Visibility in Google’s AI Overviews doesn’t equal traffic.
In my research from the first half of this year, AI Overview citations consistently underperformed – even compared to traditional blue links near the bottom of the SERP.
An AI Overview citation can still help with authority, brand recall, positioning, and maybe even long-term LLM training.
But for short-term clicks? The data paints a sobering picture.
How AI Overviews vs. blue links compare: What the data shows
Are AI Overview citations actually gathering clicks? Or are they just pushing the real click-producers further down the page?
That question led me to look at the performance of classic blue links and AI Overviews across a dozen different industries.
Inside the research
This analysis draws on more than 20,000 ranking queries across industries, including:
- Automotive repair.
- Ecommerce.
- Education.
- Fitness.
- Healthcare.
- Manufacturing.
- SaaS.
From that pool, a focused case study examined 200+ unique SERPs from February to April 2025 where AI Overviews appeared.
Using Google Search Console and Semrush, the study tracked:
- The position of each domain inside the Overview.
- The same domain’s position in the traditional blue links.
- CTR, impressions, and clicks.
To keep the analysis clean, I only counted the first appearance of a link in an AI Overview to avoid inflating performance with duplicates.
What the study found
- Ranking first in an AI Overview delivers roughly Position 6 clicks: Far from the golden ticket many assume.
- AI Overview CTR curves fall off a cliff – fast: By Position 5, most citations might as well be on the 10th page of Google’s search results.
- The Top 3 blue links still perform best: The strongest AI Overview slot doesn’t match the Top 3 organic SERP results. Blue links still dominate where it matters: driving real, high-intent traffic.
Dig deeper: Will Google’s AI Overviews kill the click?
So, why aren’t AI Overviews driving clicks?
The fact that the addition of AI Overview citations to SERPs is hurting clicks isn’t exactly breaking news.
Since AI Overviews have been implemented, they have been documented to hurt click-through rates across the SERP, particularly on informational queries.
But this shows that the answer isn’t as simple as shooting for AI Overview placements, assuming the new “top” overall SERP placement will compensate for lost clicks.
The problem is even stickier for AI Overviews.
Part of the issue is that user intent is becoming (even more) satisfied on-screen.
It’s the same, classic zero-click search problem that’s been ongoing since People also ask placements, with Google now synthesizing these answers for users.
But AI Overviews have even greater issues that minimize their value to content creators due to their unique placement, structure, and organization.
AI Overview brand mentions lack…
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