A recent study by Seer Interactive has revealed a significant decline in click-through rates (CTRs) for both organic and paid search results, especially in informational queries featuring Google AI Overviews. According to the data, organic CTRs for these queries dropped by 61% since mid-2024, while paid CTRs plunged by 68%.

Even in queries where AI Overviews were not present, organic CTRs still fell by 41%, suggesting that users are clicking less overall, regardless of whether AI Overviews are visible.

Why This Matters

The decline in clicks is significant because it suggests that user behavior is shifting, with ChatGPT and other AI platforms along with social search driving users away from traditional search results. This shift means that lost traffic may not return to traditional search results, signaling a major change in how online visibility and user interaction are evolving.

As noted by Seer, success metrics are shifting from focusing on clicks and traffic to tracking visibility and share of voice, reflecting the broader changes in how users engage with content online. This aligns with insights shared by Aja Frost in a recent interview.

The Numbers Behind the Decline

The study shows that Google CTRs are at their lowest levels in 15 months:

• Organic CTRs for queries with AI Overviews fell from 1.76% to 0.61%.
• Paid CTRs for these queries dropped from 19.7% to 6.34%.
• Organic CTRs for queries without AI Overviews still saw a 41% drop, with a performance of 1.62%.

Additionally, brands cited in AI Overviews saw a significant boost, earning 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks than those not cited.

Study Methodology

Seer analyzed 3,119 informational queries across 42 organizations, covering 25.1 million organic impressions and 1.1 million paid impressions between June 2024 and September 2025. The queries were categorized by AI Overviews presence and citation status, using data from Google Search Console, Google Ads, and Seer’s generative AI tracker.

Read more about AIO Impact on Google CTR: September 2025 Update.

For the complete analysis, visit the original article on Search Engine Land.