Google AI Overviews and Your Website Traffic: What Long Island Businesses Should Know
Quick answer: Google AI Overviews answer many questions directly on the results page, so fewer people click through to websites. Studies from Ahrefs, Seer Interactive, and Pew show significant drops in clicks when an Overview appears. Businesses respond by getting cited inside the Overview, focusing on high intent searches, and measuring leads rather than raw traffic.
If your website traffic has softened while your Google rankings look fine, AI Overviews are a likely reason. Here is what the research shows and what to do about it.
The click data
- Ahrefs compared 300,000 keywords and found the number one result received about 58% fewer clicks than expected when an AI Overview appeared.
- Seer Interactive tracked 42 client accounts and found organic click-through rate on informational queries with AI Overviews fell 61% between mid 2024 and late 2025, and paid click-through fell 68%.
- Pew Research Center found users clicked a standard result on 8% of visits with an AI summary versus 15% without one, and clicked links inside the summary only about 1% of the time.
Which searches are most affected
Semrush found that roughly 80% of desktop keywords triggering AI Overviews were informational, such as how, what, and why questions, while transactional keywords made up under 3%. In plain terms: educational blog traffic is under the most pressure, while searches like marketing agency near me or emergency plumber Hempstead are still more likely to send clicks to businesses.
Being cited is the new ranking
The same Seer study found brands cited inside an AI Overview earned about 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks than brands that were not cited. Seer is careful to call that a correlation, but it matches what we see: when the answer names you, the click that does happen is more likely to be yours. That is the goal of generative engine optimization.
How to respond
- Measure leads, not just sessions. Track calls, forms, and booked meetings by source so a traffic dip does not hide steady or growing business.
- Lead every page with the answer. Clear, factual openings are what Overviews quote.
- Invest in bottom of funnel pages. Service, location, pricing, and comparison pages match the transactional searches Overviews affect least.
- Build your reputation off site. Mentions, reviews, and directory listings feed both Google's AI and other assistants.
- Use Search Console. Google now reports performance from its AI features, so you can see what is changing.
What this means for Long Island and Queens companies
Local service businesses are relatively protected because their best searches have clear intent. B2B firms and professional services that relied on educational content for leads feel the change most. For them, the playbook shifts toward AI visibility, thought leadership that earns mentions, and direct channels like email and LinkedIn that do not depend on Google clicks.
The takeaway: AI Overviews take clicks from informational searches. Get cited in them, double down on high intent pages, and judge marketing by leads rather than traffic alone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I opt my site out of AI Overviews?
Site owners can limit snippets, but doing so can also reduce how your pages appear in regular results. For most businesses, the better strategy is to be cited, not to hide.
Are AI Overviews on every search?
No. Pew found an AI summary on 18% of real Google searches in its 2025 study, while other studies focused on business questions find them far more often. It depends heavily on the type of query.
Do AI Overviews affect Google Ads too?
Yes. Seer Interactive found paid click-through on informational queries with AI Overviews fell sharply, which makes tight targeting and strong landing pages even more important.
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