A decline in mobile searches is linked to Google’s AI summaries

According to research, Google’s introduction of AI summaries resulted in a drop in the amount of mobile searches, which prompted Google to reevaluate the function.

According to a new research by search guru Rand Fishkin, Google’s May rollout of AI summaries caused a notable decline in search traffic, particularly on mobile devices.

The report emphasizes the unexpected effect of integrating AI, having examined millions of searches in the US and EU.

AI Synopses: Overview and Retraction

Google launched AI summaries in the US in May 2024 to provide succinct responses to a variety of search inquiries.

By the end of the month, however, the functionality had been scaled down due to conflicting input.

Google acknowledged in a blog post on May 30 that certain AI summaries were unreliable or unhelpful, especially for less popular inquiries.

In order to resolve these difficulties, Google claimed to have made over a dozen technological fixes.

According to a follow-up analysis by SE Ranking, just 8% of searches included AI summaries, indicating a decline in their prevalence. The summaries that do appear, however, are considerably more in-depth and lengthy, averaging 25% more text.

Additionally, SE Ranking discovered that AI summaries now often link to four or fewer sources.

Reduction in Mobile Search Volume

According to Fishkin’s data, there was a discernible decline in mobile searches in May at the same time as AI summaries were introduced.

Given that smartphone searches account for approximately two-thirds of all Google inquiries, the fall in mobile searches was noteworthy, while desktop searches showed a tiny uptick.

This implies that when presented with summaries created by AI, consumers would have been less inclined to do searches on their mobile devices.

Fishkin said:

The US and EU both shared the most prominent developments in May, most notably… There was a noticeable decline in mobile searches (I’m guessing this is what scared Google into removing this function).

He continued, saying:

If I were in charge of Google, I would be extremely alarmed by the decline in mobile searches, given that mobile accounts for nearly two thirds of all Google searches.

Effect on Search Activity in General

The research discovered that throughout the introduction of AI summaries, search behavior was mostly unchanged, despite the decline in mobile searches.

On mobile devices, there was a modest rise in clicks per search, but on desktop computers, there was no change.

This implies that while a small number of users could have been dissuaded from initiating searches, those who engaged with the AI summary continued to click on results at a rate that was either unchanged or somewhat elevated when compared to prior months.

Fishkin also mentioned:

If I were in charge of Google, I would be extremely alarmed by the decline in mobile searches, given that mobile accounts for nearly two thirds of all Google searches.

Effect on Search Activity in General

The research discovered that throughout the introduction of AI summaries, search behavior was mostly unchanged, despite the decline in mobile searches.

On mobile devices, there was a modest rise in clicks per search, but on desktop computers, there was no change.

This implies that while a small number of users could have been dissuaded from initiating searches, those who engaged with the AI summary continued to click on results at a rate that was either unchanged or somewhat elevated when compared to prior months.

Even while big IT businesses are still investing in AI, this research demonstrates that the outcomes of these deployments may not always be what was anticipated.

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