New Google AI Overviews data: Search clicks fell 30% in last year

/dans

Google search impressions are up 49% year-over-year, but click-through rates (CTR) are down 30%, according to new data from BrightEdge. For that, all credit goes to AI Overviews, Google’s AI-generated summaries that launched one year ago.

Why we care. Google’s AI Overviews have impacted SEO in a big way. For so long, the focus has been on rankings, which generally tended to drive traffic that could then be monetized. Today, we’re forced to focus on reach – visibility in AI Overviews – even though there is no guarantee you’ll get a click or that your content will be properly credited if you get cited by AI.

By the numbers. Here are some additional findings about how AI Overviews have evolved in the past year, per BrightEdge:

  • 7x increase queries of 8+ words.
  • 48% rise in technical terminology in search queries.
  • 400% increase in citations from results in positions 21–30.
  • 200% increase in citations from results positions 31-100
  • 89% of citations come from beyond the top 100 organic listings.

AI Overviews impact by industry. Healthcare and education are approaching 90% query coverage. Meanwhile, ecommerce queries still rarely show AI Overviews, and actually declined from 29% to 4%. Other industries that saw big increases in AI Overviews in the last year:

  • B2B tech grew from 36% to 70%.
  • Insurance grew from 17% to 63%.
  • Entertainment queries grew 2% to 37%.

What they’re saying. According to BrightEdge:

  • “SEO is no longer just about ranking – it’s about being recommended and cited. … The new rules of search are not about abandoning what worked before—they’re about evolving it.”

The report. AI Overviews One Year Review (PDF)