AI SERP Overviews and CTR Drop - SEO News | Manthan Finowings

AI SERP Overviews Lead to Significant Drop in CTR

Google's introduction of AI-generated SERP Overviews in May 2024 has reshaped the SEO landscape, particularly affecting click-through rates (CTR) for organic search results.

Decline in CTR

• Top-ranking CTRs dropped from 28% to 19%, a 32% decline.
• Position #2 saw a 39% drop from 20.83% to 12.60%.
• Ahrefs study: 34.5% lower average CTR on keywords with AI Overviews.

Impact on Different Keywords

• Non-branded keywords: ~20% CTR decline. (Source)
• Branded keywords: 18% CTR increase due to authoritative summaries. (Source)
• Combined with Featured Snippets: largest drop, ~37%. (Source)

Impact on News Publishers

• Traffic decline up to 40% for major U.S. outlets.
• Zero-click searches increased from 56% to 69%.
• EU antitrust complaints filed by independent publishers.

AI Overviews dominate SERPs, reducing organic visibility and forcing businesses and publishers to rethink SEO strategies.

Adapting SEO Strategies

• Focus on branded keywords for higher CTR.
• Optimize for Featured Snippets to coexist with AI Overviews.
• Diversify traffic sources beyond Google Search, including social media and email marketing.

Further Reading

• AI summaries cause 'devastating' drop in audiences, online news media told
• Google's AI Overviews hit by EU antitrust complaint
• Google AI summaries increase 'zero clicks' to search results

Tags Marketing Technology