50% lift in search CTR

Hey, Paige here!

Before we get into today’s best marketing research… 

In today’s release: 

• AI summaries now appear on ~13% of Google searches (up from 6% five months ago)

• CTR drops by 35% when AI Overviews appear, but cited brands can still earn clicks

• 41% of users trust GenAI answers more than organic search. Here's how to become the source they see.

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DEEP DIVE

Three years ago, if you were #1 on Google, you’d get 28–32% of clicks.

Now? If AI Overviews appear, that number drops to 0.64%.

That’s not a typo. And listen— we all know AI is changing search and discovery. But having a bit more context will help you learn how to beat the system and adapt to earn those clicks back.

CTR on high-ranking links is down by 30–35% where AI summaries show.  And those summaries are now live in 13% of Google searches—double the footprint since January.

And here’s the kicker:

• Sites cited inside the AI Overviews get nearly double the CTR (1.41% vs. 0.64%)

• 40% of users now trust GenAI more than organic search

• And for informational queries? Google’s just skipping your site altogether

• Non-branded keywords are hit hardest, with click drops ~27% 

Translation: Traditional rankings don’t protect your clicks anymore. If you’re not quoted, you’re likely skipped.

But here’s the good news: a new roadmap is emerging for visibility in AI-first search.

The A.I.M. Framework

AUTHORITY

• Google’s own docs confirm: structured, well-cited, original content wins.

• 48% of AI Overviews cite content outside the top 10 rankings.
   ✅ Make your authors visible. Add bios. Cite your data. Get linked.

INFORMATION DENSITY

• Most AI summaries appear for long-tail, FAQ-style questions.

• Where AIO isn’t shown, CTR is actually increasing (from 2.6% to 4%).
   ✅ Build detailed answers. Use Q&A formatting. Prioritize “how,” “why,” and “compare” keywords.

MEDIA + METADATA

• AI systems surface content that’s easy to digest—and easy to crawl.

• Rich media = better trust signals. Schema = better parsing.
   ✅ Add schema markup, images, charts, and videos. Update XML + robots.txt. Check for crawlability.

Bonus Signal: AI traffic converts better

AI-search-originated traffic converts ~4.4x better than regular organic visitors. And impressions are up 49% YoY, even as CTR drops ~30%.

👉 You may be losing clicks at the top, but branded and direct navigation is holding firm—or even growing—as users recall brands from AI summaries.

Your AI Search To-Do List

1. Audit 5 info pages—do they answer specific, searchable questions?

2. Add schema (FAQ, HowTo, Article) and llm.txt to guide AI indexing

3. Pitch yourself for citations—guest posts, podcast swaps, original research

4. Track AI Overviews visibility in SEMrush or BrightEdge

5. Monitor branded + homepage traffic—see what AI mentions might be working

The big takeaway: AI search isn’t killing SEO—just changing the rules. Start incorporating AI overview optimization practices and tackling GEO and you’ll continue ranking just fine.