Google Launches ‘Search Profiles’ for Creators and Companies, as AI Summaries Have Caused Steep Traffic Referral Drop-Off

Google is introducing a new way for creators and publishers to promote their content on the search engine with “Search profiles.” The new feature comes amid consternation from website operators and creators that Google’s AI summaries have eroded the volume of referral traffic coming from the search portal.

The internet giant describes Search profiles as a “dedicated, shareable space to highlight content across platforms, and help audiences find accurate, up-to-date information about sources on Search.”

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“Search profiles give publishers and creators a central place to showcase their latest articles, videos and social posts,” Google said in a blog post Thursday about the new feature. “People can easily follow sources from their profile, so they’re more likely to see that content on Discover, found on the home screen of the Google app.”

Initially, publishers and creators with a “sizable following” on at least one major social or video platform can claim their Google Search profile and customize it with an avatar, bio, website, social media and video platforms and other content, according to the company.

The move comes after Google’s AI summaries in search results have decimated click-through rates for online publishers. An analysis released last fall by digital marketing agency Seer Interactive found that when an AI Overview is present in Google search results, organic click-through rates dropped 61% between June 2024 and September 2025.

The new Google Search profiles will supplement the search engine’s core results pages. Search profiles can be accessed three ways: 1) through a creator or publisher’s content on Discover, the personalized content feed on the home screen of the Google app; 2) via a new button on a creator or publisher’s Knowledge Panel on Search on mobile (the information box on Search that appears when you search for notable people, places or things); and 3) through a direct URL.

Google’s Search profiles will initially launch in the U.S. It will look to expand them to more regions as well as “add more capabilities to make profiles even more useful” in the coming months, the company said. “We look forward to seeing how these new profiles help publishers and creators shape their presence and highlight their work on Search.”

Google noted that a creator or publisher claiming a profile may trigger the creation of a Knowledge Panel for eligible publishers and creators (and that if you already have a Knowledge Panel, it will be enhanced with your updated avatar, latest content and a direct profile link). In some cases, Knowledge Panels may feature an AI-generated bio; those are separate from Google’s AI Overviews, which are AI-generated responses to specific queries.