Google’s AI Overview is Killing Your Top Ranking - Here’s Why

Synopsis: Google’s AI Overviews aim to simplify search by offering quick, AI-generated answers right on the results page. This new feature makes things easier for users. But it is hurting websites that used to get more clicks. Top-ranked pages are now seeing fewer visitors. Some studies indicate that traffic has dropped by over 30%. That is a big deal for people who depend on clicks, like publishers and SEO folks. They are worried. Less traffic means less visibility, maybe less income too. It’s forcing content creators to think again. How do they stay visible? How do they keep people coming back? It is not as simple as before.

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Click-Through Rates Just Crashed 34%! "Thanks" to This Google Feature

Google rolled out this thing called AI Overviews, and it changes a lot for how we see search results. Basically, instead of just showing the usual list of links, Google now gives you this AI-generated summary right at the top. Sounds useful, right? It may not be for everyone.

See, the moment that summary shows up, people stop clicking as much on the links below. According to Ahrefs, the top result,  which used to get a decent chunk of traffic,  is now seeing its click-through rate drop by over 34%. That is huge. It means, imagine putting in all that SEO effort to rank first… and then barely getting any clicks because Google already gave people what they needed.

And it gets worse if you are  targeting informational queries like “how to do this” or “why that happens.” These are common, especially for bloggers or educational content. Research from Amsive shows that in those cases, CTR drops around 20% when AI Overviews are there.

Now, if you are in publishing or SEO, this is worrying. Because fewer clicks mean less traffic. And less traffic? That usually means less ad revenue, fewer leads, and just lower visibility overall. So yeah, it is a shift.

What can you do? Well, one option is trying to get your content featured in the AI Overview, though that is not entirely in your control. Or maybe you explore other ways to engage your audience,  like email, social, or even video.

Bottom line: these AI summaries are making life easier for users, sure. But for creators and publishers, it is another curveball. One more reason to rethink how we approach SEO today.

Read More: Is Google Finally Listening to Creators? What This Core Update Might Reveal