# Publishers spent $113M on paid search as AI erodes traffic

Published: 2026-09-10T06:48:27.174Z · Source: PPC Land (https://ppc.land/publishers-spent-113m-in-one-month-buying-back-their-search-traffic/)
Source date: 2026-09-10
Entities: google, similarweb

Publishers in Similarweb's Top 100 Media index spent an estimated $113 million on Google paid search in July 2026, up 41% year over year and 274% over three years, per Adweek. Forbes accounted for $72.2 million of that spend as its organic traffic fell 26.7% year over year; CNN and USA Today saw organic declines of 28.9% and 24.1% over the same period. Adweek notes the spending flows back to Google, whose AI-driven search products are shrinking the same publishers' organic traffic for free.

Why it matters: Publishers are now paying Google for the clicks its own AI-driven search products are taking from them organically for free — a spend line that's compounding faster than the traffic it's meant to replace.

## What this answers

**How much are publishers spending on paid search to buy back traffic?**

Top 100 Media publishers spent an estimated $113 million on paid search in July 2026, up 41% year over year and 274% over three years, per Similarweb data reported by Adweek.

**Which publisher spends the most on paid search?**

Forbes, at an estimated $72.2 million in July 2026 — about two-thirds of the top 100 publishers' combined spend — even as its organic traffic fell 26.7% year over year, per Similarweb data cited by Adweek.


Canonical: https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-10-publishers-spent-113m-on-paid-search-as-ai-erodes-traffic/
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