Report: Google AI Overviews Continue To Drive Clicks Downwards

11/05/25
Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Google’s AI Overviews Impact on Click-Through Rates

Google’s AI Overviews are significantly reducing click-through rates (CTR) from search results. Data reveals a 65%-78% decline in CTR when AI Overviews appear without citation and a still notable 49%-54% drop when cited. Even pages without AI Overviews face a 20%-46% decrease, showing a broader downward trend. Overall, these changes suggest an ongoing challenge for organic and paid search traffic.

Optimixed’s Overview: Analyzing the Declining Click-Through Rates Amidst Google’s AI Overview Rollout

Understanding the Impact of AI Overviews on Search Traffic

Recent data updates from Seer Interactive highlight a persistent and worsening decline in CTR across both organic and paid search results influenced by Google’s AI Overviews. This feature, which summarizes search results, appears to reduce user clicks on traditional links, affecting website traffic profoundly.

Key Insights from the Latest Data

  • Organic Search CTR Decline: When AI Overviews appear without citing a site, CTR drops by approximately 65%. If the site is cited, the decline is smaller but still significant at 49%.
  • Paid Search CTR Decline: Paid ads suffer even larger losses, with a 78% decline when not cited and 54% when cited by AI Overviews.
  • Decline Without AI Overviews: Even pages without AI Overviews experience a decrease in CTR, suggesting broader search behavior changes, with a 46% drop in organic and 20% in paid search.
  • Month-over-Month Trends: The downward trajectory in CTR has continued steadily over recent months, signaling this is a sustained issue rather than a temporary fluctuation.

Implications for Marketers and Website Owners

The data indicates that AI-generated summaries on search pages may be capturing user attention and reducing the necessity to click through to external sites. This shift necessitates new strategies for SEO and paid advertising, including:

  • Enhancing content to be featured within AI Overviews for improved citation opportunities.
  • Adapting marketing approaches to compensate for lower CTRs by diversifying traffic sources.
  • Monitoring search trends closely to adjust campaigns based on evolving user behavior.

While some factors such as Google’s parameter changes may influence these numbers, the overarching trend highlights a critical need for stakeholders to rethink their search visibility tactics in the AI era.