How AI Overviews Are Changing CTR: What the 2026 Data Actually Shows

Organic CTR Has Entered a New Phase

For a long time, SEO teams could estimate organic traffic with a relatively simple formula: better ranking usually meant more clicks. A page in the first organic position was expected to receive the largest share of visits, while lower results received progressively less attention.

AI Overviews have disrupted that model.

When Google places an AI-generated answer above the standard organic results, the user’s need may be partly or fully satisfied before they reach the blue links. This changes how people interact with search results and makes CTR less predictable.

The important point is not simply that AI Overviews reduce clicks. The more useful question is: which queries lose clicks, which pages still attract users, and how should SEO strategy change in response?

What the Current Data Shows

Several large studies from 2025 and early 2026 point in the same direction: organic CTR tends to fall when AI Overviews appear.

Ahrefs analyzed 300,000 keywords using late-2025 data and found that the top-ranking page received substantially fewer clicks when an AI Overview was present. The reported average decline was around 58% for the first organic result.

SISTRIX examined a large German keyword dataset and reported a similar pattern. In its analysis, the CTR for the first organic position dropped from about 27% to 11% when an AI Overview appeared. This means the effect is not limited to the U.S. search market.

Pew Research Center looked at real user behavior and found that users were less likely to click traditional organic results when AI summaries were shown. In searches with AI summaries, clicks on standard results were roughly half as frequent compared with searches without them.

At the same time, not every dataset shows a constant decline. Seer Interactive reported that CTR on AI Overview SERPs improved between December 2025 and February 2026, rising from approximately 1.3% to 2.4% in its tracked data. This suggests user behavior is still changing and that CTR may vary by niche, intent, and SERP format.

Summary of Major CTR Findings

The takeaway is clear: AI Overviews are not eliminating organic search, but they are changing the amount of traffic that traditional rankings can deliver.

Why AI Overviews Do Not Affect Every Query the Same Way

AI Overview impact depends heavily on search intent. A basic definition query and a product purchase query do not behave the same way.

Simple informational searches are the most vulnerable because the user may not need to click at all. For example, a query asking for a definition, a short explanation, or a quick comparison can often be answered directly inside the AI Overview.

Commercial and transactional searches are different. Users may still need to visit a website to compare prices, check availability, read reviews, request a quote, or complete a purchase. These queries can still lose some clicks, but the risk is usually lower than for simple informational searches.

Semrush data from 2025 showed that AI Overviews expanded quickly across Google results. Their presence was no longer limited to purely informational searches. Commercial, transactional, and navigational queries began to trigger AI summaries more often over the year.

CTR Risk by Query Type

This is why applying one universal CTR loss percentage to an entire website is misleading. The same AI Overview can be devastating for one keyword and only mildly disruptive for another.

Being Included in the AI Overview Matters

One of the biggest changes in SEO is that visibility now has two layers:

1. Traditional organic ranking.
2. Inclusion as a cited source inside the AI Overview.

A page that ranks well but is not cited may be pushed visually below the AI answer and receive fewer clicks. A cited page, on the other hand, can gain authority and visibility inside the answer itself.

However, citation does not completely solve the CTR problem. Available 2026 data suggests that cited pages tend to receive more clicks than non-cited pages on the same AI Overview SERP, but they still often underperform compared with pages on search results without AI Overviews.

CTR by AI Overview Situation

For SEO teams, this means optimization should no longer stop at ranking. A page should also be structured in a way that makes it useful, trustworthy, and easy to reference.

That does not mean writing only for algorithms. It means presenting information clearly:

• concise definitions;
• structured sections;
• comparison tables;
• original data;
• expert commentary;
• practical examples;
• clear authorship;
• recent updates;
• references to reliable sources.

The goal is to become a source that is useful both for users and for Google’s AI systems.

Are AI Overviews Increasing Zero-Click Searches?

Yes, but the answer requires nuance.

AI Overviews can reduce the need to click because they summarize information directly in the search results. If the user only needs a short answer, they may finish the search without visiting any website.

This is especially common for:

• definitions;
• dates;
• basic explanations;
• simple instructions;
• general comparisons;
• factual summaries.

However, some keywords affected by AI Overviews were already prone to zero-click behavior before AI summaries became common. Many users did not click on these results even in the pre-AI search environment because featured snippets, knowledge panels, maps, calculators, and other SERP features had already reduced click demand.

So the more accurate conclusion is this: AI Overviews intensify an existing zero-click trend rather than creating it from nothing.

For SEO forecasting, this distinction matters. If a keyword was already low-click, the traffic loss caused by AI may be smaller than expected. If a keyword previously generated meaningful visits and now triggers a detailed AI Overview, the loss can be much more serious.

Why Traditional CTR Curves Are Less Reliable

Classic CTR curves are built around ranking position. They assume that position one gets the largest share of clicks, position two gets less, position three gets less again, and so on.

In 2026, that model is incomplete.

A modern SERP can include:

• AI Overview;
• paid ads;
• featured snippets;
• People Also Ask;
• videos;
• Reddit or forum results;
• shopping modules;
• local packs;
• image blocks;
• knowledge panels;
• organic results.

A #1 organic ranking below several SERP features does not have the same value as a #1 ranking at the top of a clean results page.

Old CTR Model vs. AI Overview CTR Model

This does not mean rankings are useless. Rankings still matter, but they must be interpreted together with SERP composition.

Content Most at Risk From AI Overviews

AI Overviews are most threatening to content that can be easily summarized. If a page mainly repeats common information available across many websites, it is more likely to lose clicks.

High-Risk Content Types

• generic “what is” articles;
• basic glossary pages;
• short how-to guides;
• listicles without original insight;
• comparison articles based only on public specs;
• affiliate pages with no independent testing;
• thin educational content;
• articles with no expert input;
• outdated informational pages.

These formats are vulnerable because AI can often extract and present the main answer directly in the SERP.

More Resilient Content Types

• original research;
• proprietary statistics;
• expert analysis;
• case studies;
• tools and calculators;
• templates and checklists;
• product pages with live pricing and availability;
• local landing pages;
• detailed reviews based on real testing;
• industry benchmarks;
• visual guides and workflows.

The stronger the unique value, the harder it is for an AI summary to replace the page.

How SEO Teams Should Adapt in 2026

AI Overviews do not end SEO. They raise the standard for useful content and better reporting.

1. Separate Visibility Keywords From Traffic Keywords

Some keywords may no longer bring many clicks but can still help with brand exposure and topical authority. These should be treated as visibility assets, not traffic drivers.

For example, a definition query may not convert directly, but appearing in an AI Overview can still help users associate the brand with expertise.

2. Track AI Overview Presence

SEO reports should include whether an AI Overview appears for each priority keyword. Without this, CTR changes may be misunderstood.

Important metrics include:

3. Build Content That Deserves the Click

If the AI Overview gives the basic answer, the page must offer something deeper.

Examples:

The best-performing content in the AI search era gives users a reason to continue beyond the summary.

4. Strengthen Brand and Entity Signals

AI Overviews rely on sources, entities, and trust signals. Brands should make their expertise easier to understand across the web.

This includes:

• consistent author information;
• clear company details;
• strong About pages;
• expert profiles;
• external mentions;
• high-quality backlinks;
• updated content;
• transparent methodology;
• reviews and reputation signals.

SEO is becoming more connected to brand authority. A page is not judged only by its text, but also by the credibility of the source behind it.

Conclusion

The 2026 data shows that AI Overviews are changing organic CTR in a meaningful way. The effect is strongest on informational queries, especially where the user can get a complete answer without leaving Google.

However, the impact is not the same across all keywords. Some queries lose major click volume, while others remain relatively resilient because users still need to compare, evaluate, buy, book, calculate, or contact a provider.

The future of SEO is not only about ranking higher. It is about being visible in AI-generated answers, building content that cannot be fully replaced by a short summary, and measuring search performance with more precision.

The brands that adapt fastest will stop treating AI Overviews only as a traffic threat. They will treat them as a new visibility layer — one that requires stronger content, clearer expertise, and better analytics.