May 13, 2025
AI Overviews have arrived in the Netherlands. With this, Google is turning the playing field upside down: answers appear directly above the search results, causing users to click through to websites less often. This development fundamentally changes the way people search and how we, as SEO professionals and marketers, respond to it.
What are AI Overviews?
AI Overviews are summaries generated by Google's AI (Gemini) that appear at the top of the search results page (SERP). They provide direct answers to the user's question, without the need to click through to a website. The AI pulls information from multiple sources and displays it in an 'overview box,' including references to websites.
The feature has been available in the US for some time and was spotted in the Netherlands last week. Currently, it seems to be a smaller group of users, although the expectation is that it will be accessible to all Google users in the (near) future. For now, mainly with informational searches, but the expectation is that this will expand further. As a result, the traditional '10 blue links' are pushed even further down.
What is the impact on organic traffic?
AI Overviews are new in the Netherlands, but we have seen them for longer in countries like the US. Based on that data, we can paint a fairly clear picture of what awaits us.
Significant decrease in CTR
The first analyses leave little to the imagination: websites that normally benefit from high positions see their click-through rates (CTR) drop significantly as soon as an AI Overview appears.
- According to Ahrefs, the CTR for the #1 organic result drops by an average of 34.5%.
- When AI Overviews and Featured Snippets are shown together, this increases to over 37%.
The reason is clear: users get their answers directly in the search results and feel less need to click further. What Google presents as user-friendly—faster answers, fewer clicks—simply means less traffic for websites.
Informational searches hit hardest
The impact varies greatly per search intent:
- Informational searches are hit the hardest. According to Ahrefs, 99.2% of the queries where an AI Overview appears have an informational intent. Blogs, guides, and how-to's will therefore see a significant decrease in traffic.
- Branded searches seem less sensitive. In some cases, the CTR even increases slightly (+18.7% according to Amsive), probably because the AI Overview confirms that the user is on the right path.
- Commercial searches remain relatively unaffected for now. AI Overviews appear less frequently here, and users often still want to see prices, reviews, or product information for these types of searches. But here too, it is only a matter of time before. AI Overviews establish themselves more firmly in the commercial search results.
What does this mean for SEO?
The way users interact with search results is changing. Where previously websites were the standard place where answers were found, AI Overviews are becoming the end point of the search query. Websites are only visited if additional detail or verification is needed.
Rankings are no longer enough
A high position under an AI Overview is no longer a guarantee of traffic. Even a #1 position can yield few clicks, especially for informational queries. Rankings remain important for visibility, but their direct value as a traffic driver is decreasing significantly.
Clicks are becoming scarcer and more valuable
At the same time, the clicks that Google still 'distributes' are becoming more valuable. Because more and more searches end without a click (zero-click searches), the visitors who do click through are more often users with a clear purchase intention or brand association. This makes it even more important to be present where it counts and to ensure that your website offers the best, most compelling answer.
Visibility within AI Overviews is becoming essential but is difficult to measure
An additional challenge is that Search Console does not yet offer insight into impressions or clicks from AI Overviews. It, therefore, remains guesswork where you are visible or not, and where opportunities lie. This makes it necessary to adjust your strategy: less focus on rankings alone, more focus on visibility within AI Overviews and getting the most out of the traffic that does come to your site.
Opportunities and actions for marketers
AI Overviews are fundamentally changing the search landscape, but that doesn't mean all is lost. On the contrary, organizations that adapt quickly can actually benefit. It's not just about limiting damage, but also about cleverly responding to the new opportunities that AI-driven search results offer. Here are a number of strategic actions and opportunities to respond to directly:
1. Visibility within AI Overviews: new opportunities for brands
Although AI Overviews keep traffic away from websites, websites are still mentioned as a source. This may not directly result in clicks, but it does increase visibility, authority, and brand recognition among your target audience. Some optimization opportunities include:
- Optimizing content so that it is clear, to-the-point, and directly answers questions.
- Adding FAQ sections or blocks with concrete answers within pages.
- Using structured data so that Google can more easily understand and select your content.
- Building domain authority within your niche so that AI systems are more likely to include you as a reliable source.
2. Broaden brand visibility and authority
AI Overviews reinforce the importance of brand visibility. Not only on commercial search terms, but also in the orientation phase. Organizations must ensure that they are top-of-mind in their market, even outside of Google. This requires:
- Qualitative content on your own website, but also via blogs, videos, podcasts, and white papers.
- Presence on channels where your target audience is active—from social media to niche forums.
- Consistent brand messaging and content that invites interaction and exudes authority.
Visibility in AI Overviews and other LLMs is not a separate SEO project, but requires integrated collaboration between SEO, content marketing, (Digital) PR, and branding. Brands that are already tackling this smartly are building a head start in a landscape that is still very much in motion.
3. Create better insight into the effect of AI in GA4
AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Gemini (on which AI Overviews are based) are increasingly directing visitors to websites. In GA4, these now appear as 'referral,' while in many cases they are the result of SEO efforts.
It is important to properly monitor this traffic, link it to SEO efforts, and thus take ownership of it. By gaining this insight, you get more insight into what works and what doesn't.
4. Gain control over your visibility in LLMs and AI-driven environments
Because Search Console does not yet provide insights into impressions or clicks via AI Overviews, it remains difficult to gain control over your visibility.
Tools such as an LLM Tracker which Seeders is currently experimenting with help to determine how and where your brand and content appear in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other LLMs. These kinds of insights are crucial to continue to optimize for these new search environments.
Conclusion: you snooze, you lose
AI Overviews are not a test or temporary experiment. They are permanently changing how users search and how websites attract traffic. Organizations that continue to adhere to traditional SEO strategies will inevitably face declining visitor numbers and fewer conversions.
But this change also offers opportunities. Anyone who wants to get the most out of AI Overviews now has plenty of opportunities to respond smartly. Not only can you limit the negative effects on traffic, but you can also use AI Overviews as an additional channel to make your brand visible, build authority, and attract more valuable traffic. This does require a fresh look at your SEO and content strategy—not to prevent loss, but to profit from the new rules of the game within AI-driven search results.
The SEO landscape is changing rapidly. AI Overviews are becoming the new playing field in it. Seeders closely monitors these developments and helps organizations adapt their strategy accordingly. So that you not only remain visible—but also seize new opportunities and continue to win.
Senior SEO specialist
Guido is a Senior SEO Specialist at Seeders and the Lead of the AI Knowledge Center. He focuses on what’s next in search: how brands stay visible as AI Overviews, SERP features, and LLM-driven answers change the way people discover and choose.
In that role, Guido helps shape how Seeders translates new developments into practical, future-ready SEO approaches. He’s known for connecting strategy and innovation and for bringing clarity to complex topics, both internally and in client-facing conversations. The result is a forward-looking perspective on search visibility, authority, and decision-making in an increasingly AI-influenced landscape.
