Nick Fox from Google said that AI features in Search send billions of clicks to websites weekly, alongside Google’s claim that Search sends billions of clicks to the web daily.
Fox, SVP of Knowledge and Information at Google, shared the figures on LinkedIn and a shorter version on X. The post addresses a question Fox mentioned people asking — whether AI in Search would mean people never click through to websites. He tagged the daily figure as something Google has said before. However, the weekly AI-feature figure does not have such a tag.
He wrote:
“Actually, as we’ve shared before, we continue to send billions of clicks to the web every day through Search. And we’ve designed our AI features in Search to connect people to websites. In fact, we’re now sending billions of clicks to websites every week through AI features in Search alone – and we’re just getting started.”
Neither figure includes a baseline, denominator, or methodology, and Google had not published the data behind the weekly number at the time of publication. Neither can be compared to your own site’s traffic.
The Two Figures Google Now Cites
The daily figure comes from an older source. Liz Reid, VP and Head of Search, used the same daily figure in an August 2025 blog post, noting that the total organic click volume from Search was relatively stable compared to the previous year. However, she didn’t provide an exact number or a detailed breakdown.
The weekly figure specifically relates to AI features. Since both figures are only given in billions, they don’t show how the weekly AI feature count relates to the overall daily Search count, or what portion of Search clicks originate from AI features. A review of Google’s blog posts and statements by executives before July 17 didn’t reveal any earlier click figures broken down by AI features.
What’s In Search Console
Google is introducing generative AI performance reports in Search Console for a select group of website owners. These reports show impressions along with details like page, country, and device breakdowns, similar to the standard performance report. However, they do not include click data. SEJ highlighted this omission when Google released the opt-out option without providing the corresponding data.
Why This Matters
You can’t audit this aggregate with the data you have. Fox’s figure describes clicks across every site Google links to inside AI features, and your Search Console account reports impressions for your pages and stops there. The AI reports give you no click number to check his against.
Fox’s number addresses the click question on a scale too broad for any individual site to identify itself. It indicates what Google is willing to disclose about AI-feature traffic, but reveals nothing specific about your site.
Looking Ahead
Google states it will gradually include more metrics in the AI performance reports but hasn’t specified which metrics or when they will be added. Until that changes, the weekly figure is what Google is offering in place of the data. Google has the number. Websites have impressions.
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