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Ahrefs has released a must read comprehensive study analyzing 55.8 million AI Overviews (AIOs) across 590 million Google searches. The stunning report includes some sobering statistics for SEO’s. Lets start with the really bad news:
No, it is not your imagination, branded AIO Serps have skyrocketed. If 50% of the top brands are getting the majority of 8 billion daily searches, what is left for the rest of us?
An Ahrefs study of AI Overviews finds that the Top 50 domains get 30% of all AIO shoutouts, reflecting how Google’s system disproportionately surfaces big authorities – unsurprising given that Google’s ranking signals (like PageRank) still favor those major sites.
This is much higher than is generally believed in SEO. Most were thinking we were somewhere around 25% at best.
We knew it was slowly rolling out in other parts of the world.
While depressing, seems like many people are reporting a higher decrease in click throughs (some as high as 75% decrease in traffic)
Types of Queries Affected
AIOs are more commonly displayed for:
- Informational queries
- Longer search queries
- High-volume searches
Conversely, AIOs are less prevalent for:
- Branded queries
- Local searches
- Shorter queries – ambiguous or navigational
Dominance of Top Domains
Notable domains frequently featured in AIOs include:
- Wikipedia
- Quora
- YouTube
- Healthline
- WebMD
Ahrefs’ study underscores the transformative impact of AI-generated summaries on search behavior and website traffic. As AIOs become more prevalent, adapting SEO strategies to this evolving landscape is crucial. Emphasizing content quality, authority, and relevance will be key to navigating the challenges and leveraging the opportunities presented by AI Overviews.
For a more detailed analysis, you can read the full study here: Insights From 55.8M AI Overviews Across 590M Searches.
Related:
As the CEO and founder of Pubcon Inc., Brett Tabke has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of online marketing and search engine optimization. His journey in the computer industry has spanned over three decades and has made him a pioneering force behind digital evolution. Full Bio
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