| Hey iwan, After 20 years inside Google, Liz Reid knows more about Search than almost anyone alive. She just gave The Wall Street Journal an interview about AI, traffic drops, and where Search is heading. And what she revealed completely contradicts what most SEO experts are saying right now. Here's what you need to know: 1. AI Overviews aren't killing Google's revenue (but they ARE changing user behavior) Liz Reid confirmed that ad revenue with AI Overviews has been "relatively stable." Here's why: some queries get fewer ad clicks, but AI Overviews cause people to search MORE overall. The math works like this: Most queries don't show ads anyway. Your "who's the parent of this celebrity" searches never had ads before;, they don't have ads now. Commercial queries still convert. If the ads are for shoes, you still need to buy the shoes. AI Overviews help with research, users still click through to purchase. Lower barriers increase search volume. When people believe they can get answers quickly and reliably, they ask more questions overall. Google Lens proved this model. Users now photograph things they'd never have bothered describing with text. Those extra searches compensate for lower click-through rates. The lesson: AI Overviews reduce friction, which increases total search volume, which balances out the revenue equation. 2. The REAL reason your traffic is down (and it's not AI) Liz Reid said publishers are seeing traffic drops because of a massive behavioral shift that's happening alongside AI. Users (especially younger ones) are going to: Short-form video instead of long articles Forums and user-generated content instead of traditional sites Podcasts instead of written content YouTube for cooking recipes instead of food blogs Google's algorithm updates are RESPONDING to this shift, not creating it. They're surfacing more of what users actually want, which means traditional long-form web content is losing ground. 3. Google is updating rankings to match where users actually go This isn't just about AI Overviews. Google runs user research, tests changes, watches how users actually behave, then adjusts the algorithm accordingly. Liz said: "We have to respond to who users want to hear from. We are in the business of both giving them high-quality information, but information that they seek out." Translation: If users prefer Reddit threads over your blog post, Google will rank the Reddit thread higher. Your content strategy needs to adapt to how people actually consume information now, not how they consumed it five years ago. 4. The types of content that survive AI Overviews Here's what Liz said gets clicks even when AI Overviews appear: Richer, deeper content that goes beyond surface-level information Content with unique human perspective and expertise Material from creators who bring real craft and time to their work Sources that users already trust and have relationships with Google is tracking "bounced clicks" where users click a result, immediately regret it, and go back. AI Overviews reduce bounced clicks because they filter out the surface-level content that doesn't add value beyond what the AI already summarized. 5. Inline links are becoming the new citation model Google is adding more inline links within AI Overviews. According to Liz: "We could say, 'According to Bold Names, here's what they have to say,' and then click-through out. Building both the brand as well as the click-through." This is your opportunity. Being cited with inline links means: Your brand gets visibility even without the click Users see you positioned as the authoritative source You build brand recognition that drives direct visits later Position your content to be THE definitive source on specific topics, not just another page covering the same information. 6. The dead internet problem (and why Google cares) When asked about "dead internet theory", where most content becomes AI-generated garbage, Liz acknowledged it's a real concern. But here's what Google is doing about it: Prioritizing content from human perspective and expertise Filtering out "AI slop" that doesn't add value beyond what AI already provides Upweighting content from creators who bring unique insights and real craft She confirmed that Google wants to surface content that shows real human expertise, not recycled AI summaries. 7. How AI actually helps niche creators win This part surprised me. Liz explained that AI search enables more specific queries, which helps niche creators get discovered. Old search: "I want a dress for the wedding". New AI search: "I want a dress for the wedding that is made by a merchant with the following values, and is also red, and is short..." That specificity helps Google connect users with niche merchants and creators who would never have ranked for generic terms. If you serve a specific audience with specific needs, AI search actually HELPS you get found by the right people. Your action plan: Based on everything Liz revealed: Create deeper, more valuable content than AI can summarize. Go beyond surface-level information that users can get from the Overview. Add unique human perspective and expertise. Share your testing results, your failures, your specific process. Adapt to how users actually consume information. If your audience prefers video, create video. If they want quick answers, provide them. Build brand recognition and trust. Being known matters more when users can't distinguish between sources in AI responses. Focus on specific, niche topics where you can be the definitive authority. Generic coverage gets buried. The publishers who survive this shift won't be the ones fighting AI summaries. They'll be the ones creating content so valuable that users WANT to click through even after reading the AI summary. Not sure if your site is ready for what's coming? I'll show you exactly where you stand in AI answers and what needs to change. Get your free AI visibility audit here To your continued success, Matt Diggity
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30 N Gould St, Ste #4000, Sheridan WY 82801 USA 
30 N Gould St, Ste #4000, Sheridan WY 82801 USA