How many times have you found an answer on Google search page without having to click anything?
Most people have and the truth is, it is both incredible and terrifying.
It’s called Google AI Overviews, and it created a fundamental shift in how we look up information online. This overview makes life very easy for searchers, but hard for website owners!
I’ll tell you what I’ve learned about this shift in search behavior today. I’ll give you the data, real world examples and most importantly, an action plan of how you can adapt and succeed in this new world of search.
How AI Overviews Are Hurting Web Visits
I’ve looked through research reports, case studies and analytics data. What I discovered is interesting and deeply worrying for anyone who relies on organic search traffic.
Decline in Click-Through Rates (CTR)
With the introduction of AI Overviews, CTR (click-through rate) to websites has been declining significantly.
Here’s what the studies say:
- Top Organic Result CTR Drop: Ahrefs found that when AI Overviews are displayed, the CTR for the #1 organic result decreases by 35%.
- Total Organic CTR: Amsive conducted the study on 700,000 keywords and observed a drop in CTR of 15.49% in general. On some queries, the decline was even more precipitous, with traffic falling as much as 37% when AI Overviews combined with a featured snippet.
Zero-Click Searches
You know when you search and get an answer without really clicking on anything? Those searches are called zero-click searches, and they are soaring, thanks to AI Overviews.
Here’s what’s happening:
- In March 2025, 27.2 percent of Google searches in the United States resulted in no clicks.
- And it’s worse on mobile devices. Now more than 75% of those searches now end with no clicks.
Pause to consider that fact for a moment.
Three-fourths of mobile searches don’t lead to a click to a website at all. That’s mind-blowing.
Industries Most Affected
Not all industries are suffering equally. Some are getting absolutely hammered and could use a traffic boost, while others are barely affected.
I’ve dissected the data in a variety of industries, and here’s what I discovered:
Industries such as health, home & garden, cooking and travel are suffering the most. Meanwhile, businesses like real estate, automotive and the beauty industry barely feel it.
Why the difference? It all depends upon the kind of content, and the intent of the user. AI Overviews are for informational requests only. Transactional queries (such as “buy lipstick”) typically do not result in an AI Overview, therefore they are not effected.
Real-World Examples
Here are a few more real-world examples that powerfully speak to the effects of AI Overviews. These are not just statistics – these are businesses and the lives of the people who run them.
Chegg (Education)
Chegg, an online education firm, had 49% lower traffic from non-subscribers in January 2025 than a year earlier.
Why? AI Overviews were serving abridged educational content right within search results so, users never had to visit Chegg’s website.
This is especially savage, given that Chegg’s entire business relies on getting people to come to its site.
Charleston Crafted (DIY)
Traffic to this DIY home project blog plummeted 70% in a month after AI Overviews started summarizing its content.
The result? A 65% decline in ad revenue totaling tens of thousands of dollars in lost income. The owner was forced to lay off freelance writers and ponder shutting down the blog altogether.
This one has been especially hit close to home for me since I know the amount of effort that goes into producing quality content.
Are There Any Benefits?
All right, so it’s not all doom and gloom. Some of what I have discovered has given me hope, and I would like to share it with you.
Branded Queries
Here’s a bright spot: AI Overviews are likely to be absent for branded searches (only 4.79% of the time). And when they do show up for branded queries, branded sites might actually get a 18.68% increase in CTR, possibly because they exhibit greater user intent and brand awareness.
This says to me that building a strong brand is more important now than it has ever been. If when people think to search for your brand specifically, you are much more likely to get that click.
Local Businesses
Some neighborhood businesses are even profiting from AI Overviews directing people to local services. If you have strong local SEO, you may notice an increased visibility in clicks and impressions.
This has worked exceptionally well in restaurants, service business and retail. When a user searches “best pizza near me,” your restaurant could be heavily showcased in the AI Overview.
Authority Building
If your content is referenced in AI Overviews frequently, Authorship can help make your site one of the go-to resources in the industry-specific space you’re in. You may not get the immediate traffic, but you’re building credibility over time.
How to Adapt and Thrive
So, how can you survive and succeed in this new AI-enabled age of search? I’ve worked on this problem and here are the strategies that work.
Focus on original and well-researched content
The more thought-provoking the content beyond what the AI Overviews can summarize, the more likely it is to be clicked on. Think guides, case studies, personal experiences, and expert interviews.
Begun producing content that describes stories, scenes, personal insights and context that AI just won’t be able to accomplish.
Create Content That Requires Interaction
Create stuff that users can use to contact you. This includes:
- Interactive tools and calculators
- Downloadable resources
- Video tutorials that require watching
- Step-by-step processes with visual elements
- Community discussions and comments
Strengthen Your Brand Presence
AI Overviews take more of a backseat on branded searches, so building a brand that people trust is a useful long-term strategy to help mitigate any traffic loss. Invest in:
- Social media engagement
- Email marketing
- Community building
- Podcast appearances
- Speaking engagements
- Thought leadership content
Leverage Local SEO
If you’re a local business, this is your moment to shine. Local businesses can profit from AI Overview presentations with location-based results. Here’s what to do:
- Fully optimize your Google Business Profile
- Concentrate on a local keywords and phrases
- Ask for and respond to reviews from customers
- Designing content that is specific for the location.
- Developing citations and relationships on the local level
Focus on Transactional and Commercial Keywords
AI Overviews are rarer for any commercial and transactional searches. Focus on keywords like:
- “Best [product] for [specific use case]”
- “[Product] reviews and comparisons”
- “Where to buy [product]”
- “[Service] near me”
- “Cheap/affordable [product/service]”
Keep a Close Eye on Your Analytics
Monitor what queries are generating AI Overviews and modify your content strategy accordingly. Use tools such as Google Search Console to discover trends and opportunities.
Now, I’m checking my analytics weekly, trying to identify common patterns, times and regions of traffic drops that coincide with AI Overview performances. It helps me parse what to pivot from and what to double down on.
Final Thoughts
Google’s AI Overviews are revolutionizing search – more informative, with its so-called instant answers, yet responsible for a staggering loss of traffic to web pages.
With some industries seeing 70% drops and zero-click searches on the rise, the adjustments website owners have to make are fast and furious.
But here’s what I want you to remember: every big change in digital marketing introduces both obstacles and openings. The businesses that will succeed are those who pivot most quickly and invent new ways to deliver exceptional value.
