Google’s AI Overviews (formerly SGE) are changing how searchers behave and—in many cases—reducing organic click-through rates. Learn what publishers and SEOs are seeing and a practical playbook to protect traffic and conversions.
Google’s AI Overviews — the evolution of Search Generative Experience (SGE) — synthesize content from across the web into an AI-generated summary that appears at the top of select search results. For users this often means faster answers. For site owners and publishers, it can mean fewer clicks. This article explains what AI Overviews are, summarizes the early industry evidence, and lays out a pragmatic strategy to preserve visibility, traffic quality, and revenue in an AI-driven SERP.
An AI Overview is a short, Google-generated summary displayed above the traditional organic listings for certain informational queries. These overviews aggregate answers from multiple sources and sometimes include citations and follow-up prompts. They are most commonly triggered by informational intent — how-to queries, general knowledge questions, and some product or health searches — though coverage continues to expand. Key features that matter for site owners are that AI Overviews live above organic listings and that Google may cite several sources while presenting a single consolidated answer.
Because AI Overviews provide answers on the SERP itself, users often don’t need to click through to a website to get the information they want. Multiple independent industry measurements and publisher reports point in the same direction: when an AI Overview appears, click-through rates for organic results beneath that overview decline. The size of the impact varies by vertical and query type. Informational verticals — health, education, how-to, and product information — tend to show larger declines because they are frequently satisfied by short, factual answers.
Industry leaders, analysts, and publishers are sounding a mix of concern and strategic caution. Their comments illustrate the core issues: the open web is being summarized and surface-level answers can replace visits, but authoritative sources that are properly structured and clearly authored can still benefit through citations and brand lift.
Many publishers and trade groups argue that the industry needs better balance: AI-driven answers should benefit users while preserving fair attribution and traffic for original reporting and research. News and publisher trade organizations have publicly urged for clarity and industry safeguards so that content creators are not unfairly deprived of visibility and revenue.
Below are representative statements from market observers and publisher advocates (short excerpts to maintain context):
“AI companies and news publications should coexist, but one-sided, forced offerings without the ability to opt out does not achieve that goal.” — Danielle Coffey, President & CEO, News/Media Alliance. (Publisher advocacy emphasizing fair treatment and opt-out concerns.)
“Based on testing habits, about 25% of the traffic could be negatively affected by the de-emphasis on links.” — Marc McCollum, Chief Innovation Officer, Raptive. (Industry practitioner perspective on early traffic effects.)
“The new world of a zero-click web…for a lot of businesses…it’s gonna get ugly. But it does not mean that all traffic is dead.” — Rand Fishkin, SparkToro. (Strategist cautioning that adaptation is necessary but not impossible.)
Analysis highlighted by publishers suggests that, in worst-case, specific queries could see dramatic query-level declines for the top-ranked page when results appear below an AI Overview. This is a query-specific modeling outcome and not a universal outcome for every page or site.
Taken together, these voices show a common theme: AI Overviews change where value accrues in search, and publishers plus SEOs must adapt both defensively (protect revenue) and proactively (seek to be the cited, authoritative source). The discussion continues across the industry, and the practical takeaway is to treat AI Overviews as a significant SERP evolution — one that requires tactical responses rather than panic.
A top ranking is no longer a guarantee of the clicks and conversions it once produced if that rank sits below an AI Overview. That shift affects not only traffic volumes but also the underlying business models that rely on pageviews — particularly ad and affiliate revenue on purely informational pages. SEO measurement must therefore evolve: ranking positions remain important, but engagement, conversion efficiency, branded queries, and revenue per visitor now carry more weight when evaluating organic performance.
Below is a prioritized, tactical plan that balances short-term defense with long-term brand building.
Each of these steps is practical and measurable. Start with a handful of your highest-traffic informational pages and A/B test answer-first formatting plus a conversion element to see which adjustments preserve value.
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LinkDaddy’s core services that are most relevant for protecting visibility in an AI-dominated SERP include:
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AI Overviews reshape how searchers find information and, consequently, how SEO drives business outcomes. While some informational pages will see traffic pressure, effective responses include making your content citable, leaning into transactional intent, strengthening brand recognition, and diversifying acquisition channels. The SEO discipline is shifting from pure rank chasing to delivering measurable business impact — and that’s a change publishers and brands can manage with the right strategy.
Not always. The impact depends on the query intent, the vertical, and whether your page provides unique value beyond a short summary. Transactional and branded queries tend to be more resilient.
Yes. Sites that present accurate, clearly structured answers with visible author credentials, supporting citations, and good on-page markup are more likely to be cited.
Estimates vary by industry and study. Some pages show modest declines while others see larger decreases on specific queries. Use query-level analytics to understand your site’s exposure and prioritize remediation where the business impact is greatest.
