The Impact of AI Overviews on Click-Through Rates and User Engagement

AI Overviews: How They’re Reshaping SEO Click-Through Rates and User Engagement

The search engine landscape is shifting dramatically. With AI overviews now appearing in roughly 13% of Google search results, the traditional metrics we’ve used to gauge SEO success are being forced to evolve. For many websites, this shift is causing noticeable drops in click-through rates and questioning the value of conventional optimization strategies.

While organic traffic remains a crucial metric, these AI-generated summaries are fundamentally changing user behavior, requiring SEO professionals to recalibrate how they measure success. The days of straightforward “rank and bank” strategies are dwindling as traffic patterns transform and user engagement takes center stage.

The question isn’t whether AI overviews are affecting your traffic—they absolutely are. The real question is: how can you adapt your SEO approach to thrive in this new reality?

When 60% of Google searches already end without a click and AI overviews continue to expand across search results, measuring success through traditional traffic metrics alone is like navigating with an outdated map. The territory has changed, and so must our navigation tools.

As we dive into the impact of AI overviews on search behavior, we’ll explore how to reshape your SEO strategy and metrics to not just survive but capitalize on these changes. This isn’t just another algorithm update—it’s a fundamental transformation of the search experience that demands an equally transformative response.

The Rise of AI Overviews and Their Impact on Click Behavior

Google’s AI overviews represent a significant evolution in how information is presented to users. Rather than simply offering links to various websites, these overviews synthesize information directly in the search results, often providing users with the answers they need without requiring them to click through to any website.

As of mid-2024, AI overviews appeared in 12.7% of search results, with that percentage continuing to grow. For website owners and SEO professionals, this introduces a troubling trend: when users get their answers directly from search results, traditional click-through rates inevitably decline.

The New Zero-Click Reality

Zero-click searches—queries that don’t result in any clicks to external websites—have been a growing concern for years. Recent data shows approximately 60% of Google searches now end without a click to any website. With the introduction of AI overviews, this percentage is likely to increase further.

This shift is particularly impactful for informational queries, where users are looking for quick answers rather than deep research. Sites that previously captured traffic by answering straightforward questions are seeing significant drops in traffic as those answers migrate directly to the search results page.

CTR Changes Across Different Query Types

The impact on click-through rates varies significantly depending on the type of search query:

• Informational queries (e.g., “how to tie a tie”) are experiencing the largest drops in CTR, often 30-50% lower when AI overviews appear.
• Transactional queries (e.g., “buy running shoes”) are less affected, with drops typically in the 10-20% range, as users still need to visit websites to complete purchases.
• Navigational queries (e.g., “Facebook login”) show minimal impact, as users still intend to visit specific destinations.

This uneven impact means that content strategies need to be increasingly tailored to the query types that still drive meaningful traffic, rather than pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach to content creation.

Shifting to Engagement-Focused Metrics

With traditional traffic metrics becoming less reliable indicators of SEO success, smart marketers are pivoting to engagement-based metrics that better reflect content value in an AI overview world.

Scroll Depth as a Quality Indicator

Scroll depth tracking has emerged as a critical metric for understanding user engagement with your content. By measuring how far users scroll down your pages, you can gain insights into which content actually holds attention versus which content users abandon quickly.

Setting up scroll depth tracking milestones (typically at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of page depth) can help identify content quality issues and opportunities. Content that consistently achieves deep scroll rates indicates material that genuinely engages users—the kind of content that becomes increasingly valuable as initial traffic becomes harder to capture.

The difference between a page where 80% of visitors read half the content versus one where only 20% do tells you far more about content quality than raw pageviews ever could.

Adjusted Bounce Rate (ABR)

Traditional bounce rate can be misleading—a user might find exactly what they need, spend five minutes reading your content, and then leave without visiting another page. This would register as a “bounce” despite being a positive user experience.

Adjusted bounce rate (ABR) addresses this limitation by accounting for time spent on the page. By configuring ABR to only count short-duration visits (typically under 30 seconds) as bounces, you get a more accurate picture of content relevance.

In a world where AI overviews pre-qualify visitors before they click through to your site, ABR becomes even more valuable—users who do click through are likely looking for deeper information, making their engagement patterns more meaningful quality indicators.

Average Time on Page

Time-based metrics are gaining importance as traffic patterns evolve. The average time users spend on your pages provides critical insights into content quality and relevance, especially when compared across similar content types.

When examining time on page metrics, compare them within content categories rather than site-wide. A 90-second average might be excellent for a quick how-to guide but concerning for an in-depth feature article. Context matters tremendously when interpreting engagement metrics.

Strategic Adjustments for the AI Overview Era

Beyond simply measuring different metrics, SEO strategies themselves need to evolve to thrive in an environment where AI overviews capture answers before users even reach your site.

Doubling Down on Intent Segmentation

Not all search intent is equally affected by AI overviews. By segmenting your content strategy based on search intent, you can focus resources where they’ll deliver the greatest return:

• Research-heavy queries where users need comprehensive information beyond what an AI overview can provide
• Experience-based content where personal stories and authentic perspectives add value that AI summaries can’t match
• Visual and interactive content that delivers information in formats that AI overviews can reference but not replace
• Commercial/transactional queries where users still need to click through to complete their goals

This intent-focused approach allows you to de-emphasize simple informational content that AI overviews are likely to capture, and redirect those resources toward content types where clicks remain necessary.

Optimizing for Position Zero and Citation

If you can’t beat AI overviews, contribute to them. Google’s AI overviews pull information from across the web, and being cited as a source can drive brand awareness even when direct clicks don’t occur.

To increase your chances of being cited in AI overviews:

• Implement comprehensive, accurate structured data across your site
• Create authoritative, fact-rich content that answers questions clearly
• Build strong E-E-A-T signals through author expertise and site authority
• Ensure content is technically accessible to search crawlers

While citation doesn’t replace direct traffic, it can strengthen brand recognition and authority, potentially increasing click-through rates when users do need more detailed information than AI overviews provide.

Leveraging Voice-Friendly Content Structure

With 63% of searches now conducted on mobile devices and voice search continuing to grow, structuring content for voice compatibility becomes another strategic advantage. Voice searches typically trigger AI overviews, making your content’s compatibility with these formats increasingly important.

Voice-friendly content typically:

• Addresses specific questions directly and concisely
• Uses natural language patterns rather than keyword-stuffed phrasing
• Incorporates question-based subheadings that mirror how people actually ask questions
• Provides clear, straightforward answers early in relevant sections

This approach increases the likelihood of your content being featured in AI overviews while also improving user experience for those who do click through to your site.

Recalibrating Your SEO Success Metrics

With traffic patterns shifting, how should businesses measure SEO success? The answer lies in adopting a more sophisticated, multi-dimensional approach that acknowledges the changing landscape.

From Traffic Volume to Traffic Quality

Rather than focusing solely on raw traffic numbers, shift toward quality metrics that better reflect business impact:

• Pages per session: Are visitors exploring your site or leaving after viewing one page?
• Return visit rate: Are users finding enough value to come back?
• Traffic-to-lead conversion rate: Is your traffic, though potentially smaller, more qualified?
• Content engagement rate: What percentage of visitors meaningfully engage with your content?

This shift in focus can help distinguish between vanity metrics and metrics that actually correlate with business outcomes. In many cases, sites that have seen traffic drops due to AI overviews have simultaneously seen improvements in these quality metrics as the remaining traffic becomes more intentional.

Brand Visibility vs. Direct Traffic

Brand visibility metrics are gaining importance as direct traffic becomes more challenging to capture. Consider tracking:

• Brand mention volume: How often is your brand referenced across the web?
• Direct search volume: Are users searching for your brand by name?
• Social shares: Is your content being distributed through channels beyond search?
• Citation frequency: How often is your content cited in AI overviews and other prominent positions?

These metrics can reveal whether your content is building authority and recognition even when it doesn’t directly drive clicks, helping to justify continued investment in high-quality content creation.

Triangulated Measurement Approach

The most effective measurement strategies combine multiple data sources to create a comprehensive view of performance. This triangulated approach might include:

• Analytics data showing on-site engagement patterns
• Search Console data revealing impression and CTR trends
• Rank tracking that includes SERP feature monitoring
• User testing to directly observe search behavior

By cross-referencing these data sources, you can develop a more nuanced understanding of how AI overviews are affecting your specific content and audience segments, enabling more precise strategic adjustments.

Case Studies: Adapting to the New Reality

Let’s examine how different types of websites have adapted to the challenges presented by AI overviews and zero-click searches:

The Recipe Blog Pivot

A popular recipe blog saw a 35% traffic drop when AI overviews began displaying ingredient lists and basic instructions directly in search results. Rather than fight this trend, they embraced it by:

• Redesigning content to highlight recipe variations, substitutions, and techniques not easily captured in AI summaries
• Adding step-by-step photos and videos that provided value beyond text instructions
• Incorporating personal stories about recipe development and cultural context
• Creating themed collections and meal plans that required deeper engagement

The result: While overall traffic remained lower than pre-AI levels, the site saw a 60% increase in average session duration and a 45% increase in ad revenue due to deeper engagement and higher-value page impressions.

The B2B Software Adjustment

A B2B software company found their product comparison and basic how-to content being summarized by AI overviews, leading to a 28% drop in blog traffic. Their response was to:

• Redirect content strategy toward advanced use cases and customer success stories
• Develop interactive tools like ROI calculators that required on-site interaction
• Create gated expert-level content that addressed needs beyond what AI overviews could satisfy
• Focus on building mid-funnel content rather than top-funnel awareness pieces

The outcome: Lead quality improved significantly, with sales reporting a 32% higher conversion rate from blog-generated leads, more than offsetting the traffic reduction.

The News Publisher Strategy

A digital news publisher facing competition from AI news summaries pivoted their approach by:

• Developing exclusive interview content and first-person reporting that AI couldn’t summarize effectively
• Creating interactive data visualizations for complex stories
• Emphasizing opinion and analysis pieces that went beyond factual reporting
• Launching newsletter products that built direct audience relationships outside of search

The results: Though search traffic declined by 22%, newsletter subscriptions grew by 40%, and the site’s most engaged audience segment increased time on site by 18%.

Future-Proofing Your SEO Strategy

As AI continues to evolve, SEO strategies must become increasingly adaptive. Here are key principles for building sustainable search visibility in this changing landscape:

Deepening Your Audience Understanding

The more intimately you understand your audience’s needs, the better you can create content that goes beyond what AI overviews can satisfy. This means:

• Conducting regular user research to identify unmet information needs
• Analyzing site search data to understand what visitors are looking for
• Using qualitative feedback mechanisms like surveys and user testing
• Building audience segments based on engagement patterns and needs

This deeper understanding allows you to create content that addresses the “next question” users have after seeing an AI overview—the question that actually motivates them to click through for more information.

Diversifying Traffic Sources

With search traffic becoming more unpredictable, diversifying traffic sources becomes crucial:

• Building email lists to create direct channels to your audience
• Developing social media strategies that drive engagement and sharing
• Exploring partnership and syndication opportunities
• Investing in community-building efforts that create loyal audiences

This diversification not only reduces dependence on search traffic but often creates virtuous cycles where increased engagement across channels ultimately strengthens search performance as well.

Focusing on Uniqueness and Experience

Perhaps the most sustainable approach is focusing on content that delivers unique value through experience, perspective, and presentation:

• Developing proprietary data and research that becomes cite-worthy
• Showcasing authentic expertise and unique methodologies
• Creating immersive, multimedia content experiences
• Emphasizing the human elements that AI cannot replicate

Content with these qualities not only remains valuable in an AI overview world but often becomes more valuable as generic, easily-summarized content loses its traffic-driving power.

Conclusion: Embracing the Evolution

The rise of AI overviews represents not just a challenge but an opportunity for SEO professionals to evolve beyond traffic-centric metrics and simplistic content strategies. By focusing on deeper engagement, quality over quantity, and genuinely answering user needs in ways AI summaries cannot, websites can thrive even as click patterns change.

The most successful SEO strategies going forward will be those that:

• Measure success through engagement and business impact rather than just traffic
• Create content that complements rather than competes with AI overviews
• Develop direct audience relationships that reduce dependence on search visibility
• Continually adapt measurement approaches to reflect changing user behaviors

As search continues to evolve, the ability to adapt quickly and focus on genuine user value will separate successful SEO strategies from those stuck in outdated paradigms. The future belongs not to those who chase clicks, but to those who create experiences worth clicking for.

Ready to navigate the changing SEO landscape? Join the Sapient SEO waitlist today to get early access to tools and strategies designed for success in the age of AI overviews and beyond.