Google's AI Overviews (AIOs) appear on 20.5% of all keywords analyzed.

Written By kirby blandino

Summary

The research analyzed 146 million search results and 86 keyword characteristics to determine the conditions under which AIOs appear:

  • Query Type and Length are Key: AIOs are triggered much more frequently by complex informational searches, especially those phrased as questions (57.9% of the time). Queries with seven or more words trigger AIOs at a rate of 46.4%, compared to only 9.5% for single-word queries.

  • Informational Content is Most Exposed: Informational queries account for 99.9% of all AIO appearances, placing content publishers who focus on educational guides and how-to articles at the highest risk of traffic loss.

  • Industry Variance: Certain categories have a much higher AIO exposure rate:

    • High Exposure: Science (43.6%), Health (43.0%), and Pets & Animals (36.8%).

    • Low Exposure: Shopping (3.2%), Real Estate (5.8%), News (15.1%), and Local searches (7.9%).

  • YMYL Discrepancies: Queries related to Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics, such as Medical (44.1%) and Safety (31.0%), show unexpectedly high AIO trigger rates despite Google's emphasis on expert content for these sensitive topics.

  • Low Commercial and Timely Impact: AIOs rarely appear for highly commercial (4.3%) or transactional (2.1%) queries. They are also deliberately limited for time-sensitive news and local searches, where accuracy and freshness are critical.

This data underscores the need for publishers and small business to adjust their content strategies by reviewing their keyword portfolios and focusing on areas less prone to AIOs or doubling down on authority to become the source cited by the AI.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-ai-overviews-appear-on-21-of-searches-new-data/560471/

kirby blandino
Previous

Google's new AI tool touts creating optimized content in a scalable way
Next

For B2B marketers, authority — not traffic — defines growth in the age of AI.