AI Overviews Now Appear on Around 48% of Search Queries

Google AI Overviews appeared on around 48% of tracked search queries in early 2026, per BrightEdge. Coverage is far higher for informational queries than for transactional ones. When an AI Overview appears, organic click-through rate falls sharply: Seer Interactive measured a 61% drop, from 1.76% to 0.61%. Note that coverage figures vary widely by source and measurement window (Semrush reported far lower numbers in 2025), so treat 48% as one tracker's reading, not a settled fact.

Coverage by query type

Coverage is consistently highest for informational queries and lowest for transactional ones across BrightEdge and Semrush data. The exact percentage per category varies by tracker and month, so this table shows the relative pattern rather than fixed figures. Early in 2025 the large majority of AI Overview queries were informational; through the year the commercial share rose.

The CTR impact

When an AI Overview appears, Seer Interactive measured average organic CTR dropping from 1.76% to 0.61%, a 61% decline. Users read the AI-generated answer and many do not click through. This is the zero-click problem at scale. Seer also reported the CTR partially recovering into early 2026, so the impact is significant but not static.

This creates a divide. Being cited as a source inside the AI Overview is far more valuable than ranking organically beneath it but going uncited. Ranking without being cited has become a weak position.

Where citations come from

Organic ranking and AI Overview citation overlap, but less than you might expect. BrightEdge found the overlap between AI Overview citations and organic rankings grew to roughly 54.5% by late 2025, while only around 17% of citations come from the organic top 10. In other words, ranking well helps, but a large share of AI Overview citations come from pages outside the top 10. See why SEO still matters for AI visibility for the detail.

What this means for businesses

The 48% coverage figure is growing. Google has expanded AI Overviews steadily since launch and shows no signs of reversing course. For businesses, this means:

• Informational content is most affected - if your traffic depends on "how to" and "what is" queries, AI Overviews are already reducing your click-through rates significantly.
• Being cited is the new ranking - position 1 in organic results without an AI Overview citation may deliver fewer clicks than position 5 with a citation.
• Content structure matters - AI Overviews extract clear, factual statements. Pages using answer capsules and Speakable schema are more likely to be cited.
• Commercial queries are next - the 30-40% coverage for commercial queries will likely increase, making AI visibility essential for revenue-generating pages.

To see how your site performs across AI Overviews and other AI platforms, request a free AI visibility audit. For tools to track your AI Overview citations, see our AI search tools comparison.