Significant Decline in Click-Through Rates Due to AI Summaries

The Daily Mail has observed a sharp decrease in click-through rates (CTR) when Google’s AI-generated summaries, known as AI Overviews, appear in search results. Carly Steven, the Daily Mail’s SEO and editorial ecommerce director, revealed that CTRs drop by approximately 80-90% when these AI Overviews are triggered, compared to when they are absent-even when the Daily Mail holds the top spot on Google’s search page.

This represents a steep fall from the publication’s usual average CTR of 56%. Despite this alarming figure, Steven emphasized at the Digiday Publishing Summit Europe in October 2025 that the overall impact on Daily Mail’s traffic remains manageable. AI Overviews tend to appear for a limited set of keywords, many of which are not central to the Daily Mail’s core content strategy.

Why AI Overviews Have Limited Impact on Breaking News

AI Overviews rarely surface for breaking news queries. Steven explained that by the time an AI Overview is generated for a particular keyword, the news cycle has often progressed beyond that story, reducing the likelihood of significant traffic loss. She estimated that the overall traffic impact from AI Overviews on the Daily Mail is a low single-digit percentage.

Google’s Search Evolution and Its Effects on Publisher Visibility

Elizabeth Reid, Google’s VP of Search, has indicated that the Daily Mail has not experienced a notable increase in AI Overviews for its targeted keywords this year. However, the publisher remains vulnerable to Google’s evolving search algorithms and features. Steven pointed out that Google could expand AI Overview coverage and potentially make AI Mode the default search experience, which would further alter traffic patterns.

Additionally, Google’s search results now prioritize diverse content types such as videos, forums, and interactive modules, pushing traditional site links further down the page. This shift means that even when the Daily Mail ranks first for breaking news, it no longer enjoys the massive pageview spikes it once did.

Adapting to Changing User Behavior and Platform Competition

With users increasingly turning to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit for news and information, the Daily Mail has strategically focused on boosting direct traffic and revenue streams. Since launching its subscription service in 2018, the publisher aims to reach one million subscribers by 2028. Currently, over 60% of its traffic is direct, accounting for 75% of page views. According to Similarweb, the Daily Mail’s UK site attracted 210 million visits across desktop and mobile by October 2025.

Branded Searches Provide a Buffer Against Traffic Loss

A significant portion of the Daily Mail’s organic search traffic-over 60%-comes from branded searches, where users include “Daily Mail” alongside other keywords. This loyal audience base offers resilience against the disruptions caused by AI Overviews and other Google search changes.

Industry-Wide Challenges and Diversification Strategies

Other media companies are also quantifying the impact of Google AI Overviews. For instance, People Inc. recently reported that Google search drives 24% of its traffic, and AI Overviews have contributed to declines in programmatic advertising revenue. To mitigate these effects, many publishers are diversifying their traffic sources and revenue models.

Looking Ahead: Regulatory Oversight and Publisher Advocacy

Steven expressed cautious optimism about the potential role of regulators in addressing these challenges. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating Google’s content ranking practices, and the Daily Mail advocates for greater transparency, proper attribution, and a fairer value exchange between Google and publishers.

Rethinking SEO in the Age of AI Summaries

The Daily Mail’s SEO team does not actively optimize for AI platforms or tools, with Steven voicing skepticism about tactics like GEO (Google’s Entity Optimization). She emphasized that the era of relying heavily on click-driven traffic from search results is fading. Instead, publishers should view AI Overviews as opportunities to increase brand visibility rather than direct traffic drivers, acknowledging that users are less likely to click through from these AI-generated snippets.