Gagan Ghotra

Below content is generated using Large Language Model(LLM) Grok 3 (DeepSearch) while doing some research about AI Overviews tonight, I noticed that there doesn’t exist a single page providing information about all the research studies about AI Overviews (done by different companies). That’s why I decided to publish this page.

Detailed Analysis of Studies on AI Overviews and SEO

This analysis compiles findings from multiple studies to explore how AI Overviews (AIOs) impact SEO, particularly focusing on how content “shows up” in these overviews. The context is SEO, and the goal is to provide a comprehensive overview for professionals and lay readers alike, ensuring all details from the research are included.

Overview of AI Overviews and Their SEO Relevance

AI Overviews, such as those implemented by Google, are AI-generated summaries appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). They aim to answer user queries directly, potentially reducing clicks to organic results. This shift has significant implications for SEO, as traditional ranking strategies may need adjustment to account for visibility in AIOs. Studies analyzed here, conducted between May 2024 and February 2025, provide insights into frequency, triggers, impact on traffic, and strategies for inclusion.

Frequency and Industry Distribution of AI Overviews

Research suggests AIOs appear in a wide range of searches, with frequencies varying by study and dataset size. For instance:

• Press Gazette (May 2024) analyzed 3,300 news keywords (US) and found 23.7% show AIOs, with industry distribution including Horoscopes at 62%, Health at 55%, and Geo locations at 47% (Press Gazette).
• Growth Memo (May 2024) analyzed 546,000 queries and found 42% show AIOs, also noting a traffic impact of -8.9% on CTR (Growth Memo).
• Advanced Web Ranking (AWR, July 2024) analyzed 8,000 keywords, finding 12.4% show AIOs, with Health at 67.5%, Safety at 46.1%, and Technology at 23%, and noted AIO length at 912 pixels (Advanced Web Ranking). Notably, up to 46.5% of URLs in AIOs rank outside the top 50 organic results, highlighting that high-quality content can be cited without high rankings.
• SE Ranking (August 2024) analyzed 100,000 keywords, finding 12.47% show AIOs, with Relationships at 46.1%, Food & Beverage at 33.5%, and Business at 23.4% (SE Ranking).
• Botify (August 2024) analyzed 120,000 keywords, finding 47% show AIOs, with triggers including 59% informational and 19% commercial, and screen occupation at 42% desktop, 48% mobile (Botify).
• DotDash Meredith (August 2024) found 15% of searches across categories show AIOs (DotDash Meredith).
• Ziff Davis (August 2024) found 8% of most important queries show AIOs (Ziff Davis).
• Rich Sanger/Authoritas (September 2024) analyzed 11,000 keywords, finding 21.1% show AIOs, with an average of 8.2 (or 8.9 in another mention) citations per answer (Rich Sanger/Authoritas).
• seoClarity (December 2024) analyzed 120 million keywords, finding 4.5% show AIOs (seoClarity).
• Semrush (January 2025) analyzed millions of keywords, finding 6.7% show AIOs, with Health at 23.0%, Science at 20.1%, and Internet & Telecom at 11.7% (Semrush).

This variability (4.5% to 47%) suggests industry and query type significantly influence AIO appearance, with informational and niche sectors like Health and Technology often seeing higher rates.

Triggers for AI Overviews

Studies consistently show informational intent and long-tail queries trigger AIOs more frequently:

• Flow (June 2024) found 24% top-of-funnel and 5% bottom-of-funnel keywords trigger AIOs (Flow).
• AWR (July 2024) noted 34.7% of “how” queries and 21.3% informational vs. 4% commercial trigger AIOs, with 22.6% for 5-word vs. 0.9% for 1-word queries (Advanced Web Ranking).
• Botify (August 2024) found 59% informational vs. 19% commercial, with 73.6% for queries with +5 terms vs. 8.9% short-head (Botify).
• Ahrefs (October 2024) found 99.2% informational vs. 10% commercial trigger AIOs, with long-tail queries 193x smaller in search volume (Ahrefs).
• Semrush (January 2025) found 80% desktop, 76% mobile informational, 35%/32% questions, and 3% transactional (Semrush).
• Seer (February 2025) found 31.6% questions vs. 9.7% without AIO, with average query length 4.29 vs. 3.48 words (Seer).

Co-occurrence with featured snippets is common (59.5%-65.5% in some studies), and PPC ads are rare, with SE Ranking (August 2024) noting 13.5% desktop with ads (SE Ranking).

Impact on Click-Through Rates and SEO Traffic

AIOs push organic results down, impacting CTR:

• Press Gazette (May 2024) found organic results drop -980 pixels average, shopping -1,205 pixels (Press Gazette).
• Growth Memo (May 2024) noted -8.9% impact on CTR (Growth Memo).
• Siege Media (May 2024) found +3% CTR after AIOs, contrasting with others (Siege Media).
• Botify (August 2024) noted AIOs take 42% desktop, 48% mobile screen (Botify).
• Sistrix (November 2024) found citations get more clicks than featured snippets but less than organic results (Sistrix).
• Seer (February 2025) found CTRs cut in half, with cited sites at 0.74% to 1.02% CTR (Seer).

This suggests a mixed impact, with some studies showing reduced CTR for organic results, while cited content may still gain visibility.

How Content Shows Up in AI Overviews

Several studies focus on what gets cited in AIOs:

• AWR (July 2024) found up to 46.5% of URLs in AIOs rank outside the top 50, emphasizing content quality over rankings (Advanced Web Ranking).
• Rich Sanger/Authoritas (September 2024) found an average of 8.9 links per answer, suggesting multiple citation opportunities (Rich Sanger/Authoritas).
• Surfer (October 2024) noted average 5 citations, with 90% having 8 or fewer, and 99% cited once (Surfer).

Additional insights from Search Engine Land (November 2024) suggest appearing in featured snippets increases chances, with examples like “What is a zap in Zapier” showing citations from featured snippets (Search Engine Land). Brand mentions (even without links) and presence on Reddit (22% influence) and Wikipedia (three times weight in impact) are also crucial for visibility (Search Engine Land, Search Engine Land).

Industry-Specific Impacts

Some studies highlight industry variations:

• Zapier (date not specified) found Relationships at 40.6%, Food & Beverage at 23.6%, and Business at 18.5% for AIO impact (Zapier).
• Semrush (January 2025) noted Health at 23.0%, Science at 20.1%, and Internet & Telecom at 11.7% (Semrush).

Summary Table of Key Studies

Study Source	Publication Date	Key Findings
Press Gazette	May 2024	23.7% of 3,300 news keywords show AIOs, industry distribution: Horoscopes 62%, Health 55%.
Growth Memo	May 2024	42% of 546,000 queries show AIOs, -8.9% CTR impact.
Advanced Web Ranking (AWR)	July 2024	12.4% of 8,000 keywords show AIOs, 46.5% URLs outside top 50, AIO length 912 pixels.
SE Ranking	August 2024	12.47% of 100,000 keywords show AIOs, industry: Relationships 46.1%, Food 33.5%.
Botify	August 2024	47% of 120,000 keywords show AIOs, 59% informational, screen: 42% desktop, 48% mobile.
DotDash Meredith	August 2024	15% of searches across categories show AIOs.
Ziff Davis	August 2024	8% of most important queries show AIOs.
Rich Sanger/Authoritas	September 2024	21.1% of 11,000 keywords show AIOs, average 8.9 citations.
seoClarity	December 2024	4.5% of 120 million keywords show AIOs.
Semrush	January 2025	6.7% of millions keywords show AIOs, Health 23.0%, Science 20.1%.
Flow	June 2024	24% top-of-funnel, 5% bottom-of-funnel trigger AIOs.
Siege Media	May 2024	+3% CTR after AIOs.
Sistrix	November 2024	Citations get more clicks than featured snippets, less than organic.
Seer	February 2025	CTRs cut in half, cited sites 0.74%-1.02% CTR.
Zapier	[Date not specified]	Industry impacts: Relationships 40.6%, Food 23.6%, Business 18.5%.
Ahrefs	October 2024	99.2% informational vs. 10% commercial trigger AIOs.
Surfer	October 2024	Average 5 citations, 90% have 8 or fewer, 99% cited once.

Conclusion

The studies collectively suggest AIOs are reshaping SEO, with informational and long-tail queries most likely to trigger them. While they may reduce organic CTR, being cited offers visibility, especially for content ranking outside top positions. Strategies should focus on quality, featured snippets, and presence on influential platforms like Reddit and Wikipedia to enhance AIO inclusion.