AI Overviews reduce clicks to the top result by 34.5% (Ahrefs)
Verified Confidence: medium
Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.
- Commonly cited as
- "AI Overviews cut CTR by a third"
- True origin
- Ahrefs — AI Overviews Reduce Clicks by 34.5% (Apr. 17, 2025)
- Type
- Stat check: A widely repeated statistic traced back to its origin.
- Year
- 2025
- Data as of
- Analysis published April 2025
- Last checked
- What the source says
We analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that the presence of an AI Overview in the search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate (CTR) for the top-ranking page, compared to similar informational keywords without an AI Overview.
- Method & sample
- Ahrefs analysis of 300,000 informational keywords, comparing top-result CTR with and without an AI Overview.
- Drift between quote and source
- Causality: a correlation for the top-ranking page on informational keywords, not all clicks or all queries
- Interest
- Ahrefs sells SEO software.
Safe rephrasing
Ahrefs' April 2025 analysis of 300,000 informational keywords found top-ranking pages had a 34.5% lower average CTR when an AI Overview appeared.
Sources we opened
Machine-readable: /api/claims/ai-overviews-reduce-clicks-34-5-percent.json · Last checked 2026-10-16