August 15, 2025  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The zero-click future continues to unfold at a rapid pace with referral traffic in clear decline. In fact, our lead story this morning reported that Google AI Overviews are behind a 25 percent drop off in referral traffic.

That’s according to Digital Content Next (DCN) which checked in with 19 of their 40 or so publishing company members between May and June on the status of their Google-derived traffic. DCN found that organic search referral traffic from Google is declining broadly, with the majority of DCN member sites experiencing traffic losses from Google search between 1% and 25%. Twelve of the respondent companies were news brands, seven were non-news.

And in another well-read piece on this white-hot topic, publisher pessimism about AI as any kind of savior – or even partner – is setting in. Indeed, five publishers told Digiday they are holding back, skeptical of the hype and unconvinced that GEO offers a meaningful path forward for traffic referral and monetization.…Read more below ICYMI – Happy Friday!

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ZERO-CLICK FUTURE

Google AI Overviews linked to 25% drop in publisher referral traffic, new data shows

Digital Content Next (DCN) checked in with 19 of its publishing member companies between May and June to see what was happening to their Google search referral traffic. The upshot: Google AI Overviews is indeed harming publisher traffic. 

PUBLISHING IN THE PLATFORM ERA

Despite the hype, publishers aren’t prioritizing GEO

As a head of SEO at a large lifestyle publisher put it: “We’re at a point where they [the SEO industry] haven’t even decided what to call it, let alone whether it’s a thing or [if] it’s real yet… It’s such a new industry that almost none of these people who are suggesting tactics have actually tested it thoroughly.”

SPONSORED BY TEENVOICE

Report: How Gen Z researches a purchase before buying

Despite their reputation for short attention spans, Gen Z takes a thoughtful approach to shopping. According to a TeenVoice survey, at least 70% of teens do additional research before making a purchase.

MARKETING ON PLATFORMS

The Trade Desk holds its own against Amazon’s growing, but still distant threat

The Amazon threat to The Trade Desk is inevitable — just not immediate. On last week’s earnings call, TTD CEO Jeff Green told analysts the retail giant is “not a competitor”, arguing it's “hard for “for them to buy across the open Internet in a truly objective way”.

A MESSAGE FROM DMEXCO

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MARKETING ON PLATFORMS

Why Reddit is pivoting from social platform to ‘go-to search engine,’ with COO Jennifer Wong

Eyeing the road ahead, Reddit has plans to unify its core search and Reddit answers into a single search experience “sooner rather than later,” said Jennifer Wong, Reddit’s chief operating officer, flicking at a potential roll out this year.

MODERN RETAIL

How brands like Staples, JanSport, Nuuly are targeting crucial Gen Z cohort in back-to-school period

The impact of tariffs on the U.S. economy looms overhead — 26% of back-to-school shoppers expect to cut back their spending this summer, 49% due to price inflation, per a Samsung Ads survey. And according to Deloitte, back to school spending is flat year-on-year, averaging at $570 per child.

SPONSORED BY TUNNL

Virtual event: Data-driven strategies for building brand trust

In today’s polarized and fragmented consumer landscape, traditional targeting isn’t enough. Join this virtual event on Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. ET, or watch on demand, to learn how marketers use data-informed insights to reach the right people and navigate complex environments.