Hi friend,
Lance here. Today, I’m talking about Google’s AI Overviews and how they are (or aren’t?) stealing clicks to your website.
Google’s AI Overviews are all over search results.
If you haven’t noticed them yet are you even using Google anymore? And if you aren’t using Google, you are one of the few (a chart about that below).\
AI Overviews are AI-generated answer boxes that sit above the usual organic results. And yes, they’re changing the game. Here are some fast facts that I found fascinating:
🧠 AI shows up a lot.
In some tests, AI Overviews appeared in 86.8% of searches. Real-world usage? More like 10%, but it’s growing—and some industries see them in up to 25% of queries. Source
📉 Top results get shoved down.
When AI appears, the #1 organic result can land 1,600 pixels lower on desktop. That’s well below the fold. Your #1 ranking might not be seen at all. Source
🔗 AI links ≠ top 10 links.
Only 4.5% of links in AI Overviews match results on page 1. Over 93% come from other pages—so AI is pulling from all over, not just the top. Source
📊 Clicks: fewer, but stronger.
Google says links inside AI Overviews get a higher CTR than normal. But fewer total links on the page = fewer total clicks overall. Great if you’re featured. Not so great if you’re not. Source
📉📈 Traffic rollercoaster.
Some models predict up to 64% traffic loss for certain sites in an AI-heavy search world. Others saw +219% gains. It’s all about whether your content gets chosen by the AI. Source
🧐 Early signs: not all bad.
One agency saw a 4% increase in impressions post-AI launch, along with higher CTRs. And Google claims people search more when AI Overviews are present. Source
An important reminder: Google still absolutely dominates the sheer number of daily searches (just look at them compared to ChatGPT):
