The definitive publisher guide to what’s in and out in the era of Google’s AI Overviews
By Seb Joseph and Jessica Davies • May 21, 2025 •
Ivy Liu
Google’s recent clarification that it can still crawl and index web content — even after publishers opt out of its AI training — serves as yet another reminder of how little control publishers have historically had within the Google ecosystem.
Here’s a look at what’s in and out for publishers in the era of Google AI Overviews and the rise of AI platforms.
In
Strip-mining content
Out
Driving traffic
In
Zero-click searches
Out
Click-through rates
In
Lobbying as a content strategy
Out
Content strategy as a content strategy
In
Reader revenue, whether readers like it or not
Out
Assuming advertising can do the heavy lifting
In
The quiet publisher pivot to YouTube Shorts and TikTok
Out
Optimizing for Google’s evolving SERP layout
In
Google the frenemy who doesn’t text back
Out
Google the partner who takes you to Cannes
In
Publishers hoping Apple will rescue them
Out
Publishers ignoring Google’s conflicting incentives
In
Fury at continued unauthorized scraping
Out
Trust that bots honor robots.txt
In
“Strategic alliances” with arch frenemies
Out
Publisher consortiums with moral high ground
In
AI-generated answers with citation links buried 12 rows deep
Out
Top three results as a badge of honor
In
A stronger desire to diversify away from Google
Out
Hamstrung by Google relations
In
Content as raw material for training data
Out
Content as a product
In
SEO editors with existential dread
Out
Meta descriptions crafted like poetry
In
Publisher content as AI compost
Out
Publisher content as monetizable IP
In
Legal threats as a revenue strategy
Out
AdSense checks covering payroll
In
Grim traffic charts in publisher Slack channels
Out
Google Analytics as a sign of life
In
Blue-link nostalgia
Out
Blue-link referral dependency
In
Worrying about AEO/GEO
Out
Worrying about SEO
In
IP protection strategies
Out
AI licensing deals
https://digiday.com/?p=578687
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