Google Search is changing rapidly. The introduction and expansion of AI Overviews have changed how users interact with search results, particularly for informational queries.
For years, SEO professionals treated organic rankings and click-through rate (CTR) as closely connected. Ranking in the first position generally meant earning a larger share of organic clicks. However, AI-generated answers now appear prominently within the search results page, potentially answering a user's question before they visit a traditional organic listing.
A Techmagnate analysis of 40,000 keywords in the BFSI sector compared search behavior and CTR between October 2024 and May 2025. The study found that the share of analyzed queries showing an AI Overview increased from 6.86% to 29.07%, while average CTR across the top 10 organic results declined from 5.7% to 3.66%.
These findings provide an important snapshot of how AI Overviews may affect organic search traffic. However, the results should be interpreted as a dataset-specific analysis rather than a universal CTR benchmark for every website or industry.
In this report, we examine the data, understand why CTR can decline when AI Overviews appear, and explore how SEO strategies can adapt to Google's increasingly AI-powered search experience.
What Are Google AI Overviews?
Google AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that can appear within Google Search results to help users understand a topic or answer a question.
Instead of requiring users to open several websites, an AI Overview can synthesize information and present an answer directly within the search experience. Google has continued expanding AI-powered features in Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google says websites appearing in AI features remain part of Search's broader ecosystem and can continue receiving clicks from these experiences.
For users, this can make search faster and more conversational.
For publishers and businesses, however, it introduces an important SEO question:
If users receive an answer directly on Google, will they still click on organic results?
The answer varies depending on the query, search intent, industry, ranking position, brand strength, and whether the user needs additional information.
Why CTR Matters in SEO
Click-through rate measures the percentage of users who click a search result after seeing it.
The basic formula is:
CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100
For example, if a webpage receives 100 clicks from 5,000 impressions:
CTR = (100 ÷ 5,000) × 100 = 2%
CTR is useful because ranking alone does not guarantee traffic.
A page can rank highly but receive fewer clicks if:
The search result does not match user intent
Competing SERP features attract attention
The title is not compelling
The search is satisfied directly on Google
Users choose another result
An AI Overview answers the query before users reach organic listings
This makes CTR particularly important in the AI-search era.
October 2024 vs. May 2025: Key Findings
The Techmagnate analysis compared 40,000 keywords and identified several notable changes between October 2024 and May 2025.
| Metric | October 2024 | May 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queries with AI Overview | 6.86% | 29.07% | +323.69% |
| Top 10 Average CTR | 5.70% | 3.66% | -36% |
| Informational CTR | 6.00% | 4.00% | -33.33% |
| Transactional CTR | 4.42% | 4.00% | -9.50% |
| Position #1 CTR | 10.67% | 7.00% | -34.40% |
| Position #2 CTR | 7.09% | 4.90% | -30.89% |
| Position #3 CTR | 4.10% | 3.30% | -19.51% |
The figures show a strong relationship between the expansion of AI Overviews in the analyzed dataset and declining traditional organic CTR.
However, correlation should not automatically be interpreted as proof that AI Overviews alone caused every CTR change. Search behavior can also be influenced by seasonality, SERP layout changes, competition, brand demand, algorithm updates, query mix, and other factors.
1. AI Overview Presence Increased Significantly
One of the most striking findings was the increase in AI Overview coverage.
In October 2024, 6.86% of the analyzed queries showed an AI Overview.
By May 2025, that figure had increased to 29.07%. Techmagnate calculated this as a 323.69% increase.
This represents a major change in the search environment.
When AI-generated content occupies prominent space above traditional organic listings, the visual structure of the SERP changes. Users may see an answer before encountering the conventional blue links.
For SEO teams, this means that measuring only traditional rankings may no longer provide a complete picture of search visibility.
2. Informational Queries Were More Heavily Affected
The research found that AI Overviews appeared much more frequently for informational searches than transactional searches.
AI Overview presence for informational queries increased from:
6.78% → 27.50%
For transactional queries, it increased from:
0.08% → 1.08%
Techmagnate notes that the transactional sample was very small, representing approximately 32 keywords in the 40,000-keyword dataset, so that percentage should be interpreted cautiously.
This difference is important because informational searches often have straightforward answer-based intent.
Examples include:
What is a credit score?
How does home insurance work?
What is a mutual fund?
How can I improve my credit score?
What are the benefits of term insurance?
An AI-generated answer can potentially satisfy part or all of the user's initial information need without requiring a website visit.
3. Average Top-10 CTR Declined
The Techmagnate analysis found that average CTR across the top 10 organic results decreased from:
5.7% in October 2024
to
3.66% in May 2025
This represents approximately a 36% decline.
This is significant because traditional SEO often assumes that improving rankings will naturally increase clicks.
AI-powered SERPs complicate that relationship.
A website can maintain a strong organic position while receiving fewer clicks if the SERP provides users with enough information before they reach the organic listings.
Other SERP features can also contribute to changes in click distribution, so AI Overview presence should be evaluated alongside the broader search-result layout.
4. Position #1 Is Not Immune to CTR Decline
Historically, position #1 has been one of the most valuable locations in organic search.
However, the Techmagnate dataset showed that even the first organic position experienced a CTR decline.
| Organic Position | October 2024 | May 2025 | Decline |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 10.67% | 7.00% | 34.40% |
| #2 | 7.09% | 4.90% | 30.89% |
| #3 | 4.10% | 3.30% | 19.51% |
The first position experienced the largest percentage decline among these three positions.
This does not mean ranking #1 has become unimportant.
Instead, it demonstrates that ranking position is only one component of modern search visibility.
A page may need to earn visibility through multiple surfaces, including:
Traditional organic results
AI Overviews
AI Mode
Featured snippets
Image results
Video results
Brand searches
Other SERP features
Why Can AI Overviews Reduce Organic CTR?
Several mechanisms can explain why users may click less frequently on traditional listings when an AI Overview appears.
1. Direct Answers
The most obvious factor is convenience.
If Google provides a satisfactory answer directly on the SERP, some users may not need to visit another website.
This is particularly relevant for simple informational queries.
2. Reduced Visibility of Organic Listings
An AI Overview can occupy substantial screen space.
On mobile devices, this can push traditional organic results further down the page.
As a result, users may need to scroll before reaching standard listings.
3. Zero-Click Searches
A zero-click search occurs when a user completes their immediate search task without clicking through to an external website.
AI-generated answers can increase the opportunity for zero-click behavior, particularly when the query requires a short factual or explanatory response.
4. Search Intent Is Being Satisfied Earlier
Traditional SEO often focuses on getting users from:
Search → Result → Website
AI-powered search can create a different journey:
Search → AI answer → Further exploration → Website
The website may still influence the user journey even when the first interaction does not result in a click.
AI Overviews Do Not Mean SEO Is Dead
One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is assuming that AI Overviews make traditional SEO irrelevant.
Google's documentation continues to emphasize that websites appearing in AI features are part of Search, while Google's guidance for AI features recommends maintaining strong SEO fundamentals such as crawlability, indexability, useful content, and clear site structure.
Google has also stated that AI-powered Search is continuing to send substantial traffic to websites and that clicks originating from Search can be valuable when users are genuinely interested in the destination.
Therefore, the strategic shift is not:
SEO → AI SEO
It is better understood as:
Traditional SEO + AI-search visibility + stronger brand authority
The Importance of E-E-A-T in AI Search
As AI systems summarize information from multiple sources, being a credible source becomes increasingly important.
Google's broader search guidance emphasizes helpful, reliable, people-first content and signals associated with experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust.
For businesses, this means content should demonstrate:
First-hand experience
Subject expertise
Accurate information
Transparent authorship
Reliable sources
Original research
Useful examples
Clear explanations
Updated information
Instead of producing generic content simply to capture keywords, brands should aim to publish information that genuinely contributes something useful.
How Businesses Can Adapt Their SEO Strategy
The CTR changes identified in the report suggest that businesses should rethink how they measure organic success.
1. Optimize for Visibility, Not Only Clicks
CTR remains important, but it should not be the only KPI.
Also monitor:
Organic impressions
Brand searches
Conversions
Assisted conversions
Engagement
Qualified traffic
AI-feature visibility
Mentions and citations
Revenue from organic search
A page receiving fewer clicks but generating stronger qualified conversions can still be valuable.
2. Create Content That Adds More Than a Basic Answer
Generic definitions are increasingly easy for AI systems to summarize.
Your content should therefore provide additional value through:
Original research
Industry data
Expert commentary
Case studies
First-hand experience
Examples
Calculations
Comparisons
Practical frameworks
Proprietary insights
The goal is to become a useful source rather than another copy of information already available online.
3. Answer Important Questions Clearly
AI systems need understandable information.
Use:
Descriptive headings
Short paragraphs
Clear explanations
Question-based sections
Relevant lists
Tables where appropriate
Supporting evidence
For example, instead of writing a large paragraph about CTR, use a clear heading such as:
What Is CTR in SEO?
Then answer the question directly before expanding into deeper analysis.
This structure can benefit both users and search engines.
4. Strengthen Brand Authority
Brand recognition becomes increasingly important when search experiences become more conversational.
Businesses should build authority through:
Consistent publishing
Expert authors
Industry contributions
Digital PR
Relevant backlinks
Original research
Customer reviews
Case studies
Strong About pages
Transparent business information
A recognizable and trustworthy brand can have value beyond individual keyword rankings.
5. Track AI Search Performance
Google introduced dedicated generative AI performance reporting in Search Console in 2026. These reports provide visibility into how URLs appear in generative AI features in Search and include information such as impressions, pages, countries, devices, and dates. As of August 31, 2026, Google said these insights had rolled out to all websites worldwide.
This gives SEO teams another way to evaluate visibility beyond conventional organic performance.
Businesses should regularly compare:
Traditional Search Performance + Generative AI Visibility + Business Conversions
rather than analyzing CTR in isolation.
What the October 2024–May 2025 Data Means for SEO Professionals
The central lesson from the Techmagnate analysis is not that organic search has stopped working.
Instead, the data suggests that the relationship between ranking position and clicks is changing.
A top-ranking result can still generate valuable traffic, but users now encounter more information directly within Google's interface.
This creates two parallel opportunities:
Opportunity 1: Traditional Organic Visibility
Continue improving:
Technical SEO
Content quality
Internal linking
Search intent alignment
Page experience
Backlink quality
On-page optimization
Opportunity 2: AI Search Visibility
Also improve:
Answer clarity
Topical authority
Entity understanding
Original information
Structured content
Expert authorship
Brand authority
Content usefulness
The brands that adapt to both environments can build a more resilient organic search strategy.
Should You Still Target Position #1?
Yes, but the definition of success needs to become broader.
Position #1 can still provide valuable visibility and qualified traffic.
However, SEO teams should no longer assume:
#1 ranking = guaranteed high traffic
Instead, evaluate:
Ranking + SERP features + AI visibility + CTR + conversions
This is a more complete way to understand organic performance.
The Future of CTR in an AI-Powered Search Environment
The search experience is likely to continue evolving.
Google is expanding AI-powered experiences such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, while Search Console is adding more ways for website owners to understand visibility within generative AI features.
As this happens, traditional metrics will remain useful but may need additional context.
SEO professionals should ask questions such as:
Is our content being discovered?
Is our brand appearing in AI search experiences?
Are users clicking when they need deeper information?
Are those clicks generating qualified leads?
Are branded searches increasing?
Are conversions remaining stable?
Which topics are losing clicks?
Which topics are gaining visibility?
These questions provide a more complete picture than rankings alone.
Key Takeaways
The October 2024 vs. May 2025 analysis highlights several important trends:
AI Overview presence in the analyzed Techmagnate dataset increased from 6.86% to 29.07%.
Average CTR across the top 10 results declined from 5.7% to 3.66%.
Informational queries experienced a larger CTR decline than transactional queries in the dataset.
The #1 organic position also experienced a substantial CTR decline.
AI Overviews may reduce clicks by satisfying some search intent directly within Google.
CTR should not be treated as the only measure of SEO success.
Original, authoritative, useful content is becoming increasingly important.
Businesses should optimize for both traditional organic results and AI-powered search experiences.
Search Console's generative AI reporting provides additional visibility into AI-feature performance.
The future of SEO is increasingly about visibility, authority, relevance, engagement, and business outcomes—not rankings alone.
Conclusion
The impact of AI Overviews on CTR represents a major change in how organic search should be evaluated.
The Techmagnate analysis of 40,000 BFSI keywords provides a useful snapshot: between October 2024 and May 2025, AI Overview coverage increased substantially while average CTR across the top 10 organic results declined.
However, these numbers should not be interpreted as a universal prediction for every website. Search behavior varies by industry, query intent, audience, device, brand strength, and SERP composition.
For businesses, the practical lesson is clear: don't abandon SEO—expand the definition of SEO.
Continue building technically strong websites and useful content, but also create original insights, strengthen expertise and authority, monitor AI-search visibility, and measure outcomes beyond clicks.
In the AI-powered search era, the goal is no longer simply to rank at the top.
The goal is to become a trusted source that users—and increasingly AI-powered search experiences—can discover, understand, and rely on.
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