How AI Affecting Google Search? Case Study : Online Publishers Yearly Traffic Down 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a game-changer in the digital ecosystem, and its impact on Google Search is now impossible to ignore.

In 2025, online publishers worldwide report significant drops in organic traffic, raising questions about how AI-driven changes in search are reshaping the media industry.

AI-Powered Search Shifts User Behavior

The integration of AI-generated answers in Google Search or Google AI Overview (Google AIO), particularly through its Search Generative Experience (SGE), has transformed how users consume information. Instead of clicking through to publishers’ websites, many users now find direct answers on Google’s search results page.

A 2025 case study by several SEO analytics firms shows a 20% to 40% traffic drop for mid-sized publishers. Larger news organizations report even sharper declines in certain content categories, particularly evergreen explainers, health, finance, and tech guides.

“Google’s AI is solving queries within the search page itself, reducing click-through rates for publishers,” explained a digital marketing analyst. “This is the biggest shift since the introduction of featured snippets.”

Case Study 2025: Yearly Traffic Down

Data from SE Ranking and Similarweb indicate that across 2025, average yearly organic traffic for news and blog publishers dropped by 27% compared to 2024. This marks one of the steepest declines in the past decade.

Here is data from Similarweb about traffic of online publishers in Indonesia in 2025:

From top 10 on news portals or publishers in Indonesia, only Tempo whose traffic (visitors) are positive yearly in 2025. Tempo’s traffic grow +7.13% in June-August 2025 vs 2024. The other 9 are experiencing traffic decline.

Publishers’ content who are affected significantly by AI are the evergreen content. But for breaking or current issue news, Google search are still dominated by publishers.

Evergreen content like tips and tricks, how to, lifestyle content, etc are dominated by Google AI overview. For example, keyword in Indonesian language “cara beli saham” is dominated by Google AI overview in the search result page.

Before AI overview implemented in Google search, publishers compete to win the evergreen keywords. So, the users will click and enter the website. With AI show the answers directly in Google search page result, the users don’t need to click and enter the websites to get answers.

“AI integration in search is not just a challenge, it’s a paradigm shift,” said one publishing executive. “Publishers must rethink their content strategies to stay relevant.”

Online Publishers Feel the Impact

For online publishers, the decline in traffic is not just a matter of visibility but also revenue. Many rely heavily on advertising impressions and affiliate clicks. With fewer users reaching their sites, ad revenue and conversions are taking a hit.

Smaller publishers, who depend primarily on organic search, are struggling the most. Some report cutting editorial staff or shifting their strategies to focus on social media and newsletters. Meanwhile, larger media companies are experimenting with paywalls, subscription models, and partnerships with AI platforms to maintain sustainability.

SEO Strategies in the AI Era

Experts suggest that publishers must adapt by focusing on EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) signals, which Google emphasizes in ranking content. Articles with strong expert contributions, in-depth analysis, and credible sourcing are more likely to survive in an AI-driven search landscape.

Tempo proves that Google AI overview doesn’t affect the traffic. Tempo is the only publishers whose yearly traffic in 2025 is positive. The other experience the opposite.

Tempo as a publisher has a program named Bocor Alus Politik which are the most awaited channel every week. The show discuss political issues from their connection which are not known by public. The show often creates a lot of crowds and debates in social media especially when issue are very controversial and confidental.

Additionally, building direct audience relationships is becoming crucial. Publishers are investing in community platforms, podcasts, and video content to reduce dependency on Google traffic.

The Road Ahead

While AI brings efficiency to users, it creates structural challenges for online publishers who form the backbone of digital information. The debate now centers on whether Google’s AI-driven search model can coexist with a sustainable publishing industry—or if new regulations and partnerships will be required.