Since Google rolled out AI Overviews more widely, we've been watching search data across our client sites closely. AI Overviews are the summaries that appear above the normal results for many queries, written by Google's AI and citing a few sources.
The effect isn't the same for everyone. Here's what we've seen so far.
Who's losing clicks
Sites that mostly answer simple informational questions are feeling it the most. One client runs a blog about home gardening. Articles like "how often to water tulsi" used to bring steady traffic. Now the answer appears right at the top of Google, and fewer people need to click. Their impressions are up, but clicks are down noticeably on those posts.
The pattern is clear: if your content answers a question in one or two sentences, Google can now answer it without you.
Who's barely noticed
Local service businesses have been largely unaffected. Someone searching "AC repair near me" or "CA firm in Indore" still sees the map pack and business listings. People looking to hire someone still want to visit a website, check reviews, and call.
E-commerce product pages have also held up, as have pages with original information that isn't available elsewhere, like pricing, case studies, and detailed comparisons from real experience.
What we're changing
We're writing fewer thin "what is X" articles. If the whole article can be summarised in one paragraph, Google will do that summary itself. We now focus on content that needs a visit: tools, calculators, detailed guides with real examples, local information.
We're leaning into experience. Google has been talking about E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust) for a while. In practice, this means writing from what you've actually done. "We installed 200 solar systems in Gujarat and here's what we learned about roof types" is hard for an AI summary to replace.
We're tracking differently. Clicks alone don't tell the full story any more. We look at impressions, branded searches, and enquiries. Some clients appear as a cited source in AI Overviews, which brings fewer but often better-qualified visitors.
We're making pages easy to cite. Clear headings, direct answers near the top, structured data, and accurate facts. If Google is going to quote someone, it may as well be you.
Don't panic, but do adapt
Search has changed many times before: featured snippets, the local pack, mobile-first indexing. Each time, businesses that kept serving their customers well came through fine. AI Overviews are a bigger shift than most, but the principle is the same.
Make content that a real person would be glad to find, that comes from real experience, and that leads naturally to working with you. That kind of content was always the most valuable, and it's now the hardest for a machine to replace.
