Ahrefs Study Reveals 58% CTR Drop from AI Overviews
Ahrefs ran fresh numbers. They analyzed 300,000 keywords through Google Search Console data. Half the keywords triggered AI Overviews on informational intent. The other half stayed traditional. They compared click-through rates from December 2023—before AI Overviews existed—to December 2025 after global rollout. The verdict is brutal. AI Overviews steal clicks by giving full answers right on the results page. Users stay put. Websites lose out.
Position-one pages on AI Overview keywords now average only 1.6% CTR. Back in 2023 that number stood at 7.3%. That means a 58% drop. For every 100 visitors a top result used to get, Google now keeps 58. Only 42 make it through to the site. The damage spreads down the page. Position two loses 50.8%. Position three drops 46.4%. Even position ten sees a 19.4% reduction. AI is quietly stealing visibility from the entire SERP.
How the Impact Grew Worse Over Time
The first Ahrefs snapshot came in April 2025. At that point AI Overviews already shaved 34.5% off position-one CTR. By December 2025 the hit climbed to 58%. Coverage spread to dozens more countries. More languages joined. Users got comfortable with instant answers. The habit stuck. Clicks kept vanishing. Independent reports echo the trend. Some peg the loss at 61% for pure informational queries. Paid ads feel the squeeze too in certain verticals.
AI Overviews now dominate informational searches. They show up almost every time someone asks “what is” or “how to.” They pull content from the top web results over 99% of the time. Yet almost none of that traffic flows back to the source. Search inches closer to zero-click territory. Google answers the question. The user never leaves.
What This Means for SEO Jobs and Strategies
SEO specialists watch their world change fast. Ranking number one still counts. But real visibility now depends on appearing inside the AI Overview box. Content must prove deep expertise. Fresh data, unique insights, and strong E-E-A-T signals push you higher in AI picks. Thin, generic answer pages get crushed hardest. Quick-fact lookups and basic definitions lose traffic overnight.
Jobs evolve too. Classic keyword chasing and on-page tweaks shrink in value when traffic dries up. New demand surges for AI-specific skills. Pros track which brands and pages get cited in AI responses. They optimize for snippet inclusion. They build authority across social, forums, and video. They pull visitors straight from email lists, apps, or other platforms. Teams that move early test tactics to win AI citations. They spread risk beyond Google. Those who ignore the shift face steep declines.
Major publishers already report 50%+ organic drops in some categories. Remaining visitors often show higher intent. But sheer volume crashes. Google keeps scaling AI. It serves billions of queries monthly. Some forecasts say AI-powered search traffic could pass traditional organic by 2028.
The Bigger Picture for 2026 SEO
Google AI Overviews lead the biggest search shake-up in years. They hand users answers without clicks. They steal traffic from sites that once owned the top spot. The debate rages over whether this is fair discovery or walled-garden control. Smart SEOs adapt by chasing AI citations, building unbreakable brands, and diversifying traffic sources. Old playbook tactics fade. New winners emerge from those who treat AI as the new SERP reality.
This shift connects to wider AI waves. Agent platforms from OpenAI and Anthropic automate work. Now AI rewires how people find information too. The next wave rewards speed, adaptation, and multi-channel strength.
Olivia
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