Google’s AI Overviews have changed search. Here’s what marketers should do next

22/10/25 // Digital Media

Written by: Simon

If you work in marketing, you’ve probably noticed Google looking a little different lately. AI Overviews and AI Mode are popping up above the “blue links,” stitching together answers from multiple sources before a user ever clicks through. For brands, this is a shift worth planning for, not just watching.

Below is a plain-English rundown of what’s changed, what the latest data says, and the practical moves to protect and grow performance.

What’s actually changed in Google Search

AI Overviews now appear when Google thinks a generative answer will help, summarising information and citing sources. Rollout started in the US in 2024 and expanded through 2025 into more regions and languages.

Google says behaviour is shifting. According to Google’s Head of Search, Liz Reid, AI Overviews can mean fewer ad clicks on some queries, but total searches are growing, which keeps overall ad performance relatively stable.

Ad formats are adapting. Google has expanded ads inside AI Overviews and is testing placements in AI Mode, alongside new AI-powered creative and targeting tools.

The latest usage and impact stats

Usage scale: Business Insider reports AI Overviews are now used by more than 2 billion people each month, as Google turns Search into a more conversational, discovery-led experience.

Clicks change when an AI summary appears: A July 2025 Pew analysis found that when users saw an AI summary, they clicked a traditional result link in 8% of visits, versus 15% when no AI summary appeared. That points to a higher chance of “zero-click” outcomes.

Publisher traffic pressure: Multiple industry snapshots suggest referral traffic to publishers has fallen since AI Overviews launched at scale. Digiday cites new data showing 1% to 25% declines across many member sites. Meanwhile, regulators and publisher groups in the EU have lodged complaints about Overviews’ market impact.

Google’s stance: Google argues the web remains central and that AI features still drive “billions of clicks” overall, but it acknowledges behaviour is changing.

What this means for demand capture and creation

The old model was simple. A user typed keywords, you ranked or ran ads, and you earned the click. With AI Overviews, Google does more “answering” on the page, which can compress the top of the funnel and push discovery earlier.

Fewer quick clicks on some queries. Informational and multi-step queries are most likely to trigger AI Overviews, which can satisfy intent without a visit. Plan for a world where impressions rise but CTR falls on certain intents.

More total searches. If overall query volume grows, there are still abundant opportunities, but success shifts toward being referenced by the AI and owning the follow-up journey.

Ads are not going away. Expect more ad inventory inside AI experiences and stronger AI help with creative, audiences and bidding. Brands that lean into formats and automation early tend to benefit first.

How to make your site “AI-friendly” without losing SEO discipline

Google’s documentation for site owners is clear on how AI features work and what helps inclusion. The short version: clarity, credibility and coverage. Google for Developers

Answer the whole question
Build pages that resolve a task end-to-end, not just a single keyword variant. Use structured headings, FAQs and “how to” sections that map to real sub-questions. This helps both traditional rankings and the chance to be cited in AI Overviews.
Show your working
Add first-party evidence, original data, clear sourcing and expert bylines. Pages with concrete proof points are easier for AI systems to summarise and safer for them to cite.
Tighten technical signals
Keep schema markup current, fix thin pages, and consolidate duplicates. Make sure key entities, products and locations are unambiguous across your site.
Publish helpful visuals
AI Overviews often surface lists, steps and images. Include clean diagrams, checklists and tables that can be referenced. Host them on fast pages with descriptive alt text.
Cover the journey, not just the keyword
Add “adjacent” content like comparisons, calculators, checklists and post-purchase guides. Business Insider’s analysis highlights how AI is pulling apart complex queries into subtopics. Be the brand that already has those subtopics covered.

Rethink your measurement

If zero-click outcomes increase, traditional click-through metrics under-tell the story.

Track impression share, queries per user, brand search volume and view-throughs alongside clicks.

Expect blended CPA to look different as discovery shifts earlier and some users convert after longer, multi-touch paths that start with an on-page answer.

Where possible, run incrementality tests and holdouts to prove effect when click trails are thin. The Pew data is a reminder to avoid over-relying on CTR as your north star.

Practical paid search moves to test now

Lean into AI-assisted formats
Test creative automation and audience expansion where appropriate, then set firm guardrails with negatives and budgets. The objective is reach and relevance, not blind automation.
Design ads for “answer-adjacent” moments
If an Overview satisfies the first question, make your ads pick up the second. Think comparison, price, eligibility, availability, or booking. This aligns with Liz Reid’s point that the need to buy does not vanish.
Own entity and product coverage
Feed quality product data, keep pricing and availability fresh, and tighten your landing pages for the exact follow-ups users ask after reading an Overview.
Expect more inventory inside AI
Keep an eye on new placements within AI Overviews and AI Mode on desktop and mobile, and watch performance by query theme.

Practical organic actions to prioritise

Topic depth over thin posts: Build authoritative clusters with evergreen guides, decision tools and short answers you can quote elsewhere.

Speed and UX: AI answers raise the bar. If your page takes 4 seconds to load, you’ll lose the follow-up click.

E-E-A-T signals: Real authors, clear expertise, citations and updated dates.

International readiness: Overviews expanded across Europe in 2025. If you serve multiple markets, localise content and schema properly.

Keep an eye on policy and market dynamics

Regulators and publishers are scrutinising AI Overviews’ impact on traffic and competition. Expect guidance and rules to evolve, especially in the EU and UK. Marketers should follow these developments because they may change how results display, how sources are attributed, and what controls site owners get.

Bottom line

Search isn’t dying. It’s getting more conversational, more guided and more visual. That means fewer easy clicks on some queries, but more overall discovery moments. Brands that adapt their content for AI summaries, design ads for the next step, and broaden how they measure impact will be the ones that grow. Speak to us today for a free competitor AI review.

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