"AI-driven search is upending traditional information pathways and putting the heat on businesses and organizations facing a web traffic free-fall. Survival instincts have companies scrambling to shift their web strategies - perhaps ending the days of the open internet as we know it. After decades of pursuing web-optimization strategies that encouraged high-volume content generation, many businesses are now feeling that their content-marketing strategies might be backfiring."
"Following the release of Google's Search Generative Experience two years ago, websites saw their web traffic dip by as much as 56%, according to Search Engine Land, while others reported figures as high as 60%. Meanwhile, the number of news-related searches on ChatGPT grew by 212% in the last 18 months, according to a Similarweb report. Without the incentive of web clicks and ad revenue to drive content creation, the foundation of the web as a free and open entity is called into question."
AI-driven search is diverting user traffic away from original websites, producing substantial declines in page views and ad revenue. Businesses that relied on high-volume, SEO-driven content now see those strategies backfiring as AI models use high-value content for training. Reported web traffic drops range up to roughly 56–60%, while news-related searches on AI chat interfaces rose dramatically, for example by 212% on ChatGPT. The loss of click-based incentives threatens the economic rationale for keeping content openly accessible, prompting companies to reconsider web strategies and potentially restrict content access.
Read at Kiplinger
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