New Data: Google AI Overviews Are Hurting Click-Through Rates

Two new studies from leading marketing firms have confirmed what many SEO professionals have feared: Google's AI Overviews are taking a significant bite out of organic click-through rates. While Google executives have insisted that AI Overviews actually increase clicks, the data tells a different story.

The Numbers Don't Lie: CTR Losses Across the Board

According to research from Ahrefs and Amsive, the introduction of AI Overviews correlates with substantial declines in organic visibility and clicks, particularly for top-ranking, non-branded keywords.

"We analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that the presence of an AI Overview in the search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate for the top-ranking page," reports Ryan Law, Director of Content Marketing at Ahrefs. This finding directly contradicts Google CEO Sundar Pichai's claim that "content and links within AI Overviews get higher clickthrough rates than if you put it outside of AI Overviews."

Meanwhile, Amsive's analysis of 700,000 keywords across 10 websites in 5 industries revealed an average CTR decline of 15.49% for keywords that trigger AI Overviews.

Non-Branded Keywords Hit Hardest

Both studies highlight that non-branded keywords - which make up the vast majority of Google searches - are disproportionately affected:

• Amsive found that non-branded keywords experienced a sharp 19.98% CTR decline when AI Overviews appeared
• Ahrefs noted that 99.2% of keywords that trigger AI Overviews are informational in intent

This represents a fundamental shift in the SEO landscape, as informational content has traditionally been a primary driver of organic traffic and top-of-funnel acquisition.

The Double Whammy: AI Overviews + Featured Snippets

Amsive's research uncovered an especially concerning trend: keywords that triggered both AI Overviews and Featured Snippets saw a staggering 37.04% decrease in CTR.

"The combined presence of these two are likely to crowd out the entire page above the fold, leaving little space for organic results to be clicked," the report notes.

Lower Rankings = Bigger Losses

The further down the page you rank, the worse the impact appears to be:

• Keywords ranking outside the top 3 positions experienced a CTR decline of 27.04% on average
• First-position results saw their CTR drop from 0.073 in March 2024 to just 0.026 in March 2025 according to Ahrefs

The Branded Keyword Silver Lining

There is one surprising bright spot in the data. Amsive found that branded keywords are less likely to trigger AI Overviews (only 4.79% of the time), and when they do appear, they actually boost CTR by 18.68% on average.

This suggests that strong brand recognition and direct brand intent may help counteract some of the negative effects of AI Overviews.

Methodology: How the Studies Were Conducted

Let's walk through it.

Ahrefs Study

• Analyzed 300,000 keywords (150,000 with AI Overviews, 150,000 without)
• Used aggregated Google Search Console data to compare CTRs from March 2024 (pre-AI Overviews) and March 2025 (post-implementation)
• Focused on informational keywords for a fair comparison

Amsive Study

• Examined 700,000 keywords across 10 websites in 5 industries (finance, education, SaaS, healthcare, and pets)
• Specifically analyzed 10,000 keywords that triggered AI Overviews and were already ranking organically
• Segmented findings by keyword type, ranking position, and SERP feature overlap

What This Means for Your SEO Strategy

As AI Overviews continue to reshape search, traditional SEO approaches need to evolve. Both studies suggest several strategic shifts:

1. Focus on high-intent, non-branded queries - With broad informational queries showing steep CTR declines, prioritizing mid to bottom-funnel keywords with clearer purchase intent may deliver better results
2. Double down on branded search - The relative immunity of branded keywords to AI Overview disruption makes brand-building more important than ever
3. Still fight for top positions - While even #1 rankings are seeing reduced CTRs, the impact is significantly worse for results outside the top 3
4. Watch for Featured Snippet overlap - Keywords triggering both AI Overviews and Featured Snippets show the worst performance, so monitoring this overlap is crucial

AI & CTR

Both studies cast serious doubt on Google's claim that AI Overviews benefit websites through citations. Ahrefs' Ryan Law points out: "Despite Google's optimistic claim that 'links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query,' there is still no way to disambiguate AI Overview clicks and impressions from the rest of your Search Console data."

As AI Overviews become a permanent fixture in Google's search ecosystem, brands and marketers will need to adapt their strategies accordingly or risk watching their organic traffic continue to decline.