Insights
Do businesses really suffer if they're absent from AI Overviews?
There's a widespread belief that AI Overviews and answer engines steal potential customers away from the websites listed in search results.
While this is partially true, it's also no secret that clicks through to sites for informational searches have been decreasing for a while.
But, the worth of that lost traffic is not often examined.
The reality is that most people who visit a site from informational searches don't become paying customers.
Instead, they find what they want and leave.
So, while these searches used to create "traffic," what's being lost as search engines become answer engines isn't as valuable as people want us to believe.
Yes, being included in an AI Overview can offer significant advantages, mainly in terms of visibility.
For instance, a recent study of searches for B2B products discovered that around 90% of users clicked on the links in the AI Overviews to check information.
This finding appears to negate the frequent reports we see on declining clicks.
A separate study from Sistrex indicated that, for certain searches and businesses, AI Overviews have actually increased traffic to relevant sites.
The key difference seems to be quality over quantity, both in the relevance of the answer provided and the type of visitors directed to the linked page.
All of this may indicate that our fears have been overblown.
If your business (or a client's business) isn't a natural fit for the AI Overview, don't worry.
There are many other ways to be visible online.
Related: I just published an article on why not every business needs to optimize for AI search engines.
Please check it out and add a comment!
If SEO is dead, why is everyone Googling it?
Remember: Your work is more important than ever.
Thoughts on what Google's doing
✶ AI Mode data expected "soon"
Google confirmed that AI Mode reporting will be coming to Google Search Console.
Since their 'AI features' documentation has changed 2 times in the past week, we could be in for more surprises.
As of today, the documentation states:
Just like the rest of the search results page, sites appearing in AI features (such as AI Overviews and AI Mode) are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console. (Note: AI Mode reporting isn't live in Search Console yet, but we expect this soon as part of the AI Mode rollout.) In particular, they're reported on in the Performance report, within the "Web" search type.
John Mueller told Danny Goodwin, "There’s currently no separate break-out planned, and no API change involved."
News about this will probably break on social media, but we can monitor Google's official announcements and Search Console updates to stay informed on the rollout.
✶ Optimize for 'post click'
Last week, Google released new guidelines for succeeding in AI search.
I found this section interesting: (edited for length, bold is mine)
We've seen that when people click to a website from search results pages with AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality…This may provide a more engaged audience and new opportunities with visitors, but you might not optimize for these if you focus too much on clicks instead of the overall value of your visits from Search.
Are they saying clicks don’t matter?
Not exactly.
They are de-emphasizing volume-based metrics like raw click counts in favor of post-click engagement and conversion quality.
They're nudging you to optimize for what happens after the user lands on your site, not just for getting them there.
That means focusing on:
- Conversion metrics (sales, form fills, signups)
- Engagement (time on site, pages per session, interactions)
- Intent fulfillment (did they find the info they needed? did they act on it?)
In other words, they're encouraging a more outcome-based approach to SEO and web strategy.
Related: You might enjoy Rand Fishkin's thoughts on how "optimizing for traffic is dumb."
Want content strategies specifically designed to drive leads and revenue? Talk to me!
✶ Google's annual I/O developer event
There was a lot to unpack from this event.
One thing is clear: Google is determined to cram AI into every product.
AI Mode in search will now be powered by Gemini 2.5 and is live for all U.S. users, alongside new ‘Deep Search’ and Gemini Live embedded features.
The Verge rounded up 15 of the biggest announcements.
Related: Google laid out a bolder ambition: an operating system for the AI age.
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