AI Overviews Deliver MORE Traffic than Featured Snippets, According to Study

A recent study analyzing 18 million UK websites reveals that Google's new AI Overviews might actually drive more traffic to websites than traditional featured snippets.

Contrary to widespread fears among SEOs, the data suggests that AI Overviews are not reducing organic clicks but potentially increasing them.

Key takeaways from the study:

• Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR): AI Overviews in the top position lead to a higher CTR compared to featured snippets in the same position.
• Multiple Sources Featured: On average, AI Overviews cite and link to five or six different websites, providing users with multiple sources to explore.
• Selective Inclusion: Only about 274,000 domains appear in AI Overviews, compared to over 18 million domains in organic search results, indicating that Google is highly selective.
• Overlap with Organic Results: In 98% of cases, at least one URL from the AI Overview also appears in the top 100 organic search results.

One of the biggest scares this year for many SEOs has been whether Google's new AI Overview search results would lower the amount of traffic that websites get from Google.

At our recent SEO Camp conference in Copenhagen, this was a hot topic. One of the speakers highlighted that in the US, 23% of all product-related searches already feature an AI Overview.

But this recent study from Sistrix might indicate that fears have been overblown.

Higher CTR with AI Overviews

Despite initial concerns, AI Overviews are leading to more clicks than featured snippets.

When an AI Overview appears in position #1, users are more likely to click on the links provided.

This contradicts the assumption that providing answers directly in search results reduces the need to visit websites.

Multiple Sources Encourage Exploration

AI Overviews typically link to multiple sources.

On average, an AI Overview cites five or six different websites.

It's a significant departure from featured snippets, which usually highlight just one source.

This multi-source approach seems to encourage users to explore further, increasing the likelihood of clicks to various websites.

But it might also be because they do not trust the AI Overview answer yet, as I saw a user on Linkedin suggest.

Google Is Highly Selective

Out of over 18 million domains in the organic search index, only about 274,000 are featured in AI Overviews.

Google appears to be extremely selective, favoring authoritative and trustworthy sites.

Websites like YouTube, Wikipedia, and major health organizations dominate the AI Overviews.

Overlap with Organic Results

The study found a significant overlap between AI Overview sources and organic search results:

• In 98% of cases, at least one URL from the AI Overview is also in the top 100 organic results.
• In 62% of cases, all domains from the AI Overview appear in the top 100.

This suggests that high-ranking sites in organic search have a better chance of being featured in AI Overviews.

Implications for SEOs

So, what does this mean for those worried about losing traffic?

• Focus on Quality Content: Since Google is selective, it's crucial to produce high-quality, authoritative content to increase the chances of being featured. Guess we heard that one before 😅
• Opportunity for Increased Visibility: Being included in an AI Overview can boost your site's visibility and drive more traffic.
• No Need to Panic (but maybe a little): The study indicates that AI Overviews might not be the threat many feared. In fact, they could be beneficial. But if only so few sites getting into the AI Overviews, you might actually be a bit worried in you feel you cannot break into the AI answers.

Changing The Search Landscape?

Google's dominance in internet search has long seemed unshakeable, holding over 90% market share in the Western world with 8.5 billion searches every day.

But the emergence of AI-driven search platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity is reshaping how users interact with search engines.

These platforms provide synthesized answers rather than traditional lists of links, leveraging Large Language Models to enhance the user experience.

But in my view, there is still a very long way before Google is really threatened by these platforms.

And with the study suggestion that Google's AI Overviews may actually enhance website traffic (I am still a bit sceptic), rather than diminish it.

For SEOs and content creators, the focus should remain on producing high-quality, authoritative content.

While the search landscape is evolving, it's not time to panic.

So, perhaps the scare around AI Overviews impacting web traffic has been out of proportion.

Only time will tell...