AI Overviews
31 quoted answers, each with its source
The short answer
Measured studies from March 2025 onward found that Google AI Overviews were associated with lower clickthrough to traditional results: Ahrefs measured a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate for the top-ranking page in April 2025 and reported a 58% reduction for position one content by December 2025, while Pew Research Center observed clicks on a traditional result on 8% of visits with an AI summary versus 15% without. Google's AI features documentation as of December 10, 2025 stated that a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet to appear as a supporting link in AI Overviews, that there are no additional technical requirements or special optimizations, that AI Overviews often do not trigger, and that clicks from pages with AI Overviews are higher quality. The apparent conflict between Google's higher-quality-click assertion and the measured clickthrough declines is not resolved, and the vendor claim that 60% of searches now result in zero clicks is echoed rather than independently measured.
Every part of this comes from the quotes below. How we write these.
What the rules actually say11
Quoted straight from the people who make or enforce the rules.
Google's earlier AI features page stated that AI Overviews had no additional technical requirements.
2 quotes from 2 sources
In addition to the technical requirements for Search, a site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console to be eligible for display in generative AI features on Google Search.
To be eligible to be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet, fulfilling the Search technical requirements. There are no additional technical requirements.
Google's AI features documentation states that…
- there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
- no other special optimizations are necessary for AI Overviews or AI Mode.
1 quote from 1 source
The best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search (such as AI Overviews and AI Mode). There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary.
Google's AI features documentation states that to be eligible to be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet.
1 quote from 1 source
To be eligible to be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet, fulfilling the Search technical requirements. There are no additional technical requirements.
- Google's AI features documentation states that AI Overviews are only shown when Google's systems determine that AI Overviews are additive to classic Search.
- AI Overviews often do not trigger.
1 quote from 1 source
AI Mode and AI Overviews may use different models and techniques, so the set of responses and links they show will vary. AI Overviews are only shown when our systems determine that it is additive to classic Search, and as such, often don't trigger.
Google's AI features documentation asserts that…
- clicks from search results pages with AI Overviews are higher quality.
- higher quality clicks from search results pages with AI Overviews mean users are more likely to spend more time on the site.
1 quote from 1 source
We've seen that when people click from search results pages with AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality (meaning, users are more likely to spend more time on the site).
Google's AI features documentation asserts that with AI Overviews, people have been visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions.
1 quote from 1 source
With AI Overviews, people have been visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions.
Google's AI Overviews documentation states that sites appearing in AI Overviews are reported in Search Console's Performance report within the "Web" search type.
1 quote from 1 source
Just like the rest of the search results page, sites appearing in AI features (such as AI Overviews and AI Mode) are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console. In particular, they're reported on in the Performance report, within the "Web" search type.
Google's AI features documentation states that both AI Overviews and AI Mode may use a 'query fan-out' technique, issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources to develop a response.
1 quote from 1 source
Both AI Overviews and AI Mode may use a "query fan-out" technique — issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources — to develop a response.
Measured finding13
Something someone actually measured, with the method attached.
Pew Research Center found that Google users who encountered an AI summary clicked on a traditional search result link in 8% of all visits, while those who did not encounter an AI summary clicked on a search result in 15% of visits.
2 quotes from 1 source
Google users who encounter an AI summary are less likely to click on links to other websites than users who do not see one. Users who encountered an AI summary clicked on a traditional search result link in 8% of all visits. Those who did not encounter an AI summary clicked on a search result nearly twice as often (15% of visits).
This analysis uses the web browsing data of 900 U.S. adults who are members of KnowledgePanel Digital, an online survey panel whose respondents agree to install an app that tracks their online browsing behavior.
Pew Research Center found that Google users who encountered an AI Overviews clicked on a link inside that AI Overviews in just 1% of all visits to pages with an AI Overviews.
2 quotes from 1 source
Google users who encountered an AI summary also rarely clicked on a link in the summary itself. This occurred in just 1% of all visits to pages with such a summary.
The total dataset used in this analysis contains 68,879 unique Google searches. Some 12,593 of these searches produced an AI summary to accompany the standard search results.
AI Overviews were generated as part of the search results in 18% of all Google searches in a Pew Research Center study.
1 quote from 1 source
Overall, around one-in-five Google searches in March 2025 produced an AI summary. Some 18% of all the Google searches in our study generated an AI summary as part of the search results.
Pew Research Center found that Google users ended their browsing session entirely on 26% of pages with an AI summary, compared with 16% of pages with only traditional search results.
1 quote from 1 source
Google users are more likely to end their browsing session entirely after visiting a search page with an AI summary than on pages without a summary. This happened on 26% of pages with an AI summary, compared with 16% of pages with only traditional search results.
AI Overviews appeared for…
- 8% of one- or two-word Google searches.
- 53% of Google searches with 10 or more words.
1 quote from 1 source
Just 8% of one- or two-word searches resulted in an AI summary. But that share rose to 53% for searches with 10 words or more.
- Ahrefs reports that its finding that AI Overviews reduces organic click-through rate for position one content is corroborated by other research.
- Ahrefs reports that Seer Interactive's research on AI Overviews shows that organic click-through rate for position one content is down between 49.4% and 65.2%.
- Ahrefs reports that Kevin Indig's research on AI Overviews shows that organic click-through rate for position one content is down over 50%.
- Ahrefs reports that Authoritas's research on AI Overviews shows that organic click-through rate for position one content is down 47.5%.
1 quote from 1 source
As of December 2025, AI Overviews reduce the organic click-through rate for position one content by 58%. This bleak finding is corroborated by other research, including Seer Interactive (organic CTR down between 49.4% to 65.2%), Kevin Indig (>50%), Authoritas (47.5%), and even the Daily Mail (reporting 80-90% lower CTR).
Ahrefs analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that the presence of an AI Overview in the search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate for the top-ranking page, compared to similar informational keywords without an AI Overview.
2 quotes from 1 source
We analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that the presence of an AI Overview in the search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate (CTR) for the top-ranking page, compared to similar informational keywords without an AI Overview.
We selected 300,000 keywords from Ahrefs Keywords Explorer database, consisting of 150,000 keywords with an AI Overview present and 150,000 keywords with informational intent and no AI Overview present.
Ahrefs states that its AI Overviews clickthrough analysis…
- used aggregated Google Search Console data to get each keyword's average desktop clickthrough rate per month.
- compared March 2024 before the US rollout of AI Overviews with March 2025 after it.
1 quote from 1 source
We used aggregated GSC data to get each keyword’s average desktop clickthrough rate (CTR) per month (sum of clicks/sum of impressions). We then compared the clickthrough rates for both samples for March 2024 (before the US rollout of AI overviews) and March 2025 (after).
Practical effect1
What is observed to happen in practice, as distinct from what is documented.
AI Overviews clicks and impressions could not be disambiguated from the rest of a site's Search Console data, as Ahrefs reported.
2 quotes from 2 sources
To measure how your content is performing in generative AI features on Google Search and Discover, use the Generative AI performance report in Search Console.
It’s also telling that despite Google’s optimistic claim that “links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query”, there is still no way to disambiguate AI Overview clicks and impressions from the rest of your Search Console data.
Disputed between sources1
Sources that do not agree, presented without picking a winner.
Google's AI features documentation asserts that clicks from search results pages with AI Overviews are higher quality, while Ahrefs' analysis of 300,000 keywords found that the presence of an AI Overview correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate for the top-ranking page.
2 quotes from 2 sources
We've seen that when people click from search results pages with AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality (meaning, users are more likely to spend more time on the site).
We analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that the presence of an AI Overview in the search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate (CTR) for the top-ranking page, compared to similar informational keywords without an AI Overview.
Often said, but we could not find it in the rules5
Lots of people say this. We went looking for an official source that backs it up and could not find one, so treat it as something people repeat rather than something settled.
A vendor page asserts in the present tense…
- that AI Overviews now reduce clicks to websites by 34.5%.
- that, with AI Overviews, 60% of searches result in zero clicks.
1 quote from 1 source
The data paints a stark picture: AI Overviews now reduce clicks to websites by 34.5%, with 60% of searches resulting in zero clicks.
According to a vendor page, Google's AI…
- Overviews had over 1.5 billion users per month in Q1 2025.
- Overviews' user count in Q1 2025 represented 26.6% of all internet users globally.
1 quote from 1 source
More critically, Google's AI Overviews had over 1.5 billion users per month in Q1 2025, representing 26.6% of all internet users globally.
A vendor page asserts that 70% of sources cited in AI Overviews come from Google's top 10 organic results.
1 quote from 1 source
Meanwhile, 70% of sources cited in AI Overviews come from Google's top 10 organic results, highlighting the symbiotic yet fundamentally different relationship between traditional and AI search.