AI Overviews Launch in the US: What It Means for Clicks

If you are worried that Google AI Overviews will cut the clicks your site gets, you are asking the right question at the right time. On 14 May 2024, at Google I/O, Google announced that AI Overviews are rolling out to everyone searching in the US. The short answer: some searches will now send fewer clicks, some may send better ones, and nobody outside Google has solid data yet.

In this article I explain what launched, how it is different from the Search Generative Experience test, what Google is saying about clicks, and the steps I am taking this week to measure the impact on my own sites.

What Google Launched on 14 May 2024

AI Overviews are AI-written summaries that appear at the top of some Google results pages. They answer the question in a few lines or bullets and show links to web pages that back up the answer.

If you tested Google’s AI answers in Search Labs over the past year, this will look familiar. AI Overviews are the new name for the AI snapshots that Google tested under the Search Generative Experience (SGE). The big change is that they are no longer an opt-in test. They now show up for normal users in the main search results.

Here are the key facts from Google’s announcement:

• Where: the US first, in English. Google says more countries are coming soon.
• Who: everyone searching in the US, starting this week. Google expects AI Overviews to reach more than a billion people by the end of 2024.
• What powers them: a new Gemini model that Google has customised for Search. It works together with Google’s existing ranking and quality systems.
• When they show: not on every search. Google says they appear when it thinks an AI summary adds value, mostly for more complex questions.
• Search Labs: SGE is not going away. Google says it will keep testing newer AI features in Labs for people who opt in.

I covered the first version of this idea in my Google I/O 2023 guide to the Search Generative Experience. A year later, the test has become part of Search for a whole country.

How AI Overviews Differ From the SGE Test

The look is close to what Labs users saw, but a few things have changed in ways that matter for site owners.

They Are On by Default

In SGE, people had to join Search Labs to see AI answers. Many of the people in Labs were marketers and tech fans, not typical searchers. Now ordinary users will see AI Overviews without asking for them. That means the click patterns we saw in Labs may not match what happens next.

They Show on Fewer Queries Than in Labs

In my own Labs testing, SGE often tried to answer almost anything, including simple searches where a normal result was enough. Google says AI Overviews are aimed at searches where a summary truly helps. So I expect them to be more common on “how”, “why” and comparison questions, and less common on simple brand or navigation searches.

They Load Without a Button Press

In some SGE tests, the user had to press a “Generate” button before the AI answer appeared. With AI Overviews, the summary loads on its own when Google decides to show one. For the queries where that happens, the summary takes the most visible spot on the page.

Will Google AI Overviews Reduce Your Clicks?

This is the question everyone is asking, so I will be direct. Google AI Overviews will likely reduce clicks for some types of pages, and they could increase or improve clicks for others. It depends a lot on the type of query and the type of page.

What Google Says About Clicks

Google’s announcement says the links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than they would if the same page appeared as a normal web listing for that query. Google also says people visit a greater range of websites when they use these AI answers, and that it will keep focusing on sending useful traffic to publishers and creators.

Keep in mind what Google has not shared. It has not published click-through rates, the share of searches that show an AI Overview, or how total clicks to the web change. The claim is about the pages that get a link inside the overview, not about every site that ranks below it.

Where I Expect Clicks to Drop

From what I saw in Labs, the pages most at risk are the ones that answer a simple fact or a short “what is” question. If the AI summary gives the full answer, many people will not need to click.

• Definitions and glossary pages.
• Short “how many”, “how long” and “when” answers.
• Basic list posts with little original detail.
• Pages that already lost clicks to featured snippets.

Also, an AI Overview pushes the classic blue links further down the page. Even if your ranking stays the same, a lower spot on the screen usually means fewer clicks. This is similar to what happened when featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes and ads took more space over the years.

Where Clicks May Hold Up or Improve

Some searches need more than a summary. People still want to see the product, read the full review, use the tool or book the service. In my experience, these pages are much safer:

• Pages that let the user do something, such as calculators, booking forms, tools and stores.
• Deep guides with steps, screenshots or data people need to follow along.
• First-hand reviews and tests that show real experience.
• Local business pages, where people want to call, visit or get directions.
• Brand searches, where the user already wants your site.

If your page is one of the links cited inside an AI Overview, it may also get a more interested visitor. Someone who reads the summary and still clicks usually wants more depth. I would watch conversions on those pages, not just raw clicks.

How to Check Whether AI Overviews Affect Your Site

This is where most site owners will struggle. Search Console does not have a separate report or filter for AI Overviews. Google’s John Mueller has said that clicks and impressions from AI Overviews are counted with the regular web search data, as with other search features. So you need to do a bit of detective work.

Here is the process I am following:

1. Save a baseline now. Export the last 3 months of Search Console Performance data by page and by query. You will want a clean “before” picture, because the rollout started this week.
2. Pick your question-style queries. Filter your queries for words like how, what, why, best and vs. These are the searches most likely to trigger an AI Overview.
3. Search them yourself from the US. Check which of your top queries show an AI Overview, and whether your page is one of the cited links. Note the date, because results can change from day to day.
4. Tag the affected queries. Keep a simple sheet with three groups: AI Overview with your link, AI Overview without your link, and no AI Overview.
5. Compare click-through rate, not just clicks. If impressions stay steady but click-through rate (the share of people who see your result and click it) falls, that is a sign something above you is taking attention.
6. Check in GA4 too. Look at engaged sessions and conversions from Google organic for the same pages. A small drop in clicks with steady conversions is far less worrying than a drop in both.
7. Review every 2 to 4 weeks. The rollout is new, and Google is still adjusting when AI Overviews appear. I would not make big changes based on a few days of data.

One more tip: don’t mix this up with ranking changes. The March 2024 core update only finished in April, so some sites are still seeing its effects. If your position dropped too, the cause may be the update, not the AI Overview.

What to Change in Your Content Now

I don’t think anyone should rewrite their whole site this week. But a few habits make sense whether or not an AI Overview shows for your queries.

Answer the Question Clearly and Early

AI Overviews pull from pages that Google’s systems see as relevant and helpful. A page that answers the main question in plain words near the top is easier to understand, for people and for Google. I put a short, direct answer in the first paragraph and then give the detail below it.

Give People a Reason to Click

If an AI summary can repeat your whole page in three lines, your page is at risk. Add the things a summary can’t give:

• Your own photos, examples, tests and screenshots.
• Step-by-step instructions that are easier to follow on the page.
• Tools, templates, downloads or comparisons people want to use.
• Clear opinions based on real experience, which ties back to E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust).

Keep Doing Normal SEO

Google says AI Overviews work with its core ranking systems. So the basics still apply: pages need to be crawlable, indexable, fast enough and genuinely helpful. In my experience, the sites that did well in Labs were usually the same sites that already ranked well for those topics.

There is no special markup or tag that gets you into an AI Overview. Be wary of anyone selling a guaranteed “AI Overview optimisation” trick right now.

Look Beyond Question Keywords

If much of your traffic comes from simple informational searches, this is a good time to spread your bets. Build pages for searches with clear buying or local intent, grow your email list, and work on brand searches. I’d treat informational traffic as less certain than it was a year ago.

Can You Opt Out of AI Overviews?

There is no separate opt-out for AI Overviews. Google treats them as part of Search, so the only controls are the normal Search controls.

• Google-Extended does not help here. That robots.txt token controls whether your content helps train Gemini models, but Google has said it does not affect Search. I explained this in my guide to Google-Extended and blocking AI training.
• Snippet controls are the closest option. Tags like nosnippet, max-snippet and the data-nosnippet attribute limit how much of your text Google can show. Google’s guide to controlling your snippets explains how each one works.
• Blocking Google completely removes you from Search. A noindex tag or a robots.txt block will keep you out of AI Overviews, but also out of the normal results.

Here is an example of the page-level tag that stops Google from showing any text snippet for a page:

<meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">

My honest view: for most sites, this is a bad trade. nosnippet also removes the text description under your normal blue link, which usually hurts clicks. I’d only consider it for content where being summarised clearly costs you more than it brings in, and I’d test it on a small group of pages first.

Other AI Features Google Announced at I/O

AI Overviews were the headline, but Google also previewed features that could change results pages further. Most are coming to Search Labs first, in English in the US.

• Adjustable overviews: options to make an AI Overview simpler, or to break it down in more detail.
• Multi-step reasoning: AI Overviews that can handle a long question with several conditions in one search.
• Planning: help building plans such as meal plans and trips, with more categories later.
• AI-organised results pages: pages grouped under AI-made headings, starting with dining and recipes, then movies, music, books, hotels and shopping.
• Asking with video: searching with a video taken in Google Lens and getting an AI Overview in reply.

Google is also adding a “Web” filter that shows only text links to web pages, without AI Overviews or other features. I don’t expect most people to use it, but it is a useful way to see the classic results for your keywords.

For SEOs, the AI-organised results pages are the one I am watching most closely. If they spread to more topics, how your page is grouped on the page could matter as much as its position.

My Take on the Launch

I don’t think this is the end of SEO, and I don’t think it is nothing either. It is the biggest change to the top of Google’s results page in years, and it will hit some sites harder than others.

The sites I worry about most are those built on short, easy-to-summarise answers. The sites I worry about least are those that offer something people need to see, use or buy. Most businesses sit somewhere in between, which is why measuring your own data matters more than any headline.

Also remember how much this has moved in one year. Bard has become Gemini, SGE has become AI Overviews, and the test has become the default. I expect more changes as Google watches how people use it.

Conclusion

Google AI Overviews are now live for US searchers, built on a custom Gemini model and aimed at more complex questions. Google says the links inside them get more clicks than normal listings, but it hasn’t shared hard numbers. Simple answer pages are the most at risk, while tools, deep guides and first-hand content are better placed.

Your next step is simple: export your Search Console baseline today, tag your question-style queries, and check them again in a few weeks. If you want more background on how Google’s AI answers grew into this launch, start with my first look at SGE in Search Labs.