From 18% to 54%: How AI Overviews Took Over SEO in 2024 and What to Expect in 2025

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Hello, community! Now that 2024 is finally coming to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the SEO transformations we’ve seen this year. The SE Ranking team created a detailed report based on five in-depth studies analyzing AI Overviews from different perspectives.

This short summary from our final research looks at the current state of AIO, compares it to our earlier findings, and reflects on what these changes could mean for SEO and the industry in 2025. Let’s dive right into it!

Key Takeaways

We studied AIOs in the US throughout the year, focusing on their frequency in search results, the types of keywords that triggered them, the niches they appeared in, and more. After observing all kinds of fluctuations, we are ready to share what we’ve found:

• The presence of AI Overview in US SERPs exceeded the peak recorded in early 2024 under the Search Labs experiment, reaching an 18.76% occurrence rate in November 2024.
• The Relationships niche triggered AI Overviews the most in 2024, reaching a 54.84% trigger rate in November. It was followed by Business (38.84%), Food and Beverage (37.14%), and Technology (33.67%).
• Sensitive YMYL topics like Legal (28.32%), Healthcare (17.09%), and Finance (10.08%) gained traction in AI Overviews, starting from August 2024.
• Long-tail keywords consistently triggered AI Overviews, with queries of 4+ words resulting in AIOs 60.85% of the time in November.
• Keywords with search volumes between 0 and 50 and low CPC values (below $0.50) continue to trigger AI Overviews.
• The average number of links in AI Overviews is 6.82, while Career and Jobs (7.43 links), Fashion and Beauty (7.38 links), and Relationships (7.29 links) lead in average number of sources featured.
• AI Overviews often link to pages and domains from the organic top 10 (in 92.36%).
• In 61.90% of cases, AI Overviews source pages that rank in the organic top 100; in 63.19% of those cases the match occurs with the top 10 organic pages.
• AI Overviews and featured snippets appear together in US SERPs 30.80% of the time. Link matches between individual featured snippets and one of the sources in AIOs occur 66.03% of the time.
• The number of cases where ads appeared alongside AI Overviews fluctuated throughout the year, with the latest study showing a decline to 8.77%.

This year, Google started expanding the geography of AIOs to 100+ countries, and we’ve noticed that AI Overviews in the UK are just as widespread as in the US. The UK has really started receiving updates, and we’ve been tracking the trends there:

• AI Overviews appear in UK SERPs 19.23% of the time, with AI-generated answers being quite long, at an average of 4,965 characters.
• The Relationships niche leads in the UK with 50.50% of queries resulting in AI-generated answers, followed by Business (37.48%), Food and Beverage (37.06%), and Technology (32.32%).
• 93.78% of the time, UK AI Overviews link to at least one domain from the top 10.
• In 64.94% of cases, links in UK AI Overviews lead to pages ranking in the top 100 in organic search, with most (64.32%) matching pages from the top 10 organic results.
• Featured snippets appear alongside AI Overviews in UK SERPs 39.39% of the time. Featured snippets link to the same sources as AIOs 60.39% of the time.
• Ads accompany AI Overviews in UK SERPs in 34.30% of searches.

For this analysis, we created projects for each niche within our platform and used its AI Overview tracking feature to capture AIOs in desktop searches.

What Should We Expect from AI in the SEO Industry in 2025?

Based on our team's research and community predictions, we can outline how the SEO and search industry will evolve in 2025:

Search will become more conversational

AI will continue to shift user behavior toward natural language queries. Instead of keyword-driven searches, users will rely on conversational prompts, expecting AI systems to understand and respond contextually. Users will ask complex, multi-layered questions as if speaking with an intelligent assistant. 

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More traffic from alternative AI search engines and diversified optimization

2025 is likely to see an increase in traffic from other search engines like Perplexity, SearchGPT, and more (many have yet to emerge). This shift will require broader optimization strategies that consider these platforms’ unique algorithms and features. 

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Greater emphasis on experience and additional value for users

User experience will extend beyond technical aspects like site speed and mobile friendliness. The focus will shift to delivering positive, user-centered experiences. With AI delivering quick answers, you’ll need to find a way to streamline how visitors find information on your website. Moreover, you’ll need to offer unique value that AI can’t replicate. 

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Zero-click searches will impact organic traffic and conversions

AI Overviews and other GenAI-powered features are reducing the need for users to click on individual links to find answers. This is good for user experience but not for brands, as it can lessen their share of organic traffic. With a growing number of zero-clock searches, brands will have to use different approaches to become more visible in search. They will even need to consider additional traffic channels beyond traditional SEO. 

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Topical authority will become the new gold standard for content strategies

Search engines will increasingly prioritize websites and content creators who show a deep understanding of their subject area. This means going beyond traditional keyword optimization and creating interconnected, in-depth resources that explore topics from multiple angles.

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Optimizing for user intent will be more important

User intent optimization means truly understanding the motivations, context, and potential follow-up questions behind a search query. It involves mapping user journeys, anticipating informational needs at different stages, and creating content that addresses multiple levels of inquiry.

Based on all our research, one thing is clear: the best strategy is to keep tracking AI Overviews to understand their impact on your site and identify areas for improvement. A more detailed analysis of AI Overviews in 2024 can be found in our latest study, "The State of AI Overviews in 2024: Research Insights and Future Forecasts."