Question 1

Does AI Overview reduce website traffic?

Accepted Answer

For many queries, yes. Click-through rates on searches with an AI Overview present are consistently lower than on searches without one, since a portion of users get their answer directly from the summary. The effect varies by query type and industry, and some pages still see meaningful traffic when they earn a prominent citation.

Question 2

Why are my clicks going down because of AI?

Accepted Answer

A drop in clicks usually means more of a site's ranking queries are now triggering an AI Overview, and users are satisfied by the summary before scrolling to organic results. Checking Google Search Console for rising impressions alongside falling CTR on specific queries is the fastest way to confirm whether AI Overviews are the cause.

Question 3

How to measure traffic quality from AI Overviews?

Accepted Answer

Segment sessions from AI referral sources in GA4, then compare bounce rate, dwell time, and conversion rate against the site average. High-intent AI Overview traffic typically converts at a noticeably different rate than general organic traffic, which is the clearest sign of AI Overview traffic quality versus raw volume.

Question 4

Are AI Overviews bad for SEO?

Accepted Answer

Not inherently. They change what counts as success. Ranking and citation both matter now, and content built for depth, originality, and clear answers tends to perform well in both organic rankings and AI Overview citations at the same time.

Question 5

How to track AI Overview traffic?

Accepted Answer

Set up a custom channel grouping in GA4 for known AI referral domains, filter Google Search Console queries known to trigger AI Overviews, and compare performance against a baseline of similar non-AI-Overview queries over the same period.

Question 6

How to turn off Google AI Overview?

Accepted Answer

Google does not currently offer a permanent setting to disable AI Overviews for standard search. Some users find that adding certain search operators or switching to a non-personalized search mode reduces how often the feature appears, though results are inconsistent and can change without notice.

Question 7

Is 2026 the year AI Overview becomes the default search experience?

Accepted Answer

AI Overview coverage has expanded substantially through 2026 and continues to grow across most verticals, with some industries such as healthcare and education already seeing it on the large majority of relevant searches. Whether it becomes the universal default depends on how Google balances the feature against organic result quality and publisher feedback going forward.

Google Search Console

AI Overview Traffic Quality: Measuring Clicks, Conversions & SEO Value in 2026

SEO Audit Guide: How to Improve Rankings, Traffic & Website Performance in 2026

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