Google AI Overviews Hurting Click-Through Rates (CTR)
- Kishanu Karmakar
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Is Google AI Overviews Killing Click-Through Rates? Here's What You Need to Know
Google is always changing how its search results look. One of the newer changes is the introduction of Google AI Overviews. These are short summaries that show up at the top of the search page, giving you quick answers to your questions using artificial intelligence. While this might seem helpful for people searching, there's a growing worry among website owners: are these AI Overviews hurting how many people click on their sites?
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Google AI Overviews Reduce Click-Through Rates
The main concern is about click-through rates, or CTR. This refers to the percentage of individuals who view your website in the search results and choose to click on it. When a Google AI Overview appears, it often provides a good chunk of the information a user is looking for right there on the search page. This means people might find the answer they need without having to click on any of the links under the summary. Naturally, this can lead to fewer clicks going to websites, even those that used to get a lot of traffic from Google.
According to Ahrefs data, the average click-through rate (CTR) for the top-ranking page is 34.5% lower when an AI Overview is present in the search results for similar informational keywords. Several reports and studies have looked into this. They suggest that when Google AI Overviews are shown, the number of clicks that go to the regular website listings tends to drop. This drop in clicks and lower CTR is a big deal for anyone who relies on Google search traffic.
Studies Show Google AI Overviews Hurt Clicks
Recent data from different studies backs up this worry. They show that the presence of Google AI Overviews is indeed connected to lower click-through rates for many websites. This is especially true for searches where someone is just looking for information rather than searching for a specific brand. For example, if you search "how to tie a knot," the AI Overview might just show you the steps, and you might not need to click on a website that explains it.
These studies indicate that even websites that rank very high, like number one, are seeing fewer clicks than before when an AI Overview is present. This suggests that the AI Overview is taking away some of the traffic that would normally go to these top results. The data clearly points to Google AI Overviews hurting the click-through rates for many online businesses and publishers.
Why Google AI Overviews Hurt CTR
The simple reason why Google AI Overviews appear to hurt CTR is that they keep users on Google's page. By providing answers directly, the need to click out to another website is reduced. While Google might say these overviews help users, for website owners, fewer clicks mean less traffic. This directly affects how many people visit their site, which can impact everything from advertising revenue to online sales. The evidence from various studies suggests that Google AI Overviews are causing a decline in click-through rates for a significant number of search results, hurting the number of clicks websites receive.
