For years, reaching position one in Google was a reliable way to earn organic traffic. That is still true in many searches, but the arrival of AI Overviews changes the maths. Ahrefs has found that when an AI Overview appears, the top-ranking page’s click-through rate falls by 34.5%.
The reason is straightforward. If Google answers the user’s question directly at the top of the page, fewer people need to click through to any website. The top result is still visible, but it competes with a summary that already satisfies the query.
This is not an argument that SEO is dead. It is an argument that SEO metrics need updating.
What the data means in practice
A 34.5% CTR drop at the top is large, but it is not evenly distributed. Searches with simple informational intent are most affected. If a user only wants a definition, a date or a short list, an AI Overview will often answer it. Searches with commercial intent, complex comparisons or local context still drive clicks because the answer is too specific for a general summary.
This means the first task is to understand which of your keywords are likely to trigger AI Overviews and which are not. Not every query is at risk. The risk is highest for top-of-funnel, question-based content where Google can confidently synthesise an answer.
Rethinking success metrics
If clicks from position one are falling, the team needs additional measures of value. Impressions and brand mentions inside AI Overviews become relevant. So does the quality of traffic that does arrive: users who click after seeing an overview may be more informed and closer to a decision.
Another useful metric is share of voice in AI-generated answers. Does your brand appear in the citations? Is your data used to support the summary? This is harder to track than rankings, but it is closer to what AI search actually rewards.
Adjusting content strategy
Content that answers simple questions will still be useful, but it should not be the whole strategy. The material that survives AI Overviews tends to have one or more of these qualities: depth, originality, opinion, tools, or first-hand evidence.
A detailed comparison, a calculator, a template, an interview, or a research-backed argument is harder to summarise fully in an overview. These formats both earn clicks and become sources that AI engines cite.
It is also worth reviewing the pages that currently rank well. If an AI Overview appears for a keyword you own, does the summary cite you? If not, the content may be factually correct but not structured in a way that Google treats as a primary source.
The bottom line
AI Overviews reduce clicks for the pages that used to capture them. The response is not to abandon organic search, but to diversify what you measure and raise the quality of what you publish.