Definition
A Google AI Overview is the AI-generated summary that appears at the top of some search results, synthesizing an answer from multiple cited sources instead of sending the user straight to links.
A Google AI Overview (formerly Search Generative Experience) is a generative summary placed above the classic results for a query. It pulls from multiple web sources, cites several, and aims to answer the user directly on the results page.
Impact on traffic
On queries where an AI Overview appears, clicks to the top organic result drop by around 58% (Ahrefs, 2025), up from 34.5% earlier that year. They appear overwhelmingly on informational queries.
How to be cited
AI Overviews favor crawlable, helpful, well-structured content with clear answers. Despite common claims, schema markup has little measurable effect on AI citations — the levers are content quality and authority. See metadata LLMs actually read.
Frequently asked questions
Do AI Overviews reduce website traffic?
Yes. Studies show clicks to the number-one organic result fall by roughly 58% when an AI Overview is shown, and the effect is growing. Informational content is most affected.
How are AI Overviews different from featured snippets?
A featured snippet quotes a single source verbatim in a box; an AI Overview generates a new answer synthesized from several sources and cites them. See AI Overviews vs featured snippets.