Google AI Overviews: Clicks Down 30% While Impressions Soar

Remember when websites panicked about Featured Snippets stealing clicks? That was adorable compared to what's happening now. Google's AI Overviews have turned the search world upside down in just one year, creating a paradoxical situation where more people are searching but fewer are clicking through to websites.

It's like throwing a massive party where everyone shows up but nobody comes inside your house. They're all just standing on your lawn, getting everything they need from the host.

The Growth Paradox: More Eyes, Fewer Clicks

BrightEdge's latest data paints a fascinating picture of our new search reality. Since Google launched AI Overviews in May 2024, total search impressions have skyrocketed by 49%. That's the good news.

The sobering counterpoint? Click-through rates have plummeted by nearly 30% during the same period. Users are consuming information directly within the AI Overview without ever visiting the source websites.

This shift represents a fundamental change in user behavior. The top of the funnel is expanding dramatically, while the traditional path to website visits is narrowing. Being visible is no longer just about driving traffic—it's about being part of the AI experience before a user clicks (if they click at all).

Industry Winners and Losers: Who's Getting the AI Treatment?

Not all industries are experiencing AI Overviews equally. Google isn't testing the waters anymore—it's diving headfirst into sectors where authoritative, evergreen content matters most.

Healthcare, education, B2B tech, and insurance now show the highest AI Overview presence, with some sectors approaching 90% penetration in queries. These industries share a common thread: they deal with factual, structured content that's perfect for AI-generated summaries.

Meanwhile, e-commerce remains relatively untouched by AI Overviews. Despite high search volumes, retail-related queries show significantly fewer AI appearances compared to informational searches. Google seems hesitant to use AI for product recommendations, likely due to trust issues and the potential impact on ad revenue.

The Long-Tail Revival: Complex Queries Take Center Stage

One of the most dramatic shifts in the past year: Google users are embracing longer, more detailed queries that previously wouldn't have triggered rich results. Searches with eight or more words now generate AI Overviews seven times more often than they did a year ago.

AI Overviews excel at addressing complex, conversational-style questions, offering coherent, complete answers to multifaceted prompts. This represents a meaningful improvement in how the AI layer interprets and responds to specific user intent.

Consider the evolution:

• Then: "solar panel efficiency" (no AI Overview)
• Now: "how to optimize solar panel efficiency in cloudy climates" (AI Overview with detailed guidance)

This trend reflects users becoming more comfortable with search as a conversation rather than a keyword lookup tool.

The Citation Revolution: Lower-Ranking Pages Getting Their Moment

Perhaps the most surprising change involves where Google sources the content for its AI Overviews. The search giant has dramatically broadened its citation pool beyond top-ranking pages.

Following the March 2025 Core Update, citations from positions 21–30 increased by 400%, while citations from positions 31–100 jumped 200%. Even more shocking: 89% of all citations in AI Overviews now come from URLs outside the top 100 organic rankings.

This shift represents a fundamental evolution in how brands must approach search strategy. Content that answers related sub-questions, clarifies complex topics, or anticipates user follow-ups has a legitimate shot at being cited, even if it doesn't rank on page one.

The SERP Real Estate War: AI Overviews Take the Throne

AI Overviews aren't just changing how users interact with search—they're reshaping the visual experience itself. They now regularly exceed 1,000 pixels in height, particularly for medical, financial, and how-to queries.

For context, 600 pixels is typically considered "above the fold," meaning AI Overviews often dominate the user's initial view. This visual expansion represents more than a 40% increase in average size since July 2024.

These expanded AI Overviews commonly include bulleted lists, carousels, and multi-paragraph responses, pushing traditional organic results well below the fold. For marketing and SEO leaders, this carries significant implications: even a #1 organic ranking may go unseen if the AI Overview commands the entire screen.

Beyond Rankings: The New SEO Imperative

What does all this mean for SEO professionals? The game has fundamentally changed. Success in search now requires optimizing for inclusion in AI Overviews, not just chasing traditional rankings.

The path forward is clear:

• Create content the AI can extract, synthesize, and cite—not just content that ranks
• Use structured headings and direct answers
• Focus on context, clarity, and topical authority—not just keywords
• Monitor your visibility inside AI Overviews

In this new search paradigm, visibility begins before the click, and authority is measured by citation, not just ranking position.

Adapting Your SEO Strategy for the AI Overview Era

The first year of Google's AI Overviews tells a clear story: AI isn't killing Google—it's making it stronger. Search activity has surged, with impressions up 49%, even as click-through rates have decreased by 30%.

This isn't just an algorithmic update—it's a fundamental shift in user behavior. People are searching more, asking deeper questions, and relying on AI to curate and summarize the best insights.

The new rules of search aren't about abandoning what worked before—they're about evolving your strategy to thrive in a zero-click world. Your content needs to be the source that Google's AI references, even if users never click through to your site.

Need help adapting your SEO strategy for the AI Overview era? Our team of search specialists at Hire a Writer can analyze your current visibility in AI Overviews and develop a strategy to ensure your content gets cited, not just ranked. Contact us today to future-proof your SEO approach.