A recent Search Engine Journal article caught my eye — apparently, 43% of Google’s AI Overviews link straight back to… Google. Not other websites. Not independent publishers. Just good old Google itself.
Now, depending on how you look at it, this is either clever UX or a bit of a land grab.
The Case For It
Let’s be fair — from Google’s point of view, linking to its own search results or tools helps users go deeper into a topic. It’s efficient, it’s fast, and for a lot of people, it works. Google says it’s all about “helping people explore topics and discover relevant sites,” and for casual users, that probably checks out.
Plus, AI Overviews are huge already — apparently reaching 1.5 billion monthly users (source). So clearly people are using it, and in some cases, maybe even preferring the shortcut.
But Here’s the Other Side…
For website owners, bloggers, publishers, and SEOs (like myself), it raises a big red flag. If almost half the AI Overviews are looping users back into the Google ecosystem — think Google Search results pages, Google Flights, Google Shopping, etc. — that’s traffic we’re potentially losing. That’s eyes that aren’t landing on independent websites, blogs, or helpful articles we’ve worked hard to rank.
And let’s not forget — a lot of sites rely heavily on organic traffic for visibility and income. If fewer users are clicking through to those sources, it can absolutely affect revenue, growth, and even the open nature of the web.
So, What’s the Balance?
I’m not anti-Google — far from it. I use their tools daily, and they’ve built one of the most powerful ecosystems on the planet. But with that power comes responsibility. If AI is shaping how people consume information, there needs to be a conscious effort to keep things fair, especially for small businesses and independent creators.
Because if AI Overviews just become another way to keep users inside Google’s bubble… well, it’s not really “open web” anymore, is it?
Let me know what you think — is this smart UX or a slippery slope?
Original article here: Google Links To Itself: 43% of AI Overviews Point Back To Google
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