Mail Online Loses 56% CTR as AI Overviews Slash Search Traffic
▼ Summary
– Mail Online’s click-through rate (CTR) drops by over half when AI Overviews appear in Google search results, even when ranking first.
– Desktop CTR falls from 13% to under 5%, and mobile CTR drops from 20% to 7% when AI Overviews are present.
– Google’s AI Overviews and potential AI Mode could further reduce referral traffic by providing answers directly on search results.
– Google claims AI Overviews don’t impact hard news queries, but Mail Online’s data contradicts this assertion.
– Mail Online’s search traffic has declined 19.5% year-over-year, prompting a focus on branded searches and unique content.
Mail Online’s search traffic has plummeted by 56% when AI Overviews appear in Google results, even when the publication holds the top organic ranking. New data reveals a dramatic shift in user behavior as searchers increasingly rely on Google’s AI-generated answers rather than clicking through to publisher websites.
Carly Steven, SEO and editorial ecommerce director for Mail Online, described the impact as “pretty shocking.” Internal metrics show that when AI Overviews appear alongside their top-ranking content:
- Desktop CTR drops from 13% to below 5%
- Mobile CTR falls from 20% to just 7%
Even when Mail Online is cited within an AI Overview—considered the best-case scenario—traffic still declines by 43.9% on desktop and 32.5% on mobile. Steven shared a striking example: for the query “Noor Alfallah news,” clicks plummeted from 6,000 to just 100 after an AI Overview appeared.
The situation could worsen if Google makes its AI Mode the default search experience. Steven warned that AI Mode provides such comprehensive answers that users may never click through to external sources. She pointed to a sample result about a missing teenager, packed with details and links, noting, “I don’t think anyone is going to be clicking on those links. It just answers it.”
Google maintains that AI Overviews don’t trigger for hard news queries and claims they enhance publisher value. However, Steven countered, “I don’t think the data proves that out.”
To mitigate losses, Steven advises publishers to focus on branded searches and unique content, such as opinion columns and live blogs. Queries like “Meghan Markle Daily Mail” remain strong because users specifically seek out the publication. Still, the broader trend is concerning—Mail Online’s overall traffic has dropped 19.5% year-over-year, and Steven predicts further declines.
“Search traffic is going to decline—I think that’s inevitable,” she said, challenging the notion that news content is immune to AI disruption. The shift underscores a critical challenge for publishers relying on organic search as Google reshapes how users access information.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
