Defining the algorithm or desperate to survive it - what the rise of AI Overview means for publishers, brands and businesses

Picture this: You’re the proud owner of a successful news brand. A thriving title steeped in heritage. You’ve poured your heart and soul into building a strong online presence, and as a result your digital authority is unshakeable.  

Your readers trust you blindly. Your content aligns with just about everything they care about. You’ve mastered the algorithm. Years of wicked smart marketing, authentic content creation, intelligent backlink strategies and meticulous technical optimisation have been the cogs in the well-oiled machine of your digital operations.

Then suddenly, your happy little corner of the internet is crushed beneath the metaphorical boot of Google AI Overview, a tool designed to simplify search for consumers with potentially devastating consequences for businesses, as it skews the algorithm brands have spent years striving to satisfy. 

Businesses have long been asking how they can adapt to master algorithms, appearing front-and-centre for those genuinely interested in their offering. Now, in what for many feels like an insurmountable twist of irony, they’re looking for ways to protect themselves from it in a shift that could define the future of search. 

A new study has claimed that sites previously ranking first in Google search can lose 79% of traffic if results appear below Google Overview. 

Various news publishers have reported significant declines in traffic and click-through rates due to AI-generated summaries, while a second study showed a massive hit to referral traffic from Google AI Overviews. 

A month-long survey of almost 69,000 Google searches found users only clicked a link under an AI summary once in every 100 times. 

AI Overviews are already making up 20-30% of searches, and UK publishers have already reported feeling the effects. MailOnline Executive, Carly Steven, reported the site was experiencing a “large drop in clicks from search results featuring an AI summary”, with clickthrough rates dropping by a massive 51% on the desktop site, and around 48% on mobile devices. 

For some publishers, losing traffic on such an enormous scale could mark the beginning of the end for their platform. 

The CMA Consultation - what’s actually at stake? 

In what has been described as a ‘crucial intervention’ to protect publishers, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed a set of new rules requiring Google to allow news websites and publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI Overviews and training, without suffering any penalties in pre-AI search rankings. 

At the heart of the issue is the CMAs desire to give publishers more control, choice and transparency over how their lovingly-curated content is used in AI features, which currently synthesise surface level content in brief summary, with no guarantees of directing any meaningful traffic back to original sources. 

The benefits for challenger brands 

While challengers are often the unsuspecting pocket rocket, they sometimes lack the negotiating power of larger publishers when it comes to the specifics of how platforms utilise their content. The proposals set out by the CMA would allow challengers authority over whether or not AI features include or summarise their material, potentially protecting content from being repurposed without consent. 

For challengers, who we strive to supercharge and futureproof here at Democracy, these new rules could level the playing field and provide exciting opportunities to compete on their own terms - not by being forced into formats that privilege larger sites, or overtly paid-for content. It would ensure meaningful brand engagement, rather than a sole dependency upon superficial search snippets that barely skim the surface, and certainly don’t tell the full story. 

The bigger picture 

AI Overview may well be cause for concern for some publishers, but it isn’t the only factor in the reported drop off in traffic directed by Google. 

Google has been the master of search engines for as long as many of us can remember. Whether you’re trying to self-diagnose (against all better judgement), prove yourself right in an argument with your significant other or confirm where you recognise that familiar face on telly from, we’re all accustomed to ‘just Googling it’. 

But while Google remains the dominant search engine in the UK, with more than 93% of the market share still relying on it, a significant number of internet users have begun to consult ChatGPT as an alternative when information gathering. 

In July 2025, approximately 15.1 million people in the UK were using the LLM. By August, the platform welcomed 252 million visits. 

Surveys indicate 13% of UK consumers prefer AI tools such as ChatGPT in place of traditional search engines, with the number higher among younger demographics. Its growth is not to be underestimated. 

Would publishers actually opt out of AI Overview? 

An SEJ report suggests that only a third of publishers would actually choose to block Google’s AI features, including AI Overviews. 

Some 42% said they definitely wouldn’t - which begs the question: Just how concerned can publishers actually be about dwindling traffic to their sites, and would they be content with having their data featured in the overview alone? 

As of early 2026, the dedicated Google Gemini app reported more than 650 million monthly active users, with an estimated 2 billion people using the Gemini-powered AI Overview in Google Search every month. 

Democracy PR: Helping you to thrive in the age of AI 

Whether you’re excited by the possibilities of AI, or terrified - AI Overview has undoubtedly levelled the playing field, and for publishers, brands and businesses striving to get on top of the rankings, it’s all to play for. 

Here at Democracy, we thrive on supercharging challengers. We’re ahead of the game in understanding how AI impacts visibility for our clients, empowering them to understand the ways PR drives awareness, traffic and conversations - helping their growth to skyrocket. 

We have developed our in-house AI Authority Test to support brands and businesses in assessing their readiness for the future - and we’re ready and waiting to help you succeed in the age of AI.