AI Overviews appears in over one fifth of all Google searches

Luke Meredith

A new study has found that Google’s AI Overviews appear in about 21% of all searches.

The research, done by the company Ahrefs, looked at over 146 million search results to figure out when and where these AI (artificial intelligence)-generated summaries show up.

The study showed that AI Overviews are more likely to appear when people type in longer questions or ask for information. For example, if someone searches “How does photosynthesis work?” they’re more likely to see an AI Overview than if they just type “photosynthesis.” In fact, questions triggered AI Overviews nearly 58% of the time, while short or simple searches only did so about 10% of the time.

The type of topic also matters. Science and health-related searches had some of the highest chances of showing AI Overviews, with about 44% of medical searches showing them. On the other hand, searches about shopping, sports or local news were much less likely to have AI Overviews; for instance, only about 3% of shopping-related searches showed one.

Interestingly, even though Google has said it wants expert content for important topics like health and money, the study found that AI Overviews still show up a lot in those areas. This has raised some concerns about whether the information is always accurate.

The study also found that branded searches, like looking up a specific company, were less likely to show AI Overviews than general searches.

This information is important for people who write content online, or deliver AI SEO (search engine optimisation) services. If their articles are about topics that often trigger AI Overviews, they might get less traffic to their websites. That’s because people might get the answer they need from the AI summary and not click on the actual website. Don’t be disheartened by this, however, as being cited by AI means that Google sees you as a credible and trusted source.

If you want to take advantage of AI overviews in your SEO campaign, speak to Engage Web today and connect with our professionals.

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Luke Meredith

Content Editor at Engage Web

At home in both the digital sector and the world of communications, Luke thrives on deadlines and has held roles in healthcare, retail and digital marketing, gaining a sound knowledge of a wide range of sectors. He’s a massive swot as well, holding a first-class degree in BA Communication and Media, and now uses his writing skills and keen editorial eye in his role as Content Editor here. Luke helps to oversee our clients’ content requirements, while also looking after a pool of freelance writers across three continents.