In December 2025, the SEO software provider Ahrefs released some eye-opening research. They found a 58% drop in clicks from top-ranking pages in Google results when an AI overview appeared. A lot of business owners found this news alarming.
It might be a worrying statistic, but it actually points to an ever-evolving change in how Google presents information. This shift started around 2012 when Google introduced the ‘Knowledge Graph’, which is the info box you see on the search results page. That was 14 years ago; even back then, headlines screamed things like, ‘Google is stealing your traffic.’
A few years later, ‘featured snippets’ arrived. These were more informational boxes on the results page, including the highly popular ‘People also asked’ section.
Then came zero-click searches, followed by voice search. There has always been a long list of updates from Google that panic business owners, making them worry that website traffic is about to grind to a halt. The latest culprit is AI Overviews.
Breaking the Cycle of Search Panic
Each of these changes creates a cyclical wave of panic. It is the same almost every time. Business owners call their digital agencies in distress, saying, ‘Clicks are dropping and fewer people are coming to the website, even though we are ranking really well.’
The fact of the matter is this: if you have always been diligent in looking after your website, you have nothing to worry about. In fact, changes like AI Overviews can be incredibly positive. The companies that come out stronger and benefit the most from these search page updates are the ones that make the effort to understand what is actually changing.
To grasp how beneficial this can be, you first need to accept that none of your customers come to your website completely cold and buy from you straight away.
If someone who has never heard of your brand lands on your site, they will be interested to a certain extent. However, it is highly likely that people who are already aware of your brand are using your website to run a few final checks before deciding whether to buy from you or get in touch. This is all wrapped up in how customers choose who to buy from, and it is entirely connected to trust.
Websites Are Just One Touchpoint
You might think people will find out about your business, go straight to your website, and buy. That is simply not the case. In fact, I am not sure it ever has been.
Websites are only one touchpoint for your brand. In the early days of the web, people might have found you in the Yellow Pages before looking at your website; alternatively, they might have met you at a networking event before checking you out online.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) has always been a huge part of bringing new people to your website, but it is not the only touchpoint you need to focus on. I can think of 10 or 20 places where people might learn about your brand before they ever reach your site. Some of the more obvious ones include:
- Social media
- Podcasts
- A word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend
- An online review
- A good, old-fashioned conversation at a networking event
Looking at this list you can start to see that appearing in an AI overview is simply another touchpoint.
Winning the Trust of AI Crawlers
Personally, I think this new touchpoint is particularly special because it builds more trust than others. That might change if society starts to feel less kindly about artificial intelligence over the next few years, but in the world of digital marketing, we have to do what works now.
Crucially, our approach must align with who we actually are as a business. As soon as we start doing things solely to game AI or search engines, we get on a treadmill that spins faster and faster until it flings us off the back.
So, do not mourn the fact that your click-through rates are dropping because of AI Overviews. Celebrate the fact that it is another opportunity to build trust. This is exactly where SEO agencies like Yeseo are strong. We know how to tailor your website so it stands the best possible chance of being the obvious choice for AI crawlers like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to source for answers.
Think of it this way: if AI cites you as the source every time a potential customer asks a question, that builds an incredible amount of trust.
Diversify Your Visibility Strategy
Let me leave you with a final, slightly provocative thought. It is my strong opinion that if your entire digital strategy relies solely on appearing in the traditional blue links of Google’s organic results, particularly in a way that your business could be damaged by AI Overviews, then your visibility strategy simply isn’t up to muster.
Even if you rank number one for everything, you still need to diversify your traffic streams. You need traffic from social media, paid ads, and a good, diverse range of other sources.
In summary, how do you feel about AI Overviews now? Can you see that they are a fantastic opportunity to get ahead of your competitors?
If you would like some help navigating this shift, get in touch.
FAQs: Navigating the New World of Search
In a word, no. It is true that they change how people interact with search results, and you might see a dip in direct clicks from traditional search listings. However, this is not the end of the world. It is simply the latest shift in how Google works, much like featured snippets or voice search before it. If your website provides genuine value, AI Overviews are just another way for customers to find and trust your brand.
We need to move away from the idea that a customer lands on your website completely cold and buys instantly; that rarely happens anyway. Your website is one part of a much bigger journey. If an AI overview answers a user’s question and cites your business as the trusted source, that builds massive credibility. By the time that prospect actually lands on your site, they are much further down the line toward making a decision.
You do it by being diligent, thorough, and genuinely helpful. AI crawlers are looking for the absolute best, most definitive answers to user queries. If you try to game the system with cheap tricks, you will end up on a frantic treadmill that eventually flings you off. Instead, focus on tailoring your website content so it is clearly structured, authoritative, and the obvious choice for a crawler to dredge for answers.
Absolutely not, but you do need to stop relying solely on those traditional blue links. If your entire digital strategy can be crippled by a single Google update, your visibility strategy simply isn’t up to muster. SEO remains a huge piece of the puzzle, but you must diversify. You need a healthy mix of traffic coming from social media, paid ads, email, and other digital streams.
Take a breath and don’t panic. The businesses that come out on top after these updates are the ones that take the time to understand what is actually changing, rather than just reacting in a fright. The best place to start is by looking at how well your current content answers your customers’ deepest questions. If you want a hand figuring out how to make your site AI-friendly, just get in touch with us at Yeseo.
Last Updated on May 21, 2026
