Getting traffic from Google is getting harder. Many website owners are seeing their visitor numbers drop. But there’s a new idea that might help: AI share buttons.
This concept has been getting attention from two different perspectives. Metehan Yesilyurt wrote about it as a “growth hack” that could save your traffic, while Roger Montti from Search Engine Journal took a more careful look at whether it actually works and if it’s fair to users.
Let’s break down what AI share buttons are, their good points, their problems, and what we think about them.
What is AI Share Button?
Think about the share buttons you see on websites – like “Share on Twitter” or “Share on Facebook.” AI share buttons work the same way, but instead of sharing to social media, they send people to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity.
When someone clicks these buttons, they go to the AI tool with a pre-written question that asks the AI to summarize or analyze your article. For example: “Summarize this article in ChatGPT” or “Ask Perplexity about this post” or “Get insights from Claude.”
The Good Side (According to Metehan)
When people ask AI tools to look at your content, the AI might remember it and mention your website in future answers to other people. This could help your website get cited more often. You’re also early to the game since not many websites are using AI share buttons yet. If you start now, you might get ahead of your competitors before everyone else catches on.
AI tools are more likely to recommend and cite content that’s actually helpful and well-written. So if your content is good, this strategy helps showcase it. Instead of depending completely on Google for traffic, you spread your chances across different ways people find content online. Unlike regular SEO that takes months to show results, you can immediately track how many people click your AI share buttons and whether your content gets mentioned by AI tools.
The Problems
But there are serious concerns too. Many AI share buttons don’t clearly tell users what they’re doing. Some secretly ask the AI to “remember” the website for future recommendations without telling the user. This isn’t fair and could make people angry.
The person who clicks the button might see your website mentioned in their AI conversations, but it’s not clear if this helps other people see your content too. The “training” effect might be much smaller than claimed.
Don’t expect lots of clicks on these buttons. Most people probably won’t use them, so you need many visitors to make it worthwhile. AI share buttons won’t fix bad content or low website traffic either. You need to have quality stuff that people want to read in the first place.
Setting up these buttons requires some technical knowledge, and AI companies could change how their systems work at any time, breaking your buttons. Many people use free versions of AI tools that can’t always access websites through links, which makes the buttons less useful. If you’re not transparent about what the buttons do, people might think you’re trying to trick the AI systems instead of actually helping users.
Our Take on This
After looking at both articles and thinking about this trend, here’s what we believe: The idea has potential, but it’s being oversold. Metehan Yesilyurt’s enthusiasm is understandable – when you’re losing Google traffic, any new strategy looks promising. But Roger Montti’s skepticism is probably more realistic.
The user experience problems are serious. Any button that does something the user doesn’t expect is bad web design. If you’re going to use these buttons, be completely honest about what they do.
The “training AI” claims are probably exaggerated. Based on how these AI systems work, it’s unlikely that one person’s interaction significantly influences what the AI shows other users. The benefit is probably limited to the individual user’s experience.
It’s worth testing, but don’t expect miracles. If you have good content and want to experiment, try AI share buttons on a few pages. But don’t expect them to replace proper SEO or content marketing.
You should try AI share buttons if your content is genuinely helpful and worth analyzing, you can be completely transparent about what the buttons do, you’re willing to experiment without expecting huge results, and your audience actually uses AI tools.
Don’t try them if you’re looking for a quick fix to traffic problems, you can’t implement them honestly, your content isn’t high quality, or you’re hoping to trick AI systems.
AI share buttons are an interesting experiment in how content discovery might change, but they’re not a magic solution to declining Google traffic. If you want to try them, be completely honest with users about what the buttons do, and only add them where they genuinely help people.
Focus most of your energy on creating great content and building real relationships with your audience. These fundamentals will always matter more than any new traffic trick, regardless of how technology changes.
