Google CTR Study: AI Overviews Rise, Click Rates Fall

A recent study has found a link between Google’s growing use of AI Overviews and a decline in clickthrough rates for informational searches. As AI-generated summaries become more prevalent in search results, fewer users are clicking through to external websites for additional information.

The research highlights that AI Overviews now appear in 42.5% of search results, marking a significant shift in how Google presents information. This rise has been accompanied by a noticeable drop in organic clicks, particularly for queries that seek factual or general knowledge.

However, the impact of AI Overviews on clickthrough rates is not uniform across all industries. Some sectors experience a sharper decline, while others remain less affected. The findings suggest that businesses and content creators may need to adjust their strategies to maintain visibility in search results.

A recent study on Google search behaviour highlights notable changes in clickthrough rates across various industries, coinciding with the growing presence of AI Overviews (AIOs) in search results. The research suggests that as AI-generated summaries become more common, fewer users are clicking on traditional organic listings.

According to data from Advanced Web Ranking (AWR), AI Overviews appeared in 42.51% of search results in the fourth quarter, marking an 8.83 percentage point increase from the previous quarter. This rise has significantly impacted clickthrough rates for informational queries, leading to a decline in user engagement with standard search results.

The study found that websites ranking in the top four positions for queries containing words like “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how” experienced a combined decrease of 7.31 percentage points in desktop clickthrough rates. This shift indicates that AI-generated summaries are increasingly answering user queries directly on the search results page, reducing the need to visit external websites.

Study author Dan Popa noted that this trend may be affecting organic search performance, as AI Overviews continue to dominate informational content. With these findings, website owners and digital marketers may need to reassess their SEO strategies to adapt to Google’s evolving search landscape.

Industry CTR Gap

The study highlights that SEO success is increasingly dependent on industry trends, with significant differences in clickthrough rates (CTR) across various sectors. While some industries benefited from increased user engagement, others experienced notable declines.

For instance, websites in the law and politics sector saw a strong performance, with position one achieving a 38.45% CTR, whereas science-related sites recorded only 19.06% for the same ranking. This disparity nearly tripled within just one quarter, indicating a shifting landscape in user search behaviour.

Several industries experienced notable CTR shifts:

Law & Politics: This sector had the highest position-specific CTR increase in Q4, with a 7.39 percentage point gain for top desktop rankings. It also saw a 68.66% rise in search demand.
Science: Suffered the largest decline, with CTR for top desktop positions dropping by 6.03 percentage points, alongside a 37.63% decrease in search demand.
Careers: Despite a massive 334.36% surge in search demand, the top three desktop positions saw a combined CTR drop of 4.34 percentage points.
Shopping: The holiday season led to a 142.88% increase in search demand. However, top-ranked sites still faced slight CTR declines of 1.39 percentage points on desktop and 1.96 percentage points on mobile.
Education: Experienced mixed results, as top-ranked pages gained nearly 6% in CTR, while positions 2 and 3 saw declines, even amid increased traffic.

Only the business and style & fashion sectors managed to achieve both higher search demand and improved CTRs, making them the few bright spots in an otherwise challenging search environment. These trends highlight how industry-specific factors now play a crucial role in SEO performance.

Desktop vs. Mobile

The report also examines how user behaviour varies across different devices, revealing key differences in clickthrough rate (CTR) trends between desktop and mobile searches.

While desktop CTR for informational queries declined, mobile search showed an opposite trend. Websites ranking in the top positions on mobile gained an average of 1.81 percentage points in CTR, highlighting a shift in user engagement patterns.

Similar device-specific variations were observed across industries. For example, arts and entertainment websites experienced a 1.01 percentage point drop in desktop CTR for position one. However, on mobile, these same top-ranked sites saw a 2.28 percentage point increase, demonstrating how user interaction differs depending on the platform.

The length of search queries also played a role in influencing click behaviour across devices. Long-tail queries (those with four or more keywords) saw a decline in CTR for positions 2 and 3 on desktop. Conversely, single-word queries performed better on mobile, with top-ranking results gaining nearly two percentage points in CTR.

These findings suggest that businesses and content creators should consider both device type and search query length when optimising for search performance.

Why This Study Matters

These findings highlight that securing the top position in search results no longer guarantees the same level of traffic as it once did. Several factors now influence click potential, including industry type, query format, and the presence of SERP features such as AI Overviews.

According to AWR, businesses should go beyond traditional rankings and also track pixel depth—measuring how far users need to scroll before encountering their listing. This approach provides a more accurate way to forecast website traffic and assess visibility in search results.

With the increasing dominance of AI Overviews, it is crucial for content creators to adapt their strategies, particularly for informational content. As competition with AI-generated summaries intensifies, understanding these shifting performance patterns will be essential for maintaining strong organic visibility.