Update: 38% of AI Overview Citations Pull From Top 10 Pages

03/02/26
Source: Data & Studies – SEO Blog by Ahrefs by Louise Linehan. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of How Often Do Pages Ranking in SERPs Get Cited in AI Overviews?

The latest analysis of 4 million AI Overview citations reveals that only about 38% of cited URLs appear in the top 10 search results, showing a significant shift from previous years. AI Overviews increasingly rely on fan-out queries, citing pages beyond traditional SERPs, including many from YouTube, which now dominates AI citations. Optimizing for AI visibility means focusing on broader user journeys and related sub-queries, not just individual keywords.

Optimixed’s Overview: Understanding AI Overview Citations and Their Impact on SEO Strategy

Key Findings from the Latest AI Overview Citation Analysis

Recent research analyzing nearly 4 million AI Overview URLs has uncovered important trends in how Google’s AI systems select sources for their generated answers. The study compared URLs cited in AI Overviews with their rankings in traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) to understand the evolving relationship between organic rankings and AI citations.

  • Only 38% of URLs cited by AI Overviews appear within the top 10 organic search results, down from 76% in mid-2025.
  • The remaining citations come from lower-ranked pages or those outside the top 100 results, indicating AI’s greater reliance on expanded query sets rather than direct SERP results.
  • YouTube URLs form a significant portion of AI citations, representing 18.2% of cited pages outside the top 100 and 5.6% overall, making YouTube the most cited domain in AI Overviews.

Explaining the Shift: The Role of Query Fan-Out in AI Source Selection

Google’s AI now performs a “query fan-out”—splitting an initial search query into multiple related sub-queries. AI Overviews then draw from the pages ranking well across these sub-queries, rather than relying solely on the original query’s top results. This approach broadens the scope of cited sources, pulling in content that may not appear in standard SERPs.

This shift means that SEO strategies focused exclusively on ranking for a single keyword are less likely to secure AI Overview citations. Instead, content must address a wider array of related topics and user intents captured by fan-out queries.

Practical SEO Recommendations for AI Visibility

  • Leverage Parent Topics: Use tools like Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to cover related keyword clusters and intent angles comprehensively.
  • Analyze Fan-Out Queries: Study AI-generated query expansions using platforms such as Ahrefs Brand Radar to identify recurring themes that influence AI citations.
  • Create Comprehensive Content: Utilize AI Content Helpers to optimize content coverage against multiple related queries and benchmark against AI-cited competitors.
  • Monitor AI Overview Citations: Track which pages and formats are cited to understand where your content aligns with AI trust signals and where improvements are needed.
  • Incorporate YouTube: Given YouTube’s growing dominance in AI citations, integrating video content and optimizing YouTube presence can boost AI visibility.

Conclusion: From Ranking to Being Selected

The landscape of search and AI-generated answers is evolving rapidly. Ranking well in traditional SERPs is no longer sufficient to secure citations in AI Overviews. Success today requires a holistic approach that embraces the complexity of fan-out queries and multiple content formats, including video. By studying your own AI Overview citation patterns and adapting your SEO strategies accordingly, you can improve your chances of becoming a trusted source in Google’s AI-powered search results.