How Do AI Overviews Affect CTR?

The arrival of AI Overviews is clearly changing how people search. Many recent studies show organic CTR tends to fall when Google shows a direct answer on the SERP. This has caused a wave of websites to lose a significant share of organic CTR and poses a big challenge to traditional SEO strategy. So how do AI Overviews actually affect CTR? How do you optimize SEO for AI Overviews? Let's MONA Media explore the details in the article below!

How do AI Overviews affect organic CTR?

From mid-2024, Google began testing the feature AI Overviews (AIO), a technology that uses artificial intelligence to summarize information directly on the search results page. By May 2025, AIO had arrived in Vietnam, opening a new phase in how people access information and posing real challenges to traditional SEO. 

So how are AI Overviews affecting CTR and how should businesses adapt in this context? Let's explore it with MONA!

Impact on SEO keyword rankings

The arrival of AI Overviews changed how Google arranges content on the search results page (SERP). Instead of organic SEO results holding the first position, AIO is shown at the very top, pushing formerly high-value positions like Top 1 further down.

Previously, the Top 1 position could capture about 30 – 35% of all clicks. But once replaced by the AIO summary, that share has dropped to 12 – 15%, and even lower depending on the industry and type of search query.

In addition, an analysis of more than 3,000 websites, equal to 1.6 million keywords, covering the month before and after AI Overviews officially launched in Vietnam, found that AIO caused a drop of 6.15% in organic traffic, but at the same time helped filter and bring higher-quality traffic to B2B business websites.

Carly Steven, SEO and editorial e-commerce director at a British newspaper, gave concrete evidence of how AI Overviews affect the click-through rate of keywords where MailOnline ranks first. 

• Desktop CTR fell sharply from about 13% to under 5%.
• Mobile CTR also dropped significantly, from about 20% to 7%.
• Even in the most positive scenario, when the website is mentioned in AI Overviews, desktop CTR is still lower by 43,9% and mobile CTR falls by about 32,5%.

So AI Overviews occupy the most important display spot on the search results page while significantly weakening organic SEO results. When the answer is given directly on the SERP, users tend not to click any further, so websites' efforts to optimize rankings no longer pay off as they used to. This also quietly confirms that the SEO "game" has truly changed: SEO is no longer a race for the number 1 spot but about becoming the answer in the AIO.

Users get answers right on the SERP, lowering CTR

AI Overviews are turning Google from a tool that points to sources into an "assistant" that answers queries fast. For informational queries, users can see a summary at the top of the page, with Google pulling content from several reputable sources into a short, easy-to-understand answer.

For example, when searching "benefit of vitamin C," users immediately see a block listing benefits like boosting immunity, acting as an antioxidant and aiding iron absorption, along with reference sources. With that much information, they can grasp the main points without visiting any website below.

When the answer is already laid out clearly and simply, the user's search journey almost stops. This is called zero-click search: the user generates no click on any website, because what they wanted to know was answered right in Google's display.

This causes CTR of organic SEO results to drop significantly, even when the website keeps a high ranking. Long or aggregate-style content pages are clearly affected when users no longer need to visit to find more information.

Clicks are spread across multiple sources

If Featured Snippet only pulled content from a single source, AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple pages (usually 2 – 5 sources per summary). This leads to several clear changes:

• Clicks are no longer concentrated on one standout result but split among the several websites that appear together.
• Websites holding Top 1 lose their clear advantage, since they are placed on par with other sources that may be less reputable for AI to reference.
• Google tends to favor highly trusted sources such as Wikipedia, WebMD or scientific journals, making it hard for small or new websites to appear in AI Overviews and attract clicks.

The role and impact of AI Overviews in SEO now and in the future

AI Overviews are making a clear change to how search engine optimization (SEO) is done, forcing SEOers to evaluate and adjust their entire SEO strategy in 2026 and the years ahead. The impact of AI Overviews on SEO shows up in many aspects, from traffic and CTR (organic click-through rate) to how content is built and how SEO techniques.

One of the clearest impacts is that AI Overviews affect a website's organic CTR. Many studies have recorded this, with CTR for queries that have AI Overviews dropping significantly, in some cases by as much as 18% –  64% for results sitting below the AI block, depending on the field.

However, AI Overviews don't only have a negative effect, they also open a new way to reach people. When your content is cited in Google's summary, the website can still attract quality visits from users who want to dig deeper. This shows that the SEO goal is no longer just holding a top position, but optimizing content to become a source the AI picks. Websites with in-depth, clear, trustworthy and well-structured content will have the advantage in this context.

In particular, Google increasingly stresses the role of E-E-A-T SEO factors when choosing sources for AI Overviews. This means content must not only be correct but also clearly show real experience, expertise and credibility. Websites with transparent author profiles, in-depth content and trustworthy signals have a better chance of being cited by the AI first.

≫ AIO Checklist 2026: How to optimize for AI Overviews effectively

An effective strategy to optimize for AIOs

To reduce the impact of AI Overviews on SEO and keep your visibility, businesses need an SEO strategy that fits how AIO selects and suggests content. SEO optimization for AI Overviews will be highly effective if you work in the right direction across the following areas:

Build Topical Authority to increase trust

To optimize for AI Overviews effectively, a website needs solid Topical Authority to raise trust and the chance of being chosen for display by AI. When content clearly shows expertise on each topic, Google is more likely to cite it in AIO. SEOers need to:

• Focus on developing content around clearly defined topics.
• Build a pillar – cluster structure to increase coverage and depth.
• Update regularly, expand content in depth and stay close to user intent.
• Strengthen internal links, add schema and author information to build trust with AI.

A Search Everywhere mindset in SEO strategy

People no longer search only on Google, but across many platforms. So SEO needs to expand into a multi-channel approach.

• Don't depend entirely on SEO: Reduce risk when Google traffic fluctuates.
• Combine Social, Email and Branding: Stay present across the whole user journey.
• Add more touchpoints with users: Show up on YouTube, TikTok, Reddit or industry communities to widen your reach.

Optimize content for AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Content needs to answer directly and stay on point with the user's question. Paragraphs should be short and clear, preferring lists or direct explanations. Building FAQ sections or question-and-answer content also increases the chance of being extracted by AI.

Optimize Schema to increase visibility

Schema helps Google understand the context of your content and increases the chance of appearing in AI Overviews. Types such as FAQ schema, HowTo, Article and Author need to be implemented accurately and for the right purpose. Note that overusing schema or attaching the wrong type can reduce effectiveness instead of improving visibility.

Build your brand to boost CTR and recognition

When users search by brand name, AI tends to intervene less. So investing in a trustworthy brand helps keep traffic steady. Businesses should increase their presence on many channels such as social media, press and podcasts, and develop content with a distinct signature so they stand out and aren't replaced by AI.

Interested in
AI & Vibe Coding?

A community group for sharing experience and turning ideas into electronic products that actually earn money with AI

Join the community for free

Measure and keep optimizing your AI SEO strategy

This is the last way to optimize SEO for AI Overviews, but it plays a key role in maintaining and improving visibility. As AI keeps changing how information is distributed, tracking and adjusting your strategy needs to be done regularly and accurately.

• Track not only traffic organic but also how often your content is cited in AI Overviews.
• Analyze traffic coming from AI to assess quality and user behavior.
• Use tools to check your visibility across AI platforms.
• Keep updating and optimizing content based on real data and user insights.

There's no denying that AI Overviews have a very large effect on organic CTR and are gradually changing the search journey, as users get their answer on the SERP before clicking. This leaves many websites facing a serious CTR drop, especially on informational queries. So businesses need to adapt quickly and optimize SEO for AI Overviews to create valuable content, raise the chance of being cited by AI and keep website traffic performing.