France Experiences Significant Click-Through Rate Decline Following AI Overviews Launch

On July 22, 2026, France became the latest major search market to implement AI Overviews, a significant shift in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). Unlike previous rollouts where the impact was inferred alongside other algorithmic changes, France’s distinct launch date allowed for a direct before-and-after analysis. Researchers tracked 963 domains in Google Search Console for 28 days prior to and 9 days after the AI Overviews deployment. Data scientist Xibeijia Guan from Ahrefs analyzed this French data, revealing that within less than a month, Google’s AI Overviews are already demonstrably impacting click-through rates (CTR).

The study found a direct correlation between a domain’s exposure to AI Overviews and its subsequent CTR. Domains most heavily impacted by these AI-generated summaries experienced a decline of over one-fifth in their click-through rates within a mere nine days. Conversely, domains with minimal exposure saw little to no change, strongly indicating that the observed drops are a direct result of AI Overviews rather than a general algorithm update.

To identify the presence of AI Overviews within SERPs, users can utilize the "SERP features" filter in tools like Ahrefs’ Site Explorer, specifically within the "Organic keywords" report. This filter allows for precise identification of which search queries trigger an AI Overview.

Key Findings from the French Market Analysis:

Across the studied domains, the overall click-through rate saw a decrease of 3.4% in the nine days following the AI Overview launch. However, for domains with the highest exposure to AI Overviews, the CTR plummeted by a significant 23.1% – six times the average decline. This impact is widespread, with 82.2% of highly exposed domains experiencing a loss in CTR, making it the exception rather than the norm to avoid this negative effect.

The relationship between AI Overview exposure and CTR decline appears linear. The study calculated a slope of -0.9, suggesting that for every additional point of AI Overview exposure, a domain can expect to lose approximately one point of its click-through rate. This provides a quantifiable method for estimating potential losses: a domain with 15% of its queries triggering an AI Overview might anticipate a roughly 15% reduction in its CTR. While this is a simplified model, it offers actionable insight by allowing users to derive their exposure rate from tools like Site Explorer to gauge the magnitude of potential impact.

It is important to note that this slope is not a definitive prediction. Some heavily exposed sites may continue to perform well, while others might decline for reasons unrelated to AI Overviews. The AI Overview rate is presented as a risk factor, not a final verdict. Further analysis over a longer period will be conducted to track the long-term performance of these sites.

Impressions Up, Clicks Down: The Decoupling Effect

A crucial observation is that the implementation of AI Overviews has not significantly reduced the visibility of pages in search results. In fact, most pages maintained or even increased their impressions during the analyzed period. The primary impact has been a reduction in clicks. This phenomenon mirrors patterns observed in previous global studies on AI Overviews and the broader trend of "the great decoupling." AI Overviews do not necessarily remove content from the SERP but rather diminish its perceived necessity by providing direct answers within the overview itself, leading users to disengage from clicking through to the original source. One extreme case in the French study demonstrated a remarkable +183% increase in impressions accompanied by a -1.9% decrease in clicks, effectively dividing the site’s CTR by more than three.

Market-Wide Impact and Vulnerable Sectors

While the 23.1% CTR drop represents a significant minority, the overall median decline across the entire French panel was -5.7% for CTR and -8.8% for clicks. However, this seemingly moderate median masks a severe distribution of impact. Nearly half of the websites studied experienced a drop of more than 10% in their daily clicks within nine days, and one in twenty saw their clicks halved. This trend is projected to worsen, as AI Overview exposure is expected to continue its upward trajectory, mirroring global market trends where median AI Overview rates have consistently increased since 2024. The French domains (.fr) in the study exhibited a higher median click loss of 12.3% compared to the overall panel average of 8.8%, indicating that French sites are more susceptible than international competitors operating in the same market.

The health sector stands out as particularly vulnerable, exhibiting the highest AI Overview rate at 22.2% and a corresponding CTR decline of 20.4%. This is attributed to the nature of health queries, which are often informational and have short, self-contained answers that AI Overviews are well-suited to absorb. The study emphasizes that query intent is a more significant determinant of impact than industry vertical. Queries that can be answered with a single paragraph are at high risk of being absorbed by AI Overviews, whereas queries requiring complex information, tools, account interactions, pricing, or human opinions tend to hold up better.

Projected Escalation of Impact

The observed declines are likely to be exacerbated over time. Global research tracking the impact of AI Overviews on top-ranking positions shows a progressive increase in CTR reduction, escalating from -34.5% in spring 2025 to -58% by the end of that year. This trend suggests that the impact of AI Overviews does not diminish but rather intensifies as they become more prevalent and users adapt to relying on them. Similar trajectories are anticipated for the French market, with further analysis planned to monitor this evolution.

Methodology and Future Outlook

The reported -23.1% median CTR figure represents the raw observed change for highly exposed groups. When accounting for a slight 2.3% CTR increase in the control group over the same period, the adjusted impact of AI Overviews on highly exposed sites rises to -24.8%.

In conclusion, two weeks post-launch in France, the most exposed websites saw a significant reduction in click-through rates, a trend that appears linear with the degree of AI Overview exposure. The study highlights three key takeaways: the risk is measurable and quantifiable before significant damage occurs using tools like the SERP features filter; impressions are not a reliable indicator of performance, as CTR has been the primary casualty; and the observed magnitudes of decline align with reports from other research firms, indicating a consistent global trend towards zero-click searches. France’s integration into this trend signifies a significant shift in the search landscape.