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Google AI CTR Rebound: Promising 85% Increase in Two Months

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Written by

shivamcrushpressai

in

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I’ve been following the shift in Google’s AI Overviews, and it’s exciting to see the organic click-through rate on these searches finally on the rise. After a year-long slump, the CTR is showing promising signs of recovery. But could this mean the end of click losses?

Back in December 2025, the CTR had hit a low of 1.3%, but by February 2026, it had climbed to 2.4%. That’s an impressive 85% jump in just two months, according to the latest data from Seer Interactive.

Understanding CTR Movement. When AI Overviews are part of a search, pages that are cited see a significant increase in clicks compared to pages that aren’t cited, yet they still garner fewer clicks than searches without any AI Overviews.

Here’s a breakdown of the CTR percentages:

  • No AI Overview: ~3.3% CTR
  • AI Overview with citation: ~2.1% CTR
  • AI Overview without citation: ~0.9% CTR

Where are the clicks going?. Interestingly, searches that don’t include AI Overviews are seeing an increase in value. Their CTR rose from 2.8% at the start of 2025 to 3.8% by February 2026.

  • One factor: AI Overviews are handling quick answers, leaving users with more complex questions to search deeper.

AI Overviews Depend on Query Intent. The presence of AI Overviews varies greatly depending on the type of query:

```json { "alt": "Chart displaying CTR trends for organic and paid AIO shown and not shown from Jan 2025 to Feb 2026.", "caption": "Explore 14 months of CTR trends comparing organic and paid results in scenarios with and without AIO shown, revealing key insights into audience engagement shifts.", "description": "This table visualizes 14 months of CTR trends from January 2025 to February 2026. It includes metrics for organic and paid CTR with scenarios of AIO shown and not shown. The data is categorized by month, displaying variations in organic and paid click-through rates over time. This study by Seer Interactive offers insights into digital marketing performance analytics. Keywords: CTR, AIO, Seer Interactive, digital marketing trends." } ```
  • Informational: ~36% feature AIOs
  • Transactional: ~5%
  • Comparison: ~95%
  • Question: ~86%

A nuanced perspective. It’s important to note that a lower CTR doesn’t always equate to poor results. In instances where clicks remained stable but impressions grew, brands may have appeared more frequently in AI Overviews even as CTR percentages dropped.

The stability of paid search. I noticed that when Google presents an AI Overview, the paid CTR increases slightly from 14.6% to 16.2%. Without AI Overviews, the CTR drops from 26% to 21.8%.

Why this matters. Google’s AI Overviews are not just reducing overall clicks; they’re shifting them. This means you need to aim for your site being cited in AI Overviews and focus on queries where users are more likely to click.

About the Research. Seer analyzed data from 53 brands, 5.47 million queries, and 2.43 billion impressions between January 2025 and February 2026.

See the full report here: AIO Impact on Google CTR: 2026 Update

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

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FAQs

What is the CTR rebound in Google AI Overviews?

CTR rose to 2.4% in February 2026 after starting at 1.3% in December 2025, an 85% increase over two months, per Seer Interactive. The study shows how AI Overviews influence clicks depending on query intent.

How do AI Overviews affect clicks when they are cited vs not cited?

Pages cited in AI Overviews see more clicks than pages not cited, but overall clicks remain lower than searches without AI Overviews. This indicates AI Overviews shift traffic rather than create more total clicks.

What are the CTR ranges for No AI Overview, AI Overview with citation, and AI Overview without citation?

CTR ranges by scenario: No AI Overview is about 3.3%. AI Overview with a citation is about 2.1%, and AI Overview without a citation is about 0.9%.

How did paid search CTR change with AI Overviews?

With AI Overviews, paid CTR rose from 14.6% to 16.2%. Without AI Overviews, paid CTR fell from 26% to 21.8%.

Who conducted the research and what data were used?

Seer Interactive analyzed data from 53 brands, 5.47 million queries, and 2.43 billion impressions between January 2025 and February 2026. The article notes these figures as the basis for the CTR findings.

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