Source: Search Engine Land
Data from: SEMRush Sensor
What’s Happening?
Google has started showing fewer top 10 search results in its AI-generated summaries, also known as AI Overviews (formerly known as Search Generative Experience or SGE).
These summaries appear at the top of some search results and give users quick answers using AI.
A study by SEMrush (reported by Barry Schwartz) shows that after Google’s March 2025 Core Update, these AI Overviews now mention fewer of the pages that actually rank in the top 10 search results.
The Key Numbers (Before vs After the Update)
Here’s a quick table of what changed:
| Category | Before (Pre-March ’25) | After (Post-March ’25) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Overlap | 16.2% | 15.3% | ▼ -0.9% |
| Travel Searches | 12.9% | 19.5% | ▲ +6.6% |
| Movies/TV | 8.8% | 13.7% | ▲ +4.9% |
| Restaurants | 9.5% | 14.1% | ▲ +4.6% |
“Overlap” here means how often AI Overviews quote websites that are also in the top 10 search results.
What This Means for You (in Plain English)
1. AI Overviews Are Picking Different Sites
Even if your site is in the top 10 on Google, it might not be included in the AI Overview summary at the top. On the flip side, if you’re not in the top 10, you still have a chance to be quoted by the AI.
2. Not Much Traffic From AI Overviews
Even if your site is included in the AI Overview, most users don’t click the links. So right now, these summaries don’t bring much traffic to websites.
This makes it harder to track where your visitors are coming from, especially if they use AI summaries and never click through to your page.
3. Click-Through Rates Are Dropping
Because people get answers from AI Overviews directly, they are clicking on fewer links, which means your usual SEO traffic might go down — even if your content is still great.
So What Can You Do?
Focus on High-Quality, Helpful Content
Even if you’re not in the top 10 search results, your page can still show up in AI Overviews if your content is useful and well-structured.
Use Structured Data & Clear Formatting
AI likes clean, easy-to-read pages. Use subheadings, bullet points, and helpful summaries so the AI can easily understand your content.
Watch Your Analytics Closely
Use tools to see if you’re getting mentioned in AI Overviews (some SEO tools are starting to track this). Also, keep an eye on which keywords are bringing traffic — things may shift over time.
Don’t Rely Only on Google
Start building traffic from other sources too — email newsletters, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, or even WhatsApp communities. Relying on Google alone is becoming riskier.
Final Thoughts
Google is clearly changing how it surfaces information using AI. While this brings more chances for different websites to be seen, it also means less control and fewer clicks for content creators.
As always, the best strategy is to create helpful, human-friendly content and to diversify where your traffic comes from.
For now, AI Overviews are evolving — and so should our SEO strategies.
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