User behavior doesn't change
Users are like water, they follow the path of least resistance, or at least greatest convenience.
The decline in web traffic attributed to AI based interfaces like ChatGPT, Claude and Googles own AI Overview isn't a change in user behavior.
Users always choose convenience.
For a long time google search and the results at the top of the page was the most convenient tool for answering any question that came to mind. LLMs changed the math.
Lets look at then vs now:
Then
- User finds text box
- User types in text box
- User submits textbox
- User selects article
- User scrolls article
- User gets an answer
Now
- User finds text box
- User types in text box
- User submits textbox
User selects articleUser scrolls article- User gets an answer
The outcome didn't change, the interface didn't even really change, just a couple of steps were removed.
The outcome is exactly the same. The systems delivering the outcome changes astronomically, and from an operational cost, it's a much worse outcome.
Now maybe there is a decline in traffic or signals or metrics, but that's not a user created problem, something else changed the flow of the river.
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