Will Google AI Mode kill affiliate websites?

Probably not all affiliate websites — but AI Mode and AI Overviews could seriously hurt the kinds that depend on thin, search-driven content.

Google’s AI features can answer many simple comparison and informational queries directly on the results page, which may reduce clicks to publishers. That creates a bigger risk for affiliate sites built around generic “best X” lists, rewritten specs, or shallow topical pages.

In general, sites are more likely to hold up if they offer:

• original testing or hands-on experience
• unique photos, data, or comparisons
• strong brand recognition
• traffic from multiple channels, not just Google

Google also tends to favor pages that demonstrate strong E-E-A-T, especially for product reviews and other content where experience and trust matter. So the short answer is: AI Mode is more likely to squeeze and reshape affiliate SEO than fully kill affiliate websites. The winners are usually the sites that provide genuine expertise and content users can’t get instantly from an AI summary.

If you’re evaluating a specific site, the main things to check are how much of its traffic comes from Google, how much of its content is generic versus original, and whether it has other audience channels like email or YouTube.