As Google AI Takes Over Search, News Sites Lose Clicks and Cut Jobs
According to a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday, publishers are reporting major declines in referral traffic as Google's AI Overviews and chatbot features increasingly serve answers directly to users eliminating the need to click on search results.
The shift from a search engine to an answer engine is real, said The Atlantic's CEO Nicholas Thompson, who added that media companies now have to explore new approaches to stay relevant.
Data from analytics firm Similarweb, cited in the report, shows steep drops in organic search traffic across major publishers:
HuffPost's desktop and mobile traffic more than halved in the past three years.
The Washington Post saw nearly the same level of decline.
Business Insider reported a 55% drop and recently laid off 21% of its workforce.
The New York Times saw its share of organic search traffic shrink to 36.5% in April 2025, down from almost 44% in 2022.
Although The Wall Street Journal's search traffic rose in raw numbers, its share of total traffic dipped to 24% from 29% over the same period.
WaPo CEO William Lewis warned that click-free search answers represent a serious threat to journalism.
Beyond news, Google's AI tools have also dented traffic to travel guides, health information, and product review pages. The report notes that Google's upcoming AI Mode could hit even harder.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Linde (LIN) a Safe Bet for Dividend Investors Seeking Industrial Exposure?
Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is included among the Top 10 Safest Dividend Stocks in the UK. A scientist in a lab coat inspecting a cylinder filled with industrial gas. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) has created a range of technologies aimed at efficiently compressing and safely refueling hydrogen, along with solutions that help reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen through carbon capture and storage methods. In June 2025, Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) entered into a long-term deal to provide industrial gases to a low-carbon ammonia plant in Louisiana. The upcoming $400 million on-site facility will enhance Linde's existing hydrogen and syngas network in the area. In the first quarter of 2025, Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) reported revenue of $8.1 billion, up 1% from the same period last year. The company generated $2.2 billion in operating cash flow, marking an 11% increase compared to the previous year. After accounting for $1.27 billion in capital expenditures, its free cash flow stood at $891 million. Over the course of the quarter, it returned $1.808 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, after offsetting any new stock issuances. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) currently offers a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, having raised it by 8% in February this year. Through this increase, the company stretched its dividend growth streak to 32 years, which makes it one of the best FTSE dividend stocks. LIN offers a dividend yield of 1.27%, as of July 25. While we acknowledge the potential of LIN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AstraZeneca's (AZN) Dividend: Resilient, Predictable, and Built on Innovation
AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is included among the Top 10 Safest Dividend Stocks in the UK. A pharmacy worker distributing prescription medicines to patientsreceiving treatment for oncology, cardiovascular, renal, metabolism and respiratory diseases. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is well-positioned to handle upcoming patent expirations, thanks to a robust pipeline of drugs in development. By the close of the first quarter, the company had gained approval or label updates for roughly 13 treatments. Two of its most notable experimental drugs, AZD5004 and AZD6234, show potential in the weight management space. In total, the company is advancing nearly 200 research programs across its development pipeline. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) recently announced plans to invest $50 billion in the US by 2030. This initiative is expected to generate tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs nationwide. A key part of the investment includes the development of a new multi-billion-dollar manufacturing site in the US, which will focus on producing drug substances for its weight management and metabolic treatments—such as oral GLP-1, baxdrostat, oral PCSK9, and combination small molecule therapies. This commitment comes on top of the $3.5 billion investment the company revealed in November 2024. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is a solid dividend payer, as it has paid uninterrupted dividends to shareholders for the past 32 years. The company offers an interim dividend of $1.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.13%, as of July 25. While we acknowledge the potential of AZN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
AstraZeneca's (AZN) Dividend: Resilient, Predictable, and Built on Innovation
AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is included among the Top 10 Safest Dividend Stocks in the UK. A pharmacy worker distributing prescription medicines to patientsreceiving treatment for oncology, cardiovascular, renal, metabolism and respiratory diseases. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is well-positioned to handle upcoming patent expirations, thanks to a robust pipeline of drugs in development. By the close of the first quarter, the company had gained approval or label updates for roughly 13 treatments. Two of its most notable experimental drugs, AZD5004 and AZD6234, show potential in the weight management space. In total, the company is advancing nearly 200 research programs across its development pipeline. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) recently announced plans to invest $50 billion in the US by 2030. This initiative is expected to generate tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs nationwide. A key part of the investment includes the development of a new multi-billion-dollar manufacturing site in the US, which will focus on producing drug substances for its weight management and metabolic treatments—such as oral GLP-1, baxdrostat, oral PCSK9, and combination small molecule therapies. This commitment comes on top of the $3.5 billion investment the company revealed in November 2024. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is a solid dividend payer, as it has paid uninterrupted dividends to shareholders for the past 32 years. The company offers an interim dividend of $1.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.13%, as of July 25. While we acknowledge the potential of AZN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
