SMRTR TechJul 22, 2026Reddit

Reddit and major publishers consider blocking Google as AI search continues destroying web traffic

SMRTR summary

Major publishers including Reddit, USA Today, and Reuters are considering blocking Google's web crawler as AI-generated search answers slash their traffic. USA Today's traffic dropped nearly 50% in one year; Business Insider's fell over 85%. Publishers face a painful choice: block Google entirely or keep feeding the AI that's replacing them.

SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Reddit.

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