Will Google AI Search hurt websites?

Probably yes for many websites, but not equally for all of them. Google’s AI Overviews can answer some queries directly on the results page, which often reduces clicks to external sites and can contribute to more zero-click searches. That said, the size of the impact varies a lot by query, intent, and site type, so it’s not accurate to say all sites will be hurt in the same way.

The impact is usually strongest for sites that depend on straightforward informational content that can be easily summarized. Sites with original reporting, unique analysis, tools, community, local intent, or transactional content often hold up better. In some cases, being cited as a source in an AI Overview may still send useful, highly qualified traffic, but that effect is not guaranteed and can vary by query.