24 Mar How AI Has Changed Google Search

Posted at 12:04h in SEO by Kristin Chambers

How AI Has Changed Google Search

What AI Overviews Mean for Your Business

Raise your hand if you used Google today. You’re reading this on the Internet, so we have no way to confirm, but we’re going to assume your hand is up. That means you’ve probably seen an AI Overview (AIO) and appreciated how user-friendly it was. It delivers immediate answers at the top of Google Search results, reducing the need to scroll or click through websites to find an answer.

If you’re a savvy business owner with a comprehensive SEO strategy, you’re probably wondering how this is affecting your business. At first glance, it seems that Google’s AIOs provide all the benefits to users at the expense of brands. After all, Google is essentially using information from your website, along with many others, to determine a consensus answer and prioritize it above organic search results. However, with the right knowledge and tools, you can leverage AIOs for your benefit, as well.

What Kinds of Searches Trigger AI Overviews?

Based on a study comparing data on AIOs from 2024-2025, we can see that, on average, about 15% of searches result in an AIO. In Q2 and Q3 of 2025, this percentage rose to 20-25%, but it leveled off before the end of the year.

The study also examined the intent behind the searches triggering AIOs. In the world of Google Search, there are four categories of queries:

Informational: low intent, just seeking information (Ex. “what are AI Overviews?”)
Navigational: more specific, looking for a certain website (Ex. “Facebook login”)
Commercial: higher intent, researching before making a decision (Ex. “best pizza in St. Augustine”)
Transactional: highest intent, a purchase is going to be made (Ex. “Publix order online”)

While informational searches trigger the majority of AIOs, we are increasingly seeing more AIOs on queries in higher intent categories. Informational queries went from making up 90% of searches triggering an AIO at the beginning of 2025 to around 55% at the end of the year.

Are AI Overviews Resulting in Fewer Clicks to Your Website?

Overall, AIOs populate searches with high zero-click rates. This means those queries don’t typically result in users visiting websites. While frustrating for businesses trying to improve click-through rates, it’s logical since the majority of AIOs appear on informational searches. Once the user has their answer, they no longer need to continue searching.

However, that isn’t the full story. AIOs actually seem to be improving zero-click rates. In January 2025, the zero-click rate for searches that triggered an AIO was around 47%. By October, that number dropped to 37%. And even more interestingly, searches that did not trigger an AIO kept a steady zero-click rate of around 32-35% in that same time frame.

How to Optimize Your SEO for AI in 2026

It’s clear AIOs are here for the long haul. If you want to stay relevant on Google, you need to make sure your website is properly structured for AI search results.

Google likes finding consensus answers to present in AIOs. With this knowledge, your SEO strategy should shift in 2026. These are our top 5 recommendations:

1. 1. Implement a Q&A format on your website to give clear answers that AI can use.
  2. Use categorical and contextual keywords so that AI can understand what industry you’re in.
  3. Publish authoritative, trustworthy content that is not overly persuasive or sales-y.
  4. Incorporate video platforms and discussion forums like YouTube and Reddit into your digital strategy, as these features are showing up more and more alongside AIOs.
  5. Take advantage of GEO before it becomes the industry standard.