Key takeaways
- Two different features: AI Overviews is a summary at the top of normal results; AI Mode is a separate, chat-style search for longer questions. Both link to the pages they draw on.
- They're now common: in one 2026 study of about 500,000 buying-intent searches, AI Overviews appeared on 87%, up from 57% a year earlier.
- Fewer clicks, not zero: Ahrefs found the top result earns 58% fewer clicks when an AI Overview appears. Google says the clicks that remain are higher quality.
- Measure it yourself: AI Overview and AI Mode clicks are inside your normal Search Console data, and Google has begun rolling out separate AI reports to some sites.
If your search traffic has slipped while your rankings look fine, Google's AI features are the first place to look. You can hold position one and still lose clicks, because an AI-written answer now often sits above you.
That raises practical questions. What exactly are AI Overviews and AI Mode? How often do they show up for searches in your market? How much traffic do they take, and can you see it in your own reports? Guess wrong and you may cut content that's still working, or blame your agency for a change neither of you controls.
This guide explains both features in plain terms and what the latest data says about clicks. Then it covers how to measure the effect on your own site, and what you can and can't control. It's based on Google's documentation and recent studies from Ahrefs and Peec AI.
What AI Overviews and AI Mode are
Both are Google features that write an answer with AI and link to the pages it drew on. They differ in where they appear and how people use them.
| AI Overviews | AI Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it appears | At the top of normal Google results | A separate search mode you choose to open |
| When it shows | Only when Google decides it adds to normal results | Whenever someone uses AI Mode |
| Best for | Getting "the gist" of a topic quickly | Longer questions, comparisons and follow-ups |
| Links to your site | Cited pages shown with the summary | Supporting links within a longer answer |
The descriptions are based on Google's documentation on AI features. Google also says the two "may use different models and techniques", so being cited in one doesn't guarantee a place in the other.
Both use what Google calls query fan-out. Instead of running one search, they run several related ones across subtopics, then build an answer from the results. That's why a page can be cited for a question it doesn't exactly target, as long as it answers part of it well.
How often they appear
Often, and more each year, especially for searches made before a purchase. In a May 2026 study, the AI search tracking company Peec AI checked about 500,000 searches in April 2026. AI Overviews appeared on 87% of them, up from 57% a year earlier.
Two details matter for reading that number:
- The sample leans commercial: it's weighted towards category research, comparisons and buying decisions, and leaves out searches for a brand name alone. Across all searches, the share is likely lower.
- Longer searches trigger them more: AI Overviews appeared on 65% of two-word searches but 89% of searches with 11 to 15 words.
AI Mode is smaller but no longer niche. At its I/O conference in May 2026, Google said AI Mode had passed a billion monthly users.
What happens to your clicks
Pages ranking under an AI Overview tend to get fewer clicks. Ahrefs compared 300,000 keywords using Google Search Console data. For keywords with an AI Overview, the top result's click-through rate in December 2025 was 58% lower than Ahrefs would have expected without one. We break those numbers down in AEO vs SEO.
Google sees it differently. It says that when people click from results pages with AI Overviews, "these clicks are higher quality", meaning visitors spend more time on the site. Both can be true: fewer visits, but from people who already have the basics and want more.
What this means for your reporting:
- Expect informational pages to lose the most: definitions and simple how-tos are exactly what an AI answer can summarise.
- Judge pages on leads, not visits: a guide that gets fewer clicks but the same number of enquiries hasn't got worse.
- Watch impressions alongside clicks: rising impressions with falling clicks usually means you're still being shown, just clicked less.
How to see the effect on your site
Start in Google Search Console. Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode are already in the Performance report, under the Web search type. But they're mixed in with normal results there.
- Compare clicks and impressions by page: look for pages where impressions held steady or grew while clicks fell over the past year. Those are the likeliest to be sitting under an AI answer.
- Search your own top queries: run the main search behind each of those pages in a private window. Note whether an AI Overview appears, and whether you're cited in it.
- Check for the new AI reports: in June 2026 Google began rolling out Search Generative AI performance reports to some sites. They show impressions in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover by page, country and device.
- Track it monthly: AI answers change from day to day, so one check proves little. Our AI visibility audit explains how to measure it properly.
What you can and can't control
You can't switch AI Overviews off for your site without also hurting your normal listings. The controls Google offers are blunt.
| Control | What it does | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet | Limit what Google can show from your page | Also limits your snippet in normal results |
| noindex | Removes the page from Google Search | Removes it from normal results too |
| Blocking Google-Extended | Limits use of your content for training Gemini models | Doesn't affect Google Search, so it won't remove you from AI Overviews |
Google says Google-Extended "does not impact a site's inclusion in Google Search". That surprises many site owners who block it expecting to opt out of AI answers.
For most businesses, the better move is to be the page the AI cites. Start by making sure the page is indexed and eligible for a snippet. Then give it something an AI summary can't replace, such as prices, tools, original data or first-hand experience. Our guide to getting your brand cited in AI answers covers each step, and it's the core of our AEO service.
FAQs
What is the difference between AI Overviews and AI Mode?
AI Overviews is a short AI-written summary that appears at the top of normal Google results when Google thinks it adds something. AI Mode is a separate, chat-style search you choose to open, built for longer questions, comparisons and follow-ups. Both write answers with links to the pages they draw on, and Google says they may use different models and techniques.
Do AI Overviews reduce website traffic?
Often, yes, for the pages that rank below them. Ahrefs found the top-ranking page earned 58% fewer clicks on keywords with an AI Overview, comparing December 2025 with what it would have expected without one. Google says the clicks that do happen are higher quality, with people spending longer on the site. The effect varies by query, so check your own Search Console data rather than assuming.
Can I stop my site from appearing in AI Overviews?
Only with blunt tools. Google's nosnippet, data-nosnippet and max-snippet controls limit what can be shown from your pages, but they also limit your normal search snippets. A noindex tag removes the page from Google Search entirely. Blocking Google-Extended in robots.txt doesn't remove you, because Google says it doesn't affect inclusion in Google Search.
How do I see AI Overviews traffic in Google Search Console?
Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode are already counted in the Performance report, under the Web search type, but they aren't shown separately there. Since June 2026, Google has been rolling out Search Generative AI performance reports to some sites. These show impressions in AI features by page, country and device. Check your Search Console account to see if you have access.
Is an AI Overview the same as ChatGPT?
No. AI Overviews are part of Google Search and draw on Google's own search index, so a page has to be indexed and eligible for a snippet to be linked. ChatGPT is a separate assistant made by OpenAI. When it searches the web it uses its own crawler, OAI-SearchBot, and other search partners. Being visible in one doesn't guarantee you're visible in the other.
Guy founded Wincon Marketing in Bangkok after nearly ten years in SEO, content and paid media, both agency-side and in-house. He moved early into AEO as AI assistants started answering buyers' questions, and now helps brands get found on Google and in AI answers.
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