Since Google introduced AI Overviews, SEO professionals have observed a significant shift in user behavior on search results pages. These artificial intelligence-generated summaries, supposedly designed to improve the search experience, could actually be diverting a significant portion of organic traffic. This, at least, is what a study conducted by Ahrefs seems to demonstrate.
Key points:
- 34.5% decrease in click-through rate on the first organic results in the presence of AI Overviews.
- Informational queries are the most impacted, with a notable drop in traffic to well-positioned sites.
- Lower-ranking sites can sometimes benefit from increased traffic through their inclusion in AI Overviews.
- Lack of transparency from Google, which does not provide specific data on clicks from AI Overviews in Search Console.
Study Reveals Problem with AI Overviews
In April 2025, Ahrefs published a study analyzing the impact of AI Overviews on organic search click-through rates (CTR). Comparing 300,000 informational keywords, split evenly between those with and without AI Overviews, the study found an average 34.5% decrease in CTR for top-ranked pages when AI Overviews were present.
Specifically, the average CTR for keywords with AI Overview decreased from 7.3% in March 2024 to 2.6% in March 2025. In comparison, keywords without AI Overview saw their CTR decrease from 5.6% to 3.1% over the same period.
A direct response that reduces the number of clicks
AI Overviews, or AIOs for short, are designed to provide a concise and immediate answer to a user’s query, often without requiring an additional click. Placed at the top of the results page, these summaries capture attention and directly answer the question posed, reducing the need for the user to consult organic links also present on the page.
This feature is similar to featured snippets, but has a broader reach and increased ability to satisfy search intent without additional interaction. As a result, even well-ranked sites may see their visibility and traffic decline.
Variable impacts depending on position and type of content
Another study from February 2025, conducted by Terakeet Engineering, explored how AI Overviews affect traffic based on search position and content type. Informational pages in the top three positions saw reduced traffic when AI Overviews were present. In contrast, lower-ranking pages (positions 3-10) sometimes saw increased traffic when included in these AI summaries.
For transactional pages, inclusion in an AI Overview appears to have a positive effect on traffic, regardless of initial ranking. This suggests that while AI Overviews can divert traffic away from the top positions, they can also redistribute attention to previously less visible pages.
Limited transparency from Google
Despite Google’s claims that AI Overviews increase clicks to cited content, available data doesn’t support this claim. Furthermore, Search Console doesn’t currently provide specific metrics for clicks from AI Overviews, at least not in all regions, making it difficult to accurately assess their impact on site traffic.
This lack of transparency complicates the task of professionals, who must adapt their strategies without having all the information required to measure the effectiveness of their actions.
Towards an adaptation of SEO strategies
In the face of these changes, it’s essential for digital marketers and SEO specialists to rethink their approaches. This shift may include creating more in-depth and specialized content that is less likely to be fully summarized by AI Overviews, using structured data, or focusing on optimizations for queries that are less likely to trigger these AI summaries.
Additionally, it’s crucial to closely monitor page performance and adjust strategies based on changes in user behavior and search engine functionality. As a reminder, AI Overviews have recently arrived in Europe. It won’t be long, so get ready!
In short, AI Overviews represent a significant evolution in the Google search experience, with major implications for organic website traffic. Understanding and anticipating their impact must now become a priority for SEO and digital marketing professionals.
