AI Overviews Devastate Organic Clicks, New Data Reveals 58% Drop

In a significant development for the digital marketing landscape, recent data analysis conducted by Ahrefs indicates a dramatic and worsening impact of Google’s AI Overviews on organic search traffic. The study, which re-examined data from December 2023 compared to December 2025, reveals that the presence of an AI Overview now correlates with a staggering 58% lower average clickthrough rate (CTR) for top-ranking web pages. This marks a considerable increase from previous findings in April 2025, which reported a 34.5% reduction in clicks.

The findings suggest that Google’s AI-powered summaries, designed to provide direct answers within search results, are increasingly diverting user attention and clicks away from traditional organic listings. This trend has been observed as AI Overviews have expanded globally and across more languages, leading to a consistent month-over-month decline in organic search traffic for many websites.

The initial study, published in April 2025, had already flagged this concerning trend. At the time, researchers predicted that the impact of AI Overviews could worsen as their novelty wore off and the "law of shitty clickthroughs" took hold. The latest analysis, utilizing a revised dataset from December 2025, confirms these predictions, showing a more pronounced negative effect on organic clicks.

Methodology and Findings

The methodology employed in the December 2025 study mirrored that of the April 2025 research, ensuring a consistent and comparable analysis. The primary goal was to quantify the impact of AI Overviews on the click-through rates of web pages appearing in search engine results pages (SERPs).

The data revealed a stark contrast in click-through rates for top-ranking pages. In December 2023, prior to the widespread rollout of AI Overviews, the average CTR for informational keywords was 0.076. By December 2025, this figure had plummeted to 0.039.

Furthermore, the study specifically analyzed keywords that triggered an AI Overview in December 2025. For these "AI Overview keywords," the average position one CTR in December 2023 was 0.073. However, in December 2025, the CTR for these same keywords, now featuring an AI Overview, dropped to a mere 0.016.

To further isolate the impact of AI Overviews, the researchers forecasted what the CTR for these keywords would have been had AI Overviews not been implemented. By comparing the observed CTR for non-AI Overview keywords (informational keywords) in December 2025 with their December 2023 CTR, they projected a hypothetical CTR of 0.037 for the "AI Overview keywords" in a scenario without the feature.

The crucial finding emerged when comparing this forecasted CTR with the actual observed CTR for AI Overview keywords. The data indicates that the presence of an AI Overview now reduces the click-through rate for position one by approximately 58%. This means that for every 100 clicks a top-ranking page might have historically received, Google’s AI Overviews are now effectively "keeping" 58 of those clicks.

The Broader Context of Zero-Click Searches

The decline in organic CTR is not a new phenomenon and is largely attributed to the rise of various SERP features that aim to answer user queries directly within Google’s search results. AI Overviews represent the latest iteration of these features, joining established elements like Featured Snippets, Local Packs, and Top Stories.

These features have progressively contributed to an increase in "zero-click searches," where users find the information they need without needing to click through to an external website. This trend has been steadily growing over the years, and the introduction of AI Overviews has significantly accelerated this shift.

Impact Across Search Positions

While the most significant impact is observed at position one, the negative effect of AI Overviews extends to lower-ranking positions as well. The study analyzed the CTR impact for positions two through ten when an AI Overview was present.

Even for pages ranked lower in the search results, the presence of an AI Overview demonstrably reduces click-through rates. For position two, the CTR impact is a 50.8% reduction. This reduction gradually lessens with each subsequent position, though it remains substantial even for pages ranked lower down the SERP. For instance, position six sees a 30.5% reduction, and position ten experiences a 19.4% decrease in CTR due to AI Overviews.

Wider Industry Observations

The findings from Ahrefs align with a growing body of research and anecdotal evidence from across the SEO and publishing industries. Other analyses have reported similar drastic reductions in organic traffic attributable to AI Overviews:

• Seer Interactive: Reported organic CTR drops ranging from 49.4% to 65.2% in their September 2025 update.
• Kevin Indig: Noted a decline of over 50% in organic search traffic, based on Google Search Console data.
• Authoritas: Their research indicated a 47.5% decrease in click-through rates.
• Daily Mail: Reported an even more severe impact, with some publishers experiencing an 80-90% lower CTR.

These corroborating reports underscore a consistent and concerning pattern: AI Overviews are fundamentally altering how users interact with search results, leading to a significant consolidation of traffic within Google’s own ecosystem.

Conclusion

As of December 2025, the data unequivocally shows that Google’s AI Overviews are having a profound and detrimental effect on organic search traffic for websites. The 58% reduction in CTR for position one content is a stark indicator of how effectively these AI-generated summaries are capturing user attention and satisfying search intent directly on the SERP.

The trend towards "zero-click searches," fueled by AI Overviews and other SERP features, presents a significant challenge for content creators, publishers, and businesses that rely on organic search traffic for visibility and engagement. The landscape of search is rapidly evolving, and the ability of traditional organic listings to drive clicks is diminishing, forcing a re-evaluation of digital marketing strategies in an increasingly AI-driven search environment.