- Posted On March 7, 2025
Not Appearing in Google AI Overviews - Wreaking Havoc on Websites
SEO has been a key part of any effective digital marketing strategy for the past few years. A recent research introduces a new player in the SEO field—Google AI overviews—and how it affects web traffic.
Pages that appear in Google’s AI Overviews receive a huge spike in traffic, says Terakeet, a brand management firm, in one of their studies. In contrast, those excluded from these AI summaries lose valuable clicks, which directly harm their online visibility. In this blog post, we’ll dive deeper into the study’s findings and what it means for your website’s SEO performance.
What Are Google AI Overviews?
Google AI overviews are pieces of AI-written content that show up right in search results, providing users with rapid and accurate answers to their questions without having to click on a website. They are created to make the user experience better by offering instant solutions, conserving time, and cutting down the effort required to go through multiple links.
As more and more overviews pop up, the effect on site traffic is more and more obvious. For companies and creators, comprehending how these summaries work is crucial to retaining or increasing online presence. By having relevant and concise content, websites stand to be featured in these summaries and can get traffic and engagement. Not doing this, however, might lead to lower click-through rates and a huge loss of audience coverage in the current dynamic digital landscape.
How Do Google AI Overviews Impact Traffic?
According to a large-scale study conducted by Terakeet, Google AI overviews are changing the way web traffic is distributed across sites. The AI-generated summaries appearing in search results were intended to provide users with instant answers to their queries, impacting click-through rates directly. Pages that appear in these overviews experience a drastic spike in clicks since they catch user attention by appearing right in search results.
On the other hand, non-included sites experience a serious decline in traffic even with strong SERP positions. This development indicates the mass acknowledgment of featuring AI overviews as a way to enhance or maintain visibility. For companies and marketers, the ability to make their content appear within such overviews is quickly becoming an essential part of an effective SEO practice.
The Effects on Different Search Queries
- Top-Ranked Pages (Transactional Searches): For commercial intent searches (e.g., “buy shoes online”), top-ranking pages included in AI Overviews saw a substantial increase in traffic.
- Lower-Ranked Pages (Informational Searches): Pages optimized for educative or informative content that appeared in AI Overviews received twice the clicks of non-included pages.
- Lower-Ranked Pages (Transactional Queries):Even lower-ranked pages experienced a 3.6x increase in clicks when featured in AI Overviews, highlighting the importance of being part of these summaries.
Informational vs. Transactional Queries
The study revealed that AI Overviews benefit websites across various search intents, whether informational or transactional.
- Knowledge Questions: AI Overviews generate traffic from both high-ranking (Ranks 1–2) and low-ranking (Ranks 3–10) pages.
- Transactional Searches: Even for low-ranking pages, appearing in AI Overviews for transactional queries results in more clicks, irrespective of rank.
Why This Matters
Site owners, marketers, and SEO professionals must understand the impact of Google AI Search Results. They not only change the appearance of search results but also influence user behavior.
Conditions under which web pages are used to maintain better search ranks will witness traffic decreasing significantly unless appearing in Google AI overviews. These overview versions, fueled by AI technology, are reshaping user searches in favor of short, quick answers rather than normal visits to pages. This change offers a significant blow to websites that highly rely on top ranks to observe traffic and users. Research shows that pages not covered in AI overviews experience a sharp drop in click-through rates (CTR), although they remain well-ranked on the search engine results page (SERP).
To remain in the lead of this constantly changing digital landscape, businesses must react quickly. A revamp of SEO plans to focus on Google AI Overview optimization is no longer an option—it’s a necessity for being pertinent, seen, and driving perpetual traffic to your site. Forward-thinking is the future.
The Impact on Web Traffic
- Chegg: This education technology company claimed that AI Overviews adversely affected its traffic and revenue, leading to a lawsuit against Google.
- NerdWallet: While benefiting from AI Overviews for educational content, NerdWallet experienced shifts in traffic flow that impacted their non-commercial sites.
- Ziff Davis: Found minimal differences in CTR for certain queries, suggesting the impact of AI Overviews varies by industry.
Adjusting to Google AI Overviews
As Google AI Overviews grow in significance, optimizing your website to be featured in them is essential. Here are some strategies to help you adapt:
1. Create High-Quality, Concise Content:
Ensure your content is direct and provides clear answers to user queries.
2. Optimize for Featured Snippets:
Featured snippets are often the source of AI Overviews. Craft content that addresses common user questions effectively to increase your chances of inclusion.
3. Monitor Website Traffic:
Keep a close eye on traffic patterns. If visibility declines after the introduction of AI Overviews, revise your SEO strategy.
4. Prioritize User Intent:
Align your content with user intent, whether informational or transactional, to improve your chances of being featured in AI Overviews.
Conclusion
GrowthBridge Consulting, as your partner in navigating the shifting digital environment such as growth concerning Google AI Overview, requires optimization of a business’s content for AI summaries, source of exposure, and traffic. We specialize in short, compelling, easily consumable content that would meet these emerging needs.
The best of several digital marketing firms in the USA, our services, such as SEO, web development & design, and lead generation, place you above other businesses. We help you improve your rankings, boost users’ engagement, and enhance sustainable growth.
Stay ahead of the curve with more than a few tried and trusted digital marketing tricks. We can help your website blossom and gain online visibility trends that govern today’s world.