"Advertising's AI revolution had the sell side in an existential crisis at AdMonsters' Sell Side Summit in Austin, Texas, this week. Publishers commiserated about traffic declines of 30% or higher since AI search tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews hit the market. To put the traffic problem in perspective, sports-focused publisher On3 impressed attendees by sharing that its audience growth this year was flat compared to last year."
"A common refrain at the event was that search traffic is gone, and it's not coming back. The numbers bear that argument out: For search queries that feature a Google AI Overview, organic click-through rates have fallen 61% since mid-2024 and paid click-throughs have dropped 68%, according to Seer Interactive. The best path forward in the AI search era, according to McCarthy, is for publishers to try and "maintain" the web page business while diversifying into other areas."
AI-driven search tools have sharply reduced publisher site traffic, with many reporting declines of 30% or more and some outlets showing flat year-over-year audience growth. For queries featuring Google AI Overviews, organic click-through rates fell 61% and paid click-throughs dropped 68%. Web pages face the risk of declining relevance. Publishers are pursuing a two-track approach: attempting to maintain web page operations while diversifying into data-driven and contextual offerings. Audience data is positioned as a strategic asset for automated advertising. Contextual targeting platforms use AI to reveal engagement patterns and improve ad relevance and effectiveness.
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