Referrals from Google Search to hundreds of publishers fell 40% from July 2025 to July 2026, twice the decline recorded in the previous 12 months, according to Chartbeat’s annual publisher playbook. Newsrooms are responding to AI-generated search answers by trying to build direct audience relationships and track how often AI tools cite their journalism.

Generative search tools combine information from multiple sources into answers, but publishers cannot see clearly how those systems choose citations. WAN-IFRA’s Ezra Eeman said citation leaders fluctuate by platform and month, and that citations across large language models are concentrated among a small number of sources. The Athletic’s Shelby Blackley described the process as a black box, while consultant Clara Soteras said publishers can use trial and error and monitoring tools. Studies cited in the report suggest relevance, recency, statistics and quotations may help citation visibility; formatting changes have less consistent effects, and ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity cite different sources.

Axios is testing likely user queries and tracking its citations, though repeated runs can produce different answers. Its newsroom AI operations lead Ben Berkowitz said the company is building its reputation through expertise, detailed and clear information, and content structure. He said Axios’s Smart Brevity format, which uses short paragraphs and bullet points, is well suited to language models. Axios is also relying on its authority, newsletters, events and ongoing audience relationships to retain readers even when an AI answer does not generate a click. The Guardian’s Jessie Willms said GEO should add to sound SEO practices, with publishers monitoring how generative search changes discovery.

Visibility may not bring visits: a Pew Research Center study of more than 68,000 searches by 900 US Google users in March 2025 found that only 1% resulted in a click on a source cited in an AI Overview. Eeman said citations could build recognition, attract subscribers, support licensing deals and strengthen publishers’ bargaining position; established outlets including Reuters, the BBC, The New York Times and the Guardian often receive prominent citations. He said smaller publishers may stand out by answering specialised or local questions few others can answer.

Publishers must also decide whether to allow AI crawlers, bots used to collect website material for model training or retrieval. By the end of 2023, 48% of major news sites across ten countries blocked OpenAI’s crawlers, citing concerns about uncompensated use, lost visits and inaccurate attribution. Blocking retrieval crawlers can also make a publisher less likely to appear in AI answers. Eeman recommended considering which material to open: a publisher might protect premium journalism while allowing free content, and weigh generic summaries against live updates, archives or hyperlocal reporting. Willms said licensing may bring short-term or uncertain revenue and that crawler choices depend on publishers’ audience strategies. She argued that AI visibility can begin a relationship that later leads readers to return directly, subscribe to newsletters or podcasts, or become paying supporters.

Referrals from Google Search to hundreds of publishers fell 40% from July 2025 to July 2026, twice the decline recorded in the previous 12 months, according to Chartbeat’s annual publisher playbook. Newsrooms are responding to AI-generated search answers by trying to build direct audience relationships and track how often AI tools cite their journalism.

Generative search tools combine information from multiple sources into answers, but publishers cannot see clearly how those systems choose citations. WAN-IFRA’s Ezra Eeman said citation leaders fluctuate by platform and month, and that citations across large language models are concentrated among a small number of sources. The Athletic’s Shelby Blackley described the process as a black box, while consultant Clara Soteras said publishers can use trial and error and monitoring tools. Studies cited in the report suggest relevance, recency, statistics and quotations may help citation visibility; formatting changes have less consistent effects, and ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity cite different sources.

Axios is testing likely user queries and tracking its citations, though repeated runs can produce different answers. Its newsroom AI operations lead Ben Berkowitz said the company is building its reputation through expertise, detailed and clear information, and content structure. He said Axios’s Smart Brevity format, which uses short paragraphs and bullet points, is well suited to language models. Axios is also relying on its authority, newsletters, events and ongoing audience relationships to retain readers even when an AI answer does not generate a click. The Guardian’s Jessie Willms said GEO should add to sound SEO practices, with publishers monitoring how generative search changes discovery.

Visibility may not bring visits: a Pew Research Center study of more than 68,000 searches by 900 US Google users in March 2025 found that only 1% resulted in a click on a source cited in an AI Overview. Eeman said citations could build recognition, attract subscribers, support licensing deals and strengthen publishers’ bargaining position; established outlets including Reuters, the BBC, The New York Times and the Guardian often receive prominent citations. He said smaller publishers may stand out by answering specialised or local questions few others can answer.

Publishers must also decide whether to allow AI crawlers, bots used to collect website material for model training or retrieval. By the end of 2023, 48% of major news sites across ten countries blocked OpenAI’s crawlers, citing concerns about uncompensated use, lost visits and inaccurate attribution. Blocking retrieval crawlers can also make a publisher less likely to appear in AI answers. Eeman recommended considering which material to open: a publisher might protect premium journalism while allowing free content, and weigh generic summaries against live updates, archives or hyperlocal reporting. Willms said licensing may bring short-term or uncertain revenue and that crawler choices depend on publishers’ audience strategies. She argued that AI visibility can begin a relationship that later leads readers to return directly, subscribe to newsletters or podcasts, or become paying supporters.