Why Did Google AI Overviews Cause a 61% Drop in Organic CTR and 68% in Paid Ads?

In the shifting realm of digital marketing and search engine performance, one of the most consequential changes comes from the introduction of Google AI Overviews. These automated answer boxes appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) are rewriting how users click and how marketers must respond.

In this article, we explore the concept of Google AI Overview Impact, examine why we are seeing roughly a 61% drop in organic CTR and a 68% drop in paid-ad CTR, and review the implications for both organic search optimization and paid search campaigns.

What Are Google AI Overviews?

Google AI Overviews are concise, generated summaries that appear above or alongside traditional organic results and paid ads. Their purpose is to deliver an answer directly within the SERP, potentially reducing the need for the user to click through to a website. Because they satisfy informational user intent within the search page itself, they shift user behaviour, a key driver in the broader Impact of AI on search traffic.

These summaries tend to appear on informational queries, ones such as “how to…”, “what is…”, or “why…”. Their placement and prominence fundamentally alter the click-through dynamics for both organic listings and paid advertisements.

Why Did The Data Show Such Sharp Declines in CTR?

• Organic CTR for such queries fell by approximately 61%, from mid-2024 onwards.
• Paid-search CTR dropped by about 68% on the same set of queries.
• Even for queries without an AI Overview, organic CTR declined by around 41%.
• Studies by other agencies found that AI Overviews reduce clicks for top-ranking pages by roughly 34.5%.

In short, the presence of AI Overviews correlates strongly with lower click-through rates for both organic traffic and paid search.

How Does This Happen? What Are The Key Drivers?

Instant answers reduce clicks

When a summarised answer is shown directly in the SERP, users may receive the information they need without clicking further. This means fewer visits to publisher websites, the click incentive is weakened.

Shift in user behaviour for informational queries

Queries that trigger AI Overviews generally have lower commercial intent. Historically, such queries still produced clicks, but with the answer visible instantly, fewer users proceeded to click through. A study found users who encountered an AI summary clicked a traditional search result in only 8% of cases versus 15% when no summary appeared.

Paid ads become less visible or relevant

For paid search campaigns targeting informational queries, the presence of AI Overviews means ads may be pushed further down the page or receive less prominence. The dramatic drop in paid CTR (68%) for overview-triggered queries underlines this challenge.

Queries that trigger overviews already had low CTR

It is worth noting that many of the keywords triggering AI Overviews already exhibited lower click-through rates. Some data shows the baseline CTR for these queries was already depressed.

Broader landscape change: more zero-click searches

The phenomenon of zero-click searches, where users do not click any result because their query is answered directly on the SERP, is growing, and AI Overviews accelerate that trend.

What Effects Does This Have on Organic Search?

Traffic reliability is changing

For websites that rely on ranking first for informational keywords, the drop in CTR means that ranking alone no longer guarantees meaningful traffic. Some queries with AI Overviews recorded organic CTRs as low as ~0.61%.

Being cited in the overview becomes a new optimisation target

Studies show brands or domains that are cited in the AI Overview perform significantly better than those that are not. Being referenced gives you visibility even when clicks are reduced. For example, cited brands had a higher organic CTR (0.70% vs 0.52% when not cited).

Metrics need to be recalibrated

Traditional success metrics, such as clicks and traffic volume, may no longer suffice. In a landscape where fewer users click, focus should shift to metrics like brand visibility, conversion rate of the clicks you do receive, and value per visit.

Focus on queries without overviews, but with caution

While targeting keywords where AI Overviews are less likely to appear might help, the wider trend shows CTR is declining even for those queries. So the opportunity exists, but it is harder than it used to be.

What Implications Are There for Paid Search?

Paid campaigns targeting informational keywords face tougher conditions

With paid CTR slashed by the presence of AI Overviews, advertisers need to reconsider how they approach top-of-funnel informational keywords. The value of those clicks has shifted, and volume may be harder to maintain.

Strategy should shift toward conversion and intent

Given the reductions in CTR, campaigns must prioritise high-intent keywords, strong ad creatives, and conversions rather than just clicks. Measuring cost per acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS) becomes even more critical.

Brand strength helps

Just as with organic search, paid ads from brands cited in AI Overviews show stronger performance. Investing in brand awareness and authority can provide a better standing in this changed environment.

SERP real estate is changing

Ads may need to fight harder for visibility when overviews take up prime space. Advertisers should monitor how their ads are positioned relative to AI Overviews and adjust bidding, messaging, and targeting accordingly.

How Should Search Marketers Prepare for This New Landscape?

• Audit your keyword portfolio: Identify which queries trigger AI Overviews and segment them to evaluate performance distinctly.
• Enhance brand authority and content quality: To increase chances of being cited in AI Overviews, focus on high-quality, clearly-structured content, metadata, and brand signals.
• Refocus on conversion over volume: With fewer clicks available, each click matters more. Optimise for the value and engagement per visit.
• Diversify keyword strategy: Prioritise keywords with commercial intent and aim for queries less likely to generate overviews, while recognising they are also seeing CTR declines.
• Adapt paid budget and metrics: Shift budgets toward keywords with higher intent, emphasise conversion metrics over raw CTR, and monitor ad performance in overview-affected SERPs.
• Stay adaptable and monitor changes: The rollout of AI Overviews is ongoing and evolving. User behaviour, SERP formats, and search engine logic may shift further.

What Should We Learn From These Changes?

The rise of Google AI Overviews marks a fundamental shift in how search traffic is generated and how users engage with SERPs. The steep drop in organic CTR (~61%) and paid CTR (~68%) for queries with AI Overviews underlines that traditional search strategies must evolve. High rankings remain relevant but are no longer sufficient alone.

Marketers must emphasise being visible in the overview itself, strengthening brand authority, optimising for conversions, and adapting to a lower-click world. By aligning to this new reality, organisations can position themselves more resiliently and strategically in the changing search landscape.