{"id":691874,"date":"2025-09-25T09:15:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T06:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T09:15:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T06:15:21","slug":"ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Overview citations: Why they don\u2019t drive clicks and what to do"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3667fa8ecb7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3667fa8ecb7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#Data_from_20000_queries_shows_AI_Overviews_match_Position_6_results_%E2%80%93_offering_high_visibility_but_far_fewer_clicks_than_blue_links\" >Data from 20,000+ queries shows AI Overviews match Position 6 results \u2013 offering high visibility, but far fewer clicks than blue links.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#How_AI_Overviews_vs_blue_links_compare_What_the_data_shows\" >How AI Overviews vs. blue links compare: What the data shows<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#Inside_the_research\" >Inside the research<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#What_the_study_found\" >What the study found<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#So_why_arent_AI_Overviews_driving_clicks\" >So, why aren\u2019t AI Overviews driving clicks?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#AI_Overview_brand_mentions_lack_context\" >AI Overview brand mentions lack context<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#Position_inflation\" >Position inflation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#With_AI_Overviews_engagement_swiftly_drops_off_a_cliff\" >With AI Overviews, engagement swiftly drops off a cliff<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#What_should_SEOs_do_about_it\" >What should SEOs do about it?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#1_Optimize_for_the_overview_but_dont_overvalue\" >1. Optimize for the overview, but don\u2019t overvalue<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#2_Double_down_on_Page_1_blue_links\" >2. Double down on Page 1 blue links<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#3_Consider_tracking_%E2%80%98assisted_conversions\" >3. Consider tracking \u2018assisted conversions\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#4_Track_CTR_realistically\" >4. Track CTR realistically<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ai-overview-citations-why-they-dont-drive-clicks-and-what-to-do\/#Visibility_isnt_a_click_but_it_is_valuable\" >Visibility isn\u2019t a click, but it is valuable<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Data_from_20000_queries_shows_AI_Overviews_match_Position_6_results_%E2%80%93_offering_high_visibility_but_far_fewer_clicks_than_blue_links\"><\/span>Data from 20,000+ queries shows AI Overviews match Position 6 results \u2013 offering high visibility, but far fewer clicks than blue links.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>Visibility in Google\u2019s AI Overviews doesn\u2019t equal traffic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In my research from the first half of this year, AI Overview citations consistently underperformed \u2013 even compared to traditional blue links near the bottom of the SERP.<\/p>\n<p>An AI Overview citation can still help with authority, brand recall, positioning, and maybe even long-term LLM training.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But for short-term clicks? The data paints a sobering picture.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-ai-overviews-vs-blue-links-compare-what-the-data-shows\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_AI_Overviews_vs_blue_links_compare_What_the_data_shows\"><\/span>How AI Overviews vs. blue links compare: What the data shows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Are AI Overview citations actually gathering clicks? Or are they just pushing the real click-producers further down the page?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That question led me to look at the performance of classic blue links and AI Overviews across a dozen different industries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-inside-the-research\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Inside_the_research\"><\/span>Inside the research<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This analysis draws on more than 20,000 ranking queries across industries, including:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Automotive repair.<\/li>\n<li>Ecommerce.<\/li>\n<li>Education.<\/li>\n<li>Fitness.<\/li>\n<li>Healthcare.<\/li>\n<li>Manufacturing.<\/li>\n<li>SaaS.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From that pool, a focused case study examined 200+ unique SERPs from February to April 2025 where AI Overviews <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Using Google Search Console and Semrush, the study tracked:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The position of each domain inside the Overview.<\/li>\n<li>The same domain\u2019s position in the traditional blue links.<\/li>\n<li>CTR, impressions, and clicks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To keep the analysis clean, I only counted the first appearance of a link in an AI Overview to avoid inflating performance with duplicates.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-the-study-found\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_study_found\"><\/span>What the study found<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ranking first in an AI Overview delivers roughly Position 6 clicks<\/strong>: Far from the golden ticket many assume.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI Overview CTR curves fall off a cliff \u2013 fast: <\/strong>By Position 5, most citations might as well be on the 10th page of Google\u2019s search results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Top 3 blue links still perform best:<\/strong> The strongest AI Overview slot doesn\u2019t match the Top 3 organic SERP results. Blue links still dominate where it matters: driving real, high-intent traffic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"859\" http: alt=\"AI Overviews vs. blue links - CTR\" class=\"wp-image-462392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-1536x645.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-scaled.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"859\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-scaled.png\" alt=\"AI Overviews vs. blue links - CTR\" class=\"wp-image-462392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/AI-Overviews-vs.-blue-links-CTR-1536x645.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Dig deeper: Will Google\u2019s AI Overviews kill the click?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"so-why-arent-ai-overviews-driving-clicks\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_why_arent_AI_Overviews_driving_clicks\"><\/span>So, why aren\u2019t AI Overviews driving clicks?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The fact that the addition of AI Overview citations to SERPs is hurting clicks isn\u2019t exactly breaking <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Since AI Overviews have been implemented, they have been documented to hurt click-through rates across the SERP, particularly on informational queries.<\/p>\n<p>But this shows that the answer isn\u2019t as simple as shooting for AI Overview placements, assuming the new \u201ctop\u201d overall SERP placement will compensate for lost clicks.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is even stickier for AI Overviews.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the issue is that user intent is becoming (even more) satisfied on-screen.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the same, classic zero-click search problem that\u2019s been ongoing since <em>People also ask<\/em> placements, with Google now synthesizing these answers for users.<\/p>\n<p>But AI Overviews have even greater issues that minimize their value to content creators due to their unique placement, structure, and organization.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ai-overview-brand-mentions-lack-context\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AI_Overview_brand_mentions_lack_context\"><\/span>AI Overview brand mentions lack context<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In a blue link, the brand is both a doorway and a marquee.<\/p>\n<p>After all, a traditional blue link has an optimized title and an attention-grabbing meta description to attract that all-valuable click.<\/p>\n<p>But in AI Overviews, brands are given a small, bland citation, with only a fraction of the meta description available. It\u2019s basically a mousehole.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-position-inflation\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Position_inflation\"><\/span>Position inflation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Being \u201cfirst\u201d in an Overview doesn\u2019t carry the same weight as \u201cfirst\u201d in organic results.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The top of SERPs is overly busy with AI Overviews, paid ads, site links, map packs, and other features.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Data shows that search users agree: many searchers are scrolling down, looking for an escape from the clutter.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-with-ai-overviews-engagement-swiftly-drops-off-a-cliff\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"With_AI_Overviews_engagement_swiftly_drops_off_a_cliff\"><\/span>With AI Overviews, engagement swiftly drops off a cliff<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Users scan several blue links, but attention collapses in AI Overviews. Citations are small, hard to scroll, and visually unappealing.<\/p>\n<p>Other searchers clearly agree. The CTR curve shows a steep decay, so that by AI Overview citation 4 or 5, your link basically doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-should-seos-do-about-it\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_should_SEOs_do_about_it\"><\/span>What should SEOs do about it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>First, we need to reframe the way we present our data, our goals, and maybe even our service.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Visibility \u2260 traffic:<\/strong> If you\u2019re reporting clicks to leadership, AI Overview citations will not save your dashboards. That\u2019s why some SEOs are making the move to attribute other channel traffic to their efforts. (More on that, later.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>SERP authority \u2260 ROI:<\/strong> Yes, being cited in an AI Overview lends credibility and visibility. It may even eventually contribute to a click, down the line of a user\u2019s search experience. But that credibility is more abstract than ever and more challenging to track.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The battle for top blue link positions is far from over:<\/strong> You still need to fight for top blue link positions. AI Overviews haven\u2019t \u201cleveled the field\u201d against any established top 3 ranking competitor content. They\u2019ve just added another, weaker layer to the SERP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<p>Now, here\u2019s where things actually get actionable.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-optimize-for-the-overview-but-don-t-overvalue\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Optimize_for_the_overview_but_dont_overvalue\"><\/span>1. Optimize for the overview, but don\u2019t overvalue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>AI Overview citations do matter. A top ranking here can match a decent organic result, but not a Top 3 slot.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve found the most success in ranking for AI Overviews by treating them similarly to <em>People also ask<\/em> snippets, by focusing on \u201canswer capsules.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what\u2019s worked for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Start by identifying high-volume FAQs<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Look for high-volume terms, using tools like Semrush\u2019s Keyword Overview, and identify queries already displaying AI Overviews.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Similar to traditional blue links, I\u2019ve found keyword difficulty does matter for AI Overviews, but a highly difficult score is less of a hindrance.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Low authority or new domains often still have a shot to rank highly in AI Overviews against established competitors.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Place tight, authoritative answer capsules after H2s or H3s<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Treat an answer like a highly optimized meta description.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Keep a summarized answer, or \u201canswer capsule,\u201d to less than 200 characters.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>A quick, confident, and summarized answer that can be easily cited is a must.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll add more information below, fleshing out your answer to provide more in-depth information to users on your site.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t externally link in your answer capsule<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Don\u2019t communicate to search engines that another resource is a better source on the topic.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Never externally link in an area of copy you believe is a target for an AI Overview.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other SEO best practices also apply.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use structured markup where it makes sense.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Anticipate natural language queries. Read content like a user and answer their questions, even if they\u2019re not high-volume keywords.<\/li>\n<li>Make content that makes sense for people, since search engines and LLMs care most about them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-double-down-on-page-1-blue-links\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Double_down_on_Page_1_blue_links\"><\/span>2. Double down on Page 1 blue links<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Top 3 rankings are still the primary click drivers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In-depth content, written for users who experience it on-page, is still the best strategy for dominating the top of Google\u2019s blue links.<\/p>\n<p>Search might have changed, but you should continue to prioritize optimizing for:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Content depth: <\/strong>More informed and topically thorough posts produce longer engaged sessions, lower bounce rates, and drive more in-site traffic. That hasn\u2019t changed.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link authority:<\/strong> Backlinks still matter, for both AI Overviews and traditional blue links.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technical health:<\/strong> Whether it\u2019s blue links, AI Overviews, or other SERP features, your site needs to perform well. Keep an eye on those Core Web Vitals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: The search visibility framework: Dominating every corner of the SERP in 2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-consider-tracking-assisted-conversions\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Consider_tracking_%E2%80%98assisted_conversions\"><\/span>3. Consider tracking \u2018assisted conversions\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Search has changed. Why wouldn\u2019t we change the way we track how users search?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When framing AI Overviews to stakeholders, it can be helpful to understand AI Overview mentions as an upper-funnel assist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They might not deliver the click now, but they prime users for later recognition.<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t go too far.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I see some SEOs are making the move to attribute other channel traffic to their efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It makes sense, since visibility one day can lead to a variety of different channel traffic on another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After all, commercials and billboards work for a reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Be skeptical of claims that AI Overview visibility drives large spikes in direct traffic.<\/p>\n<p>While it would be lovely to claim credit for direct as an SEO, it seems odd to expect that organic users are really typing in specific URLs without a referral link or Google search.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That said, I do think it\u2019s reasonable to assume AI Overviews drive some gains to branded organic traffic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Increasingly, parsing out branded and non-branded traffic \u2013 a long-standing best practice for reporting \u2013 may not be painting as clear a picture as it used to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In other words, we need to think hard about what our domain\u2019s user journeys really look like. We also need to present them to decision-makers in a way that makes sense, not just looks good for SEOs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-track-ctr-realistically\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Track_CTR_realistically\"><\/span>4. Track CTR realistically<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We have to stop benchmarking against outdated CTR expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For years, I\u2019ve seen numbers as high as 40% expected CTR for a Position 1 overall ranking, and this really isn\u2019t based on anything accurate anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Run a search, and you\u2019ll find a number of these inflated estimates on SERPs (and now, AI Overviews!).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time we just throw these numbers out the window. Back up these estimates with real data.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Educate stakeholders, so they don\u2019t chase the wrong KPIs \u2013 and expect them from you.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: Want to beat AI Overviews? Produce unmistakably human content<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"visibility-isnt-a-click-but-it-is-valuable\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Visibility_isnt_a_click_but_it_is_valuable\"><\/span>Visibility isn\u2019t a click, but it is valuable<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>AI Overviews are flashy and feel like a win, but they\u2019re visibility \u2013 not a traffic engine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Measuring them as such misleads stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p>For SEOs and digital marketers, the right playbook is clear:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep authority building through links, technical health, content depth, and other traditional SEO best practices.<\/li>\n<li>Chase and defend top blue link positions. They\u2019re moving the needle most.<\/li>\n<li>Treat AI Overview citations as upper-funnel brand moments, not the centerpiece of reporting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words: don\u2019t mistake this new gold star sticker for revenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Celebrate the visibility, but keep KPIs anchored where the most clicks \u2013 and business impact \u2013 actually come from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/ai-overview-citations-clicks-what-to-do-462389\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Data from 20,000+ queries shows AI Overviews match Position 6 results \u2013 offering high visibility, but far fewer clicks than blue links. Visibility in Google\u2019s AI Overviews doesn\u2019t equal traffic.\u00a0 In my research from the first half of this year, AI Overview citations consistently underperformed \u2013 even compared to traditional blue links near the bottom&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":691875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/09\/ChatGPT-Image-AI-Overview-citations.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-691874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}