Google’s AI Overviews, a feature that provides a summary of search results at the top of the page, are now appearing less than 7% of the time, according to a recent analysis. This marks a significant decrease from previous months. The data was collected by enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge and its BrightEdge Generative Parser, which has been tracking and monitoring AI Overviews since late last year.
The drop in AI Overviews was particularly noticeable in certain industries. For education queries, AI Overviews decreased from 26% to 13%. In the entertainment sector, AI Overviews fell from 14% to nearly 0%. And for ecommerce queries, AI Overviews decreased from 26% to 9%.
Not only are AI Overviews appearing less frequently, but they are also taking up less space on the search results page. They are now 13% smaller, on average. This suggests that Google is attempting to reduce the amount of space that AI Overviews occupy.
One interesting finding is that Google is citing fewer sources in AI Overviews that also appear in the Classic Search results. This indicates that Google is relying more on its own algorithm to bring in information that anticipates relevant follow-up queries, rather than simply duplicating information from other sources.
The analysis also revealed that search query patterns play a role in whether AI Overviews appear. Queries such as “best,” “what is,” “how to,” and “symptoms of” are more likely to trigger an AI Overview. On the other hand, queries that involve comparisons, brand-specific information, general products, and lifestyle-related topics are less likely to trigger an AI Overview.
Another interesting finding is that user-generated content (UGC) platforms such as Reddit and Quora lost a significant number of citations in AI Overviews. This suggests that Google may have recognized these platforms as unreliable sources of trustworthy information for AI Overviews.
In addition, Google has reduced the number of product comparison tables, product viewers, carousels, and lists that appear in AI Overviews. This could be an attempt to further reduce the space occupied by AI Overviews.
Despite these changes, AI Overviews continue to be an area of interest for SEOs, publishers, and content creators. There are concerns that Google’s emphasis on AI Overviews may make it harder for websites to get organic search traffic. However, Google has stated that it will continue to evolve in this direction and that it is resulting in more searches, although no data has been provided to support this claim.
Overall, the analysis of AI Overviews provides valuable insights into Google’s search feature and its impact on search results. As Google continues to make changes and improvements to AI Overviews, it will be important for SEOs and content creators to stay informed and adapt their strategies accordingly.
