Visibility in Google’s AI Overviews doesn’t equal visitors.
In my analysis from the primary half of this 12 months, AI Overview citations constantly underperformed – even in comparison with conventional blue hyperlinks close to the underside of the SERP.
An AI Overview quotation can nonetheless assist with authority, model recall, positioning, and perhaps even long-term LLM coaching.
However for short-term clicks? The info paints a sobering image.
How AI Overviews vs. blue hyperlinks evaluate: What the information reveals
Are AI Overview citations truly gathering clicks? Or are they only pushing the actual click-producers additional down the web page?
That query led me to have a look at the efficiency of traditional blue hyperlinks and AI Overviews throughout a dozen completely different industries.
Contained in the analysis
This evaluation attracts on greater than 20,000 rating queries throughout industries, together with:
Automotive restore.
Ecommerce.
Schooling.
Health.
Healthcare.
Manufacturing.
SaaS.
From that pool, a centered case examine examined 200+ distinctive SERPs from February to April 2025 the place AI Overviews appeared.
Utilizing Google Search Console and Semrush, the examine tracked:
The place of every area contained in the Overview.
The identical area’s place within the conventional blue hyperlinks.
CTR, impressions, and clicks.
To maintain the evaluation clear, I solely counted the primary look of a hyperlink in an AI Overview to keep away from inflating efficiency with duplicates.
What the examine discovered
Rating first in an AI Overview delivers roughly Place 6 clicks: Removed from the golden ticket many assume.
AI Overview CTR curves fall off a cliff – quick: By Place 5, most citations would possibly as nicely be on the tenth web page of Google’s search outcomes.
The Prime 3 blue hyperlinks nonetheless carry out greatest: The strongest AI Overview slot doesn’t match the Prime 3 natural SERP outcomes. Blue hyperlinks nonetheless dominate the place it issues: driving actual, high-intent visitors.
Dig deeper: Will Google’s AI Overviews kill the press?
So, why aren’t AI Overviews driving clicks?
The truth that the addition of AI Overview citations to SERPs is hurting clicks isn’t precisely breaking information.
Since AI Overviews have been applied, they’ve been documented to harm click-through charges throughout the SERP, significantly on informational queries.
However this reveals that the reply isn’t so simple as taking pictures for AI Overview placements, assuming the brand new “high” general SERP placement will compensate for misplaced clicks.
The issue is even stickier for AI Overviews.
A part of the difficulty is that consumer intent is turning into (much more) happy on-screen.
It’s the identical, traditional zero-click search downside that’s been ongoing since Folks additionally ask placements, with Google now synthesizing these solutions for customers.
However AI Overviews have even larger points that reduce their worth to content material creators as a result of their distinctive placement, construction, and group.
AI Overview model mentions lack context
In a blue hyperlink, the model is each a doorway and a marquee.
In any case, a standard blue hyperlink has an optimized title and an attention-grabbing meta description to draw that all-valuable click on.
However in AI Overviews, manufacturers are given a small, bland quotation, with solely a fraction of the meta description obtainable. It’s mainly a mousehole.
Place inflation
Being “first” in an Overview doesn’t carry the identical weight as “first” in natural outcomes.
The highest of SERPs is overly busy with AI Overviews, paid adverts, website hyperlinks, map packs, and different options.
Information reveals that search customers agree: many searchers are scrolling down, searching for an escape from the muddle.
With AI Overviews, engagement swiftly drops off a cliff
Customers scan a number of blue hyperlinks, however consideration collapses in AI Overviews. Citations are small, laborious to scroll, and visually unappealing.
Different searchers clearly agree. The CTR curve reveals a steep decay, in order that by AI Overview quotation 4 or 5, your hyperlink mainly doesn’t exist.
What ought to SEOs do about it?
First, we have to reframe the best way we current our information, our objectives, and perhaps even our service.
Visibility ≠ visitors: Should you’re reporting clicks to management, AI Overview citations won’t save your dashboards. That’s why some SEOs are making the transfer to attribute different channel visitors to their efforts. (Extra on that, later.)
SERP authority ≠ ROI: Sure, being cited in an AI Overview lends credibility and visibility. It could even finally contribute to a click on, down the road of a consumer’s search expertise. However that credibility is extra summary than ever and tougher to trace.
The battle for high blue hyperlink positions is way from over: You continue to have to struggle for high blue hyperlink positions. AI Overviews haven’t “leveled the sector” in opposition to any established high 3 rating competitor content material. They’ve simply added one other, weaker layer to the SERP.
Get the publication search entrepreneurs depend on.
Now, right here’s the place issues truly get actionable.
1. Optimize for the overview, however don’t overvalue
AI Overview citations do matter. A high rating right here can match an honest natural consequence, however not a Prime 3 slot.
I’ve discovered essentially the most success in rating for AI Overviews by treating them equally to Folks additionally ask snippets, by specializing in “reply capsules.”
Right here’s what’s labored for me.
Begin by figuring out high-volume FAQs
Search for high-volume phrases, utilizing instruments like Semrush’s Key phrase Overview, and establish queries already displaying AI Overviews.
Just like conventional blue hyperlinks, I’ve discovered key phrase problem does matter for AI Overviews, however a extremely tough rating is much less of a hindrance.
Low authority or new domains typically nonetheless have a shot to rank extremely in AI Overviews in opposition to established opponents.
Place tight, authoritative reply capsules after H2s or H3s
Deal with a solution like a extremely optimized meta description.
Preserve a summarized reply, or “reply capsule,” to lower than 200 characters.
A fast, assured, and summarized reply that may be simply cited is a should.
You’ll add extra data beneath, fleshing out your reply to offer extra in-depth data to customers in your website.
Don’t externally hyperlink in your reply capsule
Don’t talk to search engines like google and yahoo that one other useful resource is a greater supply on the subject.
By no means externally hyperlink in an space of copy you imagine is a goal for an AI Overview.
Different search engine marketing greatest practices additionally apply.
Use structured markup the place it is smart.
Anticipate pure language queries. Learn content material like a consumer and reply their questions, even when they’re not high-volume key phrases.
Make content material that is smart for folks, since search engines like google and yahoo and LLMs care most about them.
2. Double down on Web page 1 blue hyperlinks
Prime 3 rankings are nonetheless the first click on drivers.
In-depth content material, written for customers who expertise it on-page, continues to be the perfect technique for dominating the highest of Google’s blue hyperlinks.
Search may need modified, however it’s best to proceed to prioritize optimizing for:
Content material depth: Extra knowledgeable and topically thorough posts produce longer engaged classes, decrease bounce charges, and drive extra in-site visitors. That hasn’t modified.
Hyperlink authority: Backlinks nonetheless matter, for each AI Overviews and conventional blue hyperlinks.
Technical well being: Whether or not it’s blue hyperlinks, AI Overviews, or different SERP options, your website must carry out nicely. Regulate these Core Internet Vitals.
Dig deeper: The search visibility framework: Dominating each nook of the SERP in 2026
3. Think about monitoring ‘assisted conversions’
Search has modified. Why wouldn’t we alter the best way we monitor how customers search?
When framing AI Overviews to stakeholders, it may be useful to grasp AI Overview mentions as an upper-funnel help.
They may not ship the press now, however they prime customers for later recognition.
However don’t go too far.
I see some SEOs are making the transfer to attribute different channel visitors to their efforts.
It is smart, since visibility in the future can result in quite a lot of completely different channel visitors on one other.
In any case, commercials and billboards work for a motive.
Be skeptical of claims that AI Overview visibility drives massive spikes in direct visitors.
Whereas it will be beautiful to say credit score for direct as an search engine marketing, it appears odd to anticipate that natural customers are actually typing in particular URLs with no referral hyperlink or Google search.
That stated, I do assume it’s cheap to imagine AI Overviews drive some positive factors to branded natural visitors.
More and more, parsing out branded and non-branded visitors – a long-standing greatest apply for reporting – might not be portray as clear an image because it used to.
In different phrases, we have to assume laborious about what our area’s consumer journeys actually seem like. We additionally have to current them to decision-makers in a manner that is smart, not simply appears to be like good for SEOs.
4. Monitor CTR realistically
We now have to cease benchmarking in opposition to outdated CTR expectations.
For years, I’ve seen numbers as excessive as 40% anticipated CTR for a Place 1 general rating, and this actually isn’t based mostly on something correct anymore.
Run a search, and also you’ll discover plenty of these inflated estimates on SERPs (and now, AI Overviews!).
It’s time we simply throw these numbers out the window. Again up these estimates with actual information.
Educate stakeholders, in order that they don’t chase the fallacious KPIs – and anticipate them from you.
Dig deeper: Wish to beat AI Overviews? Produce unmistakably human content material
Visibility isn’t a click on, however it’s worthwhile
AI Overviews are flashy and really feel like a win, however they’re visibility – not a visitors engine.
Measuring them as such misleads stakeholders.
For SEOs and digital entrepreneurs, the suitable playbook is evident:
Preserve authority constructing by means of hyperlinks, technical well being, content material depth, and different conventional search engine marketing greatest practices.
Chase and defend high blue hyperlink positions. They’re shifting the needle most.
Deal with AI Overview citations as upper-funnel model moments, not the centerpiece of reporting.
In different phrases: don’t mistake this new gold star sticker for income.
Have fun the visibility, however maintain KPIs anchored the place essentially the most clicks – and enterprise influence – truly come from.
Contributing authors are invited to create content material for Search Engine Land and are chosen for his or her experience and contribution to the search group. Our contributors work beneath the oversight of the editorial employees and contributions are checked for high quality and relevance to our readers. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. Contributor was not requested to make any direct or oblique mentions of Semrush. The opinions they categorical are their very own.
