search result pages with AI Overviews spend more time on those sites. Google did not provide data to back this up.“AI Overviews are one of our most popular Search features, making it easier for people to find information, and opening up new opportunities for people to connect with creators and businesses on the web. Google sends billions of clicks to sites across the web every day; as we evolve our products with new AI experiences, we intend for this long-established value exchange with websites to continue,” the Google spokesperson said.
I spotted this via Glenn Gabe on X who wrote, "Yep, which is why a filter or separate report in GSC would be helpful :) And now there's AI Mode (which I just covered in my last post) -> Publishers don’t really know how Google AI Overviews is impacting their referral traffic.
Now, Google did do a big update to the AI Overviews in May which we called the Ray update but that was not about the links Google showed, it was to fix the disaster of the quality of those AI Overviews. It wasn't until only later that Google pushed out an official link update to AI Overviews and that was mid-August, not May. Those were only being tested in in July and didn't become official until August. Those anchor text based AI Overview links were even later, in November 2024.
So something is off here...
The second point, as Glenn Gabe noted, "BTW, interesting comment from Google: "...people who click from pages w/AI overviews spend more time on those sites...""
How does Google know people spend more time on sites from clicks from AI Overviews? Does Google track people after they click off the results and onto sites? Is Google uses GA data for this? Google has said countless times over the years they don't use this data - so how does Google know?
Yea, and the final point, as Gianluca Fiorelli noted and countless of us said before, the proof is in the pudding - show us this data in Google Search Console and stop hiding it. Show us the click through rates from AI Overviews to our sites instead of telling us it is good, show us with real data it is good.
Yes. We need to be provided with data on GSC. believing to what a Googler says with other things to prove it than his words is valid as me saying that I’m 6,3’ tall, blond, blue eyes and the secret brother of Brad Pitt. https://t.co/4uh2AXWFPe
— Gianluca Fiorelli (@gfiorelli1) March 14, 2025
Forum discussion at X.
