Goodbye, Featured Snippets: How SERP Features Have Evolved in the AI Era

Posted on July 22, 2025
Source: Data & Studies – SEO Blog by Ahrefs by Ryan Law. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of How AI Overviews Are Reshaping SERP Features in 2025

AI Overviews have rapidly emerged since August 2024, now appearing on over 27% of keywords, especially informational ones. This rise correlates strongly with a significant decline in Featured Snippets, suggesting AI Overviews are replacing them. Meanwhile, Sitelinks and Knowledge Cards have also grown considerably, while several traditional SERP features like Shopping and Paid links have declined. These shifts highlight a major transformation in how search results present information in 2025.

Optimixed’s Overview: The Rapid Evolution and Impact of AI Overviews on Search Engine Results Pages

Key Trends in SERP Features from January to June 2025

Analyzing 1,000,000 US Desktop SERPs reveals dramatic changes in the visibility of various search result features. The introduction and explosive growth of AI Overviews since August 2024 is the most notable, with their presence increasing by nearly 600% to appear on 27.43% of SERPs by June 2025. This surge coincides with a 64% decline in the appearance of traditional Featured Snippets, indicating a potential replacement effect.

Significant Growth in Select SERP Features

  • Sitelinks: Skyrocketed by 906%, now visible on 84.95% of SERPs, driven by Google’s March Core update and the rise of Scroll-to Sitelinks that support both branded and non-branded queries.
  • AI Overview Sitelinks: Also surged by 541%, complementing the AI Overview feature to enhance direct search answers.
  • Knowledge Cards: Increased by 54%, further enriching SERP content diversity.
  • Questions and Discussions: Show modest growth, maintaining relevance in user engagement.

Declining SERP Features and Their Implications

  • Featured Snippets: Declined sharply from 15.41% to 5.53%, strongly negatively correlated with AI Overview growth (correlation coefficient ~ -0.9).
  • Shopping Results & Paid Links: Experienced major drops, with Shopping down 68% and Paid features halving in visibility.
  • Other features like Local Teasers, Local Packs, Knowledge Panels, and News also showed slight decreases.

What This Means for SEO and Search Behavior

The rapid adoption of AI Overviews suggests search engines are prioritizing more flexible, AI-driven responses that fulfill user intent directly within the SERP, encouraging zero-click searches. This evolution challenges traditional SERP features, especially Featured Snippets, and signals a shift towards AI-enhanced search experiences.

SEO professionals should monitor these trends closely, leveraging tools like Ahrefs to analyze keyword rankings and SERP features. Understanding the growing prevalence of AI Overviews and their impact on visibility is crucial for adapting content strategies in 2025 and beyond.