[IN THE NEWS]
AI
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FEBRUARY 5, 2025 — Search Engine Land featured our research on paid and organic click-through rates (CTR) in a recent article about the decline of CTRs.
What We Found
Our findings showed a decline in organic click-through rates when AI Overviews were present — and a decline in paid click-through rates for queries with and without AIOs. Our research included analysis of 10k keywords to find those ranking in the top 20 positions with informational intent.
The Bigger Picture
AI Overviews are shifting user behaviors — but that isn't the only story our data tells. The overall drop in paid CTRs suggests broader shifts in ad engagement, and is perhaps an indicator of users reaching ad fatigue. Our data also indicates that brands featured in AI Overviews gain a competitive advantage over those who aren't included.
Our Take: What This Means for Marketers
The playbook is changing, and it's time to shift your digital marketing efforts. SEO and paid ad strategies alone won't cut it anymore — now you need to be testing new channels, trying to increase your brand presence in LLMs and AI Overviews, and rethinking your KPIs.
More from our research: "When clients show up in AIO, Organic CTR rises from 0.74% to 1.02%, paid CTR also increases from 7.89 to 11%. This could be due to these types of queries being Branded queries, with a higher base CTR to start off with, and featured in AIO, the user is more likely to trust the ad as well if it's the brand."
Resources
Read the report from Search Engine Land: Google Organic and Paid CTRs Hit New Lows: Report
View our original research: Google AI Overview Study — SEO & PPC CTR Impact