Study shows Google AI Overviews damaging website traffic

Luke Meredith

You’ve probably seen them by now – those new AI (artificial intelligence)-generated answer boxes at the top of Google search.

They give a quick, summarised answer to your question. It seems helpful for the user.

But for your business’ website, it’s a massive problem – and we now have the data to prove it.

A new study by Pew just looked at how these AI Overviews are changing things. It analysed a thousand different commercial keywords. These are the searches people make when they want to buy something.

The results are exactly what we were worried about.

Your ranking just got buried

Here’s the deal. When that AI Overviews box shows up, it shoves the normal search results way down the page.

The number one organic result gets pushed down by an average of 1,160 pixels. That’s nearly two full screen-heights on a typical laptop.

People don’t like to scroll. If they can’t see you, they can’t click you. This is the number that really matters. The click-through rate.

When there’s no AI box, the number one spot gets about 11% of all the clicks.

When the AI box is there, that drops to just 8%. That’s a 25% fall in traffic. A quarter of your hard-won clicks, just gone.

Why is this happening?

It’s simple. Google is answering the user’s question itself.

If a person gets their answer directly from the AI box, they have no reason to visit your website. They found what they needed. They leave.

What this means for you

The game has changed again. Relying on just being number one in Google is now a much riskier strategy. SEO (search engine optimisation) isn’t dead, but you can’t ignore this. This is a wake-up call. The traffic you thought was yours is no longer guaranteed. You need to know how you’re going to adapt.

We want to help your website reach its full potential online. Speak to Engage Web now to discover how.

About
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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.