AI Overviews Devastating Organic Clicks, New Data Reveals a 58% Drop

In a stark re-evaluation of Google’s AI Overviews, new data from Ahrefs indicates a significant and worsening impact on organic search traffic, with top-ranking content now experiencing a 58% reduction in click-through rates (CTR). This updated study, conducted in December 2025, revisits initial findings from April 2025, which already showed a concerning 34.5% decline in clicks. As AI Overviews have expanded globally and across languages, the trend of declining organic search traffic for many websites has become more pronounced.

The research builds upon a previous Ahrefs study that had predicted further decreases in CTR as the novelty of AI Overviews wore off. The latest findings confirm this prediction, demonstrating a substantial erosion of traffic for content that previously dominated search results.

Methodology

The methodology employed in this December 2025 study mirrors that of the original research, ensuring consistency and comparability. Researchers analyzed the impact of AI Overviews on search result page (SERP) performance by comparing CTRs before and after the widespread rollout of the feature. A two-year time gap was utilized, encompassing data from December 2023 (prior to the significant AI Overview implementation) and December 2025.

For those seeking to understand the specific impact on their own search performance, Ahrefs offers a tool within its Site Explorer. By navigating to the "Organic keywords" report and utilizing the "SERP features" filter, users can identify keywords for which AI Overviews are currently triggering. This allows for a granular analysis of how AI Overviews are affecting individual keyword rankings and associated traffic.

Findings

The core of the study’s findings lies in the dramatic decrease in click-through rates. In December 2023, the average CTR for a position one result on informational keywords stood at 0.076. By December 2025, this figure had plummeted to 0.039.

A more direct comparison was made for keywords that triggered an AI Overview in December 2025. In December 2023, these same keywords did not feature AI Overviews, and their average position one CTR was 0.073. However, by December 2025, the average CTR for these AI Overview-affected keywords had dropped to a mere 0.016.

To quantify the impact, researchers projected what the CTR for these AI Overview keywords would have been in December 2025 had AI Overviews not been implemented. Using the CTR drop observed for general informational keywords, this projected CTR was calculated at 0.037.

The difference between this projected CTR (0.037) and the actual observed CTR (0.016) for AI Overview keywords reveals the extent of the traffic diversion. The data suggests that the presence of an AI Overview now reduces the click-through rate for the top-ranking page by approximately 58%. This means that for every 100 clicks a page might have historically received, Google’s AI Overviews are now effectively "keeping" 58 of those clicks.

Factors Contributing to the CTR Drop

The decline in CTR for non-AI Overview keywords can be attributed to the increasing prevalence of various SERP features that aim to answer user queries directly within Google’s search results. These features, including Local Packs, Top Stories, and most notably, Featured Snippets, have been steadily contributing to the rise of "zero-click searches" over time. AI Overviews represent the latest evolution in this trend, providing comprehensive answers without requiring users to navigate to external websites.

Further analysis examined the impact of AI Overviews appearing in positions beyond the first result. While the effect is less severe than for position one, it remains significant. The study found that AI Overviews appearing in lower positions still negatively impact CTRs, albeit to a lesser degree:

• Position 1: -58.0% CTR impact
• Position 2: -50.8% CTR impact
• Position 3: -46.4% CTR impact
• Position 4: -38.8% CTR impact
• Position 5: -32.6% CTR impact
• Position 6: -30.5% CTR impact
• Position 7: -29.7% CTR impact
• Position 8: -28.8% CTR impact
• Position 9: -29.7% CTR impact
• Position 10: -19.4% CTR impact

Even at lower ranks, the presence of an AI Overview diverts a substantial portion of potential clicks. For instance, an AI Overview at position two results in a 50.8% reduction in CTR compared to a scenario without it.

Conclusion

As of December 2025, the data unequivocally shows that Google’s AI Overviews are profoundly impacting organic search traffic. The estimated 58% reduction in CTR for position one content is a critical finding, supported by corroborating research from other industry analyses. Seer Interactive reported organic CTR drops between 49.4% and 65.2%, Kevin Indig observed a drop of over 50%, Authoritas noted a 47.5% decrease, and the Daily Mail has even reported declines of 80-90%.

Regardless of the perceived utility or value of AI Overviews, the evidence strongly suggests they are siphoning away a majority of the clicks that were once available to top-ranking pages. This trend further solidifies the growing reality of "zero-click searches," where users find the information they need directly on the search engine results page, leading to a significant challenge for content creators and publishers relying on organic traffic for visibility and engagement. The landscape of search is fundamentally shifting, with AI Overviews playing a pivotal role in this transformation.