Once upon a time, when you made a search on Google, you were presented with a list of websites. You clicked on one of those blue links to visit the website and get the information you needed.
However, Google is now answering questions directly within its search results page through features such as direct answers, featured snippets, People Also Ask questions and, more recently, AI Overviews.
This means that users don’t always need to click through to another website to find what they’re looking for.
This has contributed to an increase in zero-click searches, where a user finds the information they need without clicking a link.
As a result, Google can still show a website prominently within its search results while sending fewer people through to that website.
Why are people clicking on fewer websites?
One of the biggest reasons that people are clicking on fewer websites is the introduction of AI Overviews.
This feature presents users with detailed, AI (artificial intelligence)-generated answers to their search queries directly on the results page. This can limit the need for users to navigate through to another website.
For example, somebody searching for “how to make apple pie” may have previously clicked on a recipe by Good Food or the BBC.
As Google now displays an AI-generated answer including ingredients and instructions, users may have no reason to visit a website in search of this information.
This is particularly relevant for informational searches, where somebody is looking for advice, guidance or a specific answer to a question, such as “how often should I service my boiler?”.
What does this mean for website traffic?
For website owners, this can mean fewer clicks from Google, even when search visibility remains strong.
A page may still rank well within the search results, appear in a featured snippet or even be used as a source within an AI-generated answer, but receive fewer clicks because the user has already found the information they need.
This means that a website may experience a drop in traffic, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the site is performing poorly.
In many cases, rankings and visibility may remain stable, while the number of people clicking through to a website declines.
Curious to know how changes to Google Search are impacting your website? Get in touch with the team at Engage Web today to find out how we can help improve your online visibility.
- Is Google sending fewer people to websites? - August 19, 2026
- Google Search Console introduces new generative AI visibility report - July 22, 2026
- Google Search Console adds social and video content tracking - July 21, 2026
