The numbers are in: when Google shows an AI Overview, click-through rates drop 58% on average. For some sectors, it's worse. But panicking would be a mistake.
The study comes from Seer Interactive, confirmed by similar data from Ahrefs and Sistrix. When Google triggers an AI Overview on a query, the average CTR for classic organic results drops by 58.5%.
For informational queries, it's even worse: -64%. For transactional queries, the impact is lower: -34%. Local queries are relatively spared for now, around -22%.
These figures come from the US market, where AI Overviews have been deployed for over a year. In Europe, the rollout is accelerating -- Belgium and France have been affected since late 2025.
The impact depends heavily on the type of query. Understanding this is crucial to avoid panicking about the wrong things.
Definitional queries are devastated. "What is AEO?", "What does GEO stand for?" -- Google's AI Overview answers these completely. No reason to click. If your traffic depended on this type of content, brace yourself.
Complex informational queries hold up better. "How to set up AI visibility for a B2B company in Belgium" -- the AI Overview gives a summary, but users want the full guide. Clicks drop less for in-depth content.
Transactional queries are still partially protected. "SEO agency Belgium pricing" -- Google is cautious about AI Overviews on commercial queries. But it's coming.
Local queries are the least affected. "Best Italian restaurant Brussels" -- AI Overviews appear but still drive to the local pack. For now.
Some SEOs are trying to block their content from AI Overviews. Bad idea. You can't opt out, and even if you could, you'd be removing yourself from the most visible position on the SERP.
Others are trying to "outrank" the AI Overview by writing longer content. Also wrong. The AI Overview sits above organic results -- you can't outrank it. It's not a competitor. It's the new landscape.
Google's AI Overview cites sources. Usually 3-5 URLs appear as references. Being one of those sources is the new position zero.
From our analysis across client sites, the content most likely to be cited in AI Overviews shares these traits:
Factual, specific, and recent. Not opinion pieces. Data-driven content with dates, numbers, and verifiable claims.
Well-structured with schema markup. FAQPage, HowTo, Article schemas significantly increase your chances of being cited.
From authoritative domains. Google's AI Overview still favors established, trustworthy sites. But "trustworthy" is expanding to include industry-specific expertise, not just Domain Authority.
Strategy 1: pivot to "unsummarizable" content. Write content that AI Overviews can't condense into 3 sentences. Case studies with detailed methodology. Comparison articles with nuanced analysis. Data-heavy industry reports. The AI Overview will summarize the basics and cite you for the depth.
Strategy 2: own the long tail. AI Overviews are most aggressive on head terms. Long-tail queries -- specific, multi-faceted questions -- still have high organic CTR. Focus your content strategy here. "How to set up llms.txt for a Belgian law firm" won't trigger an AI Overview (yet). "What is SEO?" will.
Strategy 3: build channels that AI Overviews can't touch. Email newsletters, LinkedIn following, direct brand searches. These traffic sources are immune to AI Overviews. The more you diversify, the less any single Google change can hurt you.
Here's what most people miss: the sources cited IN the AI Overview get more clicks than sources in positions 4-10 used to. Google is showing fewer sources but highlighting them more prominently.
One of our clients was cited in an AI Overview for a competitive query. Their CTR on that query went from 3.2% (position 5) to 8.7% (AI Overview source). The total traffic on the query dropped, but their share increased.
That's the game now: smaller pie, bigger slice. If you're cited in the AI Overview, you win. If you're not, you lose more than before.
The companies that adapt to this reality will thrive. The ones that mourn the old 10-blue-links SERP will fall behind. The SERP has changed. Your strategy needs to change with it.
Co-fondatrice et CEO d'AISOS. Expert GEO, elle accompagne les entreprises dans leur stratégie de visibilité Google + IA.