Top-result clicks, no AI Overview (index)100
With an AI Overview42
Ahrefs, Feb 2026 · Global
What the source measured
Position-1 click-through rate was 58% lower on keywords that show an AI Overview (December 2025 vs December 2023, 300,000 keywords). Ahrefs reports this as a correlation, not proof of cause.
What it means for Indian businesses
Ranking first is worth less on queries with an AI Overview.
Ranking first used to be the goal of SEO. On queries where Google writes its own summary, the top result now gets far fewer clicks, whatever the cause.
We don't think this makes SEO pointless. It changes what a page is for: being the clearest, most quotable source on a question, so the summary names you. That's the core of our AEO work.
How we get you cited by AI searchSources
- Ahrefs: Update: AI Overviews reduce clicks by 58% (2026-02-04)