Google’s ‘AI Overviews’ halve click-through rates in 2024

Google’s ‘AI Overviews’ reshaped search patterns in 2024, slashing click-through rates to contractors’ websites, according to a new analysis of 10,000 keywords. 

Why it matters: This marks the most comprehensive study of AI Overviews’ impact since their launch in May 2024.

• Catch up: Google introduced AI Overviews, which display above traditional search results, to give consumers quick answers to searches before scrolling down. 

What’s happening: For searches triggering AI Overviews — typically questions like, “Why is my AC unit making a weird noise?” — organic click-through rates were cut by more than half, from 1.4 percent to .64 percent between January 2024 and 2025.

• “This highlights how AIOs can dominate user attention and limit opportunities for organic visibility,” the report says.

Yes, but: Searches that don’t trigger AI Overviews — “AC repair near me” — saw organic click-through rates increase year-over-year.  

• “This suggests that opportunities remain strong for organic traffic when AI Overviews are absent,” the report adds.

Of note: Clicks on PPC ads dropped in both cases, regardless of whether AI Overviews were displayed. 

• “This suggests broader shifts in ad engagement, likely influenced by user behavior,” the report notes, referring to consumers potentially gathering more information from sources like ChatGPT and online communities before coming to Google.

Zoom in: While AI Overviews reduced organic clicks, they do cite sources, providing opportunities for contractors to gain brand visibility. 

• “Websites already ranking number one in the results, via high-quality content, have over a 50 percent chance of being linked in AI Overviews,” said news site Search Engine Land.  
• The site added that there’s no magic bullet to appearing in them, but that executing the basics — creating content directly addressing searches like, “How to troubleshoot my thermostat” — increases the chance. 

The bottom line: Google’s AI Overviews have altered search behavior, creating both challenges and opportunities for contractors nationwide. 

• There’s no word on when a follow-up analysis will be published.