How AI Overviews Changed Click-Through Rates
AI Overviews cut organic CTR 15-61% depending on the study. Pew found clicks fall from 15% to 8% when one appears. The data, the 2026 rebound, and why cited brands gain.
Google’s AI Overviews have measurably reduced organic click-through rates on the queries where they appear. The most rigorous study to date, from Seer Interactive, found organic CTR on AI Overview queries fell by around 61% at its steepest, and a Pew Research analysis of nearly 69,000 real searches found people click a traditional result only 8% of the time when an Overview is present, versus 15% without one. But the picture has nuance worth understanding: the decline partly rebounded in early 2026, and cited brands actually gain clicks. This post lays out what the data really shows.
Key takeaway
- Every major study found organic CTR drops when an AI Overview appears — the magnitude ranges from about 15% to 61% depending on methodology, but the direction is unanimous.
- Pew Research found users click a traditional result 8% of the time with an Overview present versus 15% without — a 47% relative decline.
- Being cited inside the Overview reverses the loss: cited brands earn roughly 35% more organic clicks than uncited ones.
How much do AI Overviews reduce click-through rate?
AI Overviews reduce organic click-through rate by somewhere between roughly 15% and 61% on affected queries, depending on the study, with every credible analysis finding a decline. The most rigorous longitudinal work, from Seer Interactive, tracked billions of impressions and found organic CTR on Overview queries fell to a low of about 0.61% in September 2025 — a roughly 61% drop from its pre-Overview level. More conservative studies using different query sets found smaller declines around 15% to 35%, but none found the effect to be zero.
The variation comes from methodology: which queries were sampled, over what period, and how CTR was measured. The honest summary is that the exact number depends on your query mix, but the direction is settled — when Google puts an AI-generated answer above the links, fewer people click through.
The most rigorous single finding
The cleanest primary evidence comes from a Pew Research Center behavioural study that observed nearly 69,000 real Google searches from around 900 US adults, rather than relying on aggregate CTR estimates. It found that when an AI Overview was present, users clicked a traditional search result just 8% of the time, compared with 15% when no Overview appeared — a 47% relative decline in the likelihood of clicking through.
Because it measures actual behaviour on real searches, this finding is harder to dismiss than modelled CTR curves. It confirms the mechanism directly: the Overview satisfies a large share of searchers on the results page, and they never click.
8% vs 15%
How often users clicked a traditional search result with an AI Overview present (8%) versus absent (15%), in Pew Research’s behavioural study of nearly 69,000 real searches — a 47% relative decline in click-through when an Overview appears.
Source — Pew Research Center, July 2025
The 2026 rebound
The story didn’t end at the 2025 lows. Seer Interactive’s longer analysis, running into early 2026, found organic CTR on Overview queries rebounded from its September 2025 floor of about 0.61% up to roughly 2.4% by February 2026 — a substantial recovery as users adapted and Google adjusted the format. But a gap remains: Overview-present queries still showed materially lower CTR (around 2.4%) than Overview-absent queries (around 3.8%), a structural difference of roughly 37% that appears to be the new baseline rather than a temporary shock.
The takeaway is not “it’s fine now.” It’s that AI Overviews imposed a real, persistent CTR penalty that partly eased but did not disappear. Plan around a durable gap, not a temporary dip.
Why coverage makes this urgent
The CTR impact matters more as Overviews spread. They now appear on roughly half of Google searches, with coverage far higher in some verticals — reported around 88% for healthcare and 83% for education, and lower for entertainment. The more of your query set triggers an Overview, the more of your potential traffic sits behind that CTR penalty. For informational and research-heavy categories, the majority of queries may now carry an Overview.
The counterintuitive upside: cited brands gain
Here’s the finding that reframes the whole problem. Being cited inside the AI Overview doesn’t just protect you from the CTR loss — it can leave you better off. Analysis found brands cited within Overviews earned roughly 35% more organic clicks than uncited brands, and substantially more paid clicks. The Overview concentrates attention on a handful of cited sources, and being one of them captures the clicks that do happen plus the brand exposure of appearing in the answer.
This flips the strategic goal. The response to AI Overviews isn’t to fight them or mourn lost rankings — it’s to be cited in them. A citation converts the Overview from a threat that intercepts your traffic into a placement that showcases your brand above the links.
Frequently asked questions
Do AI Overviews really reduce clicks?
Yes — every credible study found a decline, ranging from about 15% to 61% depending on methodology. Pew Research’s behavioural study of nearly 69,000 real searches found users click a traditional result 8% of the time with an Overview present versus 15% without. The exact magnitude varies with query mix, but the direction is unanimous: Overviews reduce organic click-through.
Did AI Overview CTR recover in 2026?
Partly. Seer Interactive found organic CTR on Overview queries rebounded from a September 2025 low of about 0.61% to roughly 2.4% by February 2026. But Overview-present queries still trailed Overview-absent ones (around 3.8%) by roughly 37%. The steep initial drop eased, but a durable structural gap remains — plan around a persistent penalty, not a temporary dip.
Which industries are hit hardest by AI Overviews?
Those with the highest Overview coverage and most informational queries. Overviews reportedly appear on around 88% of healthcare and 83% of education queries, versus lower rates in entertainment. The more of your query set triggers an Overview, the more traffic sits behind the CTR penalty. Research-heavy, informational categories feel the impact most; navigational and transactional queries less so.
Can I benefit from AI Overviews instead of losing traffic?
Yes — by being cited in them. Brands cited within Overviews earned roughly 35% more organic clicks than uncited brands, plus the brand exposure of appearing in the answer. The Overview concentrates attention on a few cited sources, so a citation captures the clicks that still happen and showcases your brand above the links. The goal shifts from ranking to getting cited.
The bottom line
AI Overviews cut organic clicks — that’s settled across every study, most rigorously by Seer and Pew. The decline partly rebounded in 2026 but left a durable gap, and coverage keeps expanding. The strategic response isn’t denial or despair; it’s citation. Being named inside the Overview reverses the CTR loss and turns the feature into a brand placement. Measure which of your queries now show Overviews, and work to be cited in them.
We track your AI Overview exposure and optimise for citation as part of our AI Visibility service — turning a CTR threat into a placement.
