Reddit Reports Falling Search Referrals and Blames Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
TLDR
Reddit says its search referrals are falling, with its CEO pointing to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, and is testing a login-only mode.
What this means for your site
- Status
- Test
- Platform
- Affects
- login-only mode
- Who
- Not specified in the source
- Effective
- Not specified in the source
- Action needed
- Not specified in the source
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
Reddit's CEO says search referrals to the platform are declining and points to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, saying AI Mode 'does not drive traffic.' Reddit is also testing a login-only mode, as Search Engine Journal reports.
How we got here
On September 21, new research found that Google's AI Mode reduces organic click-through rates and produces a poor user experience for searchers. On October 30, a small new study put the click-through rate from Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode at about 0.9%, and found that opting out of generative AI results also reduces clicks in the main web results. Now, Reddit says its search referrals are falling, with its CEO pointing to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, and is testing a login-only mode.
Summary of earlier coverage
- Oct 30Study Puts Google AI Overviews and AI Mode Click-Through Rate at 0.9%
A new small study puts the click-through rate from Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode at about 0.9%, and finds that opting out of generative AI results also reduces clicks in the main web results.
- Oct 28Google Search Revenue Growth Slows for a Second Straight Quarter
Google said Search revenue growth slowed for a second consecutive quarter, citing lower AI Mode monetization as one reason.
- Sep 25Google's AI Overviews route links to both websites and AI Mode, tracked separately in Search Console
Google's AI Overview links lead either to external websites or to its own AI Mode feature, and Search Console tracks these two traffic sources separately.
- Sep 21Research finds Google's AI mode reduces click-through rates and delivers poor user experience
New research indicates Google's AI mode reduces organic click-through rates and produces a poor user experience for searchers.