Do AI Overviews Reduce Clicks? What Indian Websites Can Do

By Neha·Published October 24, 2026

Yes, on the evidence so far, AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites for many searches. Pew Research found people clicked a normal result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% without one, and Ahrefs found much lower click rates for top pages on searches with an AI Overview. Google disputes the scale and says total clicks are stable and better quality. Either way, "how" and "what" pages are the most exposed, and pages people visit to call, book or buy matter more than ever.

This guide separates what is measured, what Google says and what is still unknown, then gives Indian site owners and agencies a practical plan.

Short answer: An AI Overview is the AI-written summary Google shows above some results. Independent studies find fewer clicks to websites when one appears. Google says overall clicks from Search are roughly stable. You cannot switch AI Overviews off for your searches, but you can find out which of your pages are affected and make the clicks you still get count.

What does the research say about AI Overviews and clicks?

Every independent study we could verify found fewer clicks when an AI Overview appears; they differ on how many.

Two cautions. First, the evidence is mostly from the US: Pew studied US adults only, and Ahrefs compared periods before and after the US rollout, looking at informational searches. Second, Ahrefs describes its result as a correlation, not proof that AI Overviews alone caused the drop. Still, the direction is consistent: when Google answers the question on the results page, fewer people click through.

What does Google say?

Google says total clicks from Search are roughly stable and that clicks from AI features are higher quality.

In an August 2025 post, Liz Reid, Google's head of Search, wrote that total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has been relatively stable year over year, and that average click quality has increased. Google defines a quality click as one where the person does not quickly come back to the results.

Google's guidance on AI features for site owners adds three useful facts:

1. There are no special requirements to appear in AI Overviews. A page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet.
2. Traffic from AI features is counted in Search Console's Performance report under the normal Web search type. Google does not describe a separate AI Overviews filter.
3. Google says it has seen that clicks from these pages are higher quality, with people more likely to spend more time on the site, and suggests measuring conversions in tools such as Google Analytics.

Google's figures cover the whole web, and outsiders cannot check them. Stable totals can still hide big losses for some sites and gains for others. Your own Search Console data is what tells you which group you are in.

Does this affect websites in India?

Yes, AI Overviews run in India, in English and Hindi, but we found no India-specific study of AI Overviews clicks that we could verify.

Google brought AI Overviews to India in August 2024, in English and Hindi, with a toggle between the two languages. So the same pattern is likely to apply to Indian searches, but we cannot tell you its size. Treat any India-specific percentage you see online with care unless it links to its method.

What we can say from the Ahrefs study is which searches are exposed: it found that 99.2% of keywords that trigger AI Overviews are informational, meaning the searcher wants to know something rather than buy or visit. For an Indian business that means guide-style pages ("how to choose a water purifier", "what is a root canal") are more exposed than service pages people use to call, book or get directions. That last part is our reasoning from the study, not a measured result for Indian local searches.

How to check if AI Overviews are costing you clicks

Look for searches where Google still shows your page as often, but fewer people click.

1. Open Search Console's Performance report and compare the last three months with the same three months a year earlier, so festival seasons line up.
2. Sort pages by lost clicks. For each page, compare impressions (how often Google showed it) with clicks.
3. Read the pattern. Impressions steady or rising while clicks and click rate fall suggests the answer is being given on the results page. Impressions falling along with clicks points to a ranking drop or less demand instead.
4. Look at the searches behind each page. Question searches ("how", "what", "why", "best") are the likely AI Overview ones.
5. Search a few of them yourself and see whether an AI Overview appears and whether your site is linked in it.

Upgrowly's free Search Console Insights does steps 2 and 3 from your own data, once you sign in and connect Search Console. Its "Seen but not clicked" report lists page-1 pages clicked much less often than your other pages at similar positions, and "Losing ground" lists pages with clearly fewer clicks than the period before. The Search Console rankings tool shows the searches behind each page. Neither can label a search as having an AI Overview, because Search Console does not provide that.

What Indian websites can do about lost clicks

You cannot remove AI Overviews, but you can make sure the visits that matter still reach you.

1. Give people a reason to click. A summary can explain what a root canal is; it cannot show your fee, your next free slot, your clinic photos or a WhatsApp button. Put prices or price ranges, areas served, timings and a clear next step near the top of service pages.
2. Shift effort to pages that bring enquiries. If a guide page loses clicks but never brought enquiries, do not panic about it. Protect and improve the service, product and location pages.
3. Strengthen your Google Business Profile. Customers can call or ask for directions straight from the profile without visiting the website. Google's performance report counts calls, website clicks and direction requests, so track those alongside website clicks. The free Google listing scorecard shows what to complete.
4. Be easy to cite. Answer the main question in the first two sentences, use the questions customers ask as headings, and make sure nothing blocks Google from showing a snippet. The indexability checker flags noindex, nosnippet and max-snippet settings. Our guide to AI Overviews eligibility explains each one.
5. Do not block Google in a panic. Google's documentation lists nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex as the controls for what it shows. They also shrink or remove your normal search snippet, so blocking AI use usually costs you ordinary clicks too.
6. Measure enquiries, not just clicks. Set up Google Analytics so form fills, calls and WhatsApp taps are counted. If clicks fall but enquiries hold, the remaining visitors are the ones who wanted you.
7. Spread your bets. Do not rely on Google alone: our Bing Webmaster Tools guide covers getting your site into Bing. And check whether AI assistants mention you at all with our routine for checking your brand in AI answers.

How agencies should explain this to clients

Tell clients early, show them their own numbers, and move the report from clicks to enquiries.

For example, a client who sees clicks fall by a fifth with no explanation assumes you stopped working. A client who was told in advance, and sees the effect on two guide pages while calls from the Google profile went up, stays. In the monthly report:

• Separate guide pages from service pages, and show clicks for each group.
• Show impressions next to clicks, so the client sees the business is still being shown.
• Lead with calls, WhatsApp enquiries and form fills, from Analytics and the Business Profile.
• Say what is documented and what is your judgement.

Our guides on explaining SEO results to clients and SEO KPIs clients care about give wording and the numbers to agree on.

What is documented, what is observed, what is unknown

Frequently asked questions

Do AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites?

Independent studies say yes for many searches. Pew found people clicked a normal result in 8% of visits with an AI summary against 15% without, and Ahrefs found much lower click rates for top-ranking pages on searches with an AI Overview. Google says total clicks from Search are relatively stable.

Can I see AI Overviews clicks in Search Console?

Not separately. Google says traffic from AI features is included in the Performance report under the Web search type, and it does not describe a separate filter. Compare impressions and clicks over time for question-style searches to spot the effect.

Should I block Google from using my content in AI Overviews?

For most businesses, no. The controls Google offers, such as nosnippet and noindex, also affect your normal search listing, so you would likely lose more clicks than you save. Use them only for content you truly do not want quoted.

Are AI Overviews available in India and in Hindi?

Yes. Google brought AI Overviews to India in August 2024 in English and Hindi, with a toggle between the two languages.

Will my local business lose customers because of AI Overviews?

Possibly some website visits, mainly on guide-style pages. Searches where people want to call, visit or book still need a business, and some of those customers act straight from your Google Business Profile. Track calls and directions there as well as website clicks.