Google’s AI Overviews now appear on nearly 16% of all search queries, expanding rapidly beyond informational searches into commercial, transactional, and even navigational intent, according to a large-scale Semrush study of over 10 million keywords.
The data shows fluctuating growth, more ads alongside AI answers and a surprising decline in zero-click behavior, signaling a fundamental shift in how search visibility works in 2025.
That is the headline finding from Semrush AI Overviews Study “What 2025 SEO Data Tells Us About Google’s Search Shift”, authored by Jana Garanko and refreshed with newer data after its initial publication in March 2025.
Why Is This Semrush Study Significant for SEO in 2025?
When Google rolled out AI Overviews (AIOs), it marked the most disruptive search update since featured snippets.
Unlike snippets that quote a single source, AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple websites into a unified, AI-generated response placed above organic results.
Semrush’s latest analysis goes beyond surface-level observations. This combines 10M+ keywords, 200K+ zero-click datasets, and industry-level domain visibility.
The study answers a critical question many marketers have been asking quietly: Is Google becoming an answer engine instead of a search engine?
The data suggests the transition is already underway.
How Many Google Searches Now Trigger AI Overviews?
One of the clearest signals of Google’s direction is the sheer scale at which AI Overviews are appearing.
At the start of 2025, AI Overviews appeared for just 6.49% of tracked keywords. That number surged aggressively through mid-year, peaking at nearly 24.61% in July.
By November 2025, the share stabilized at 15.69%, indicating Google may be calibrating where AI answers are most appropriate.
This volatility tells a larger story. Google is testing, retracting, and redeploying AI Overviews dynamically, suggesting the feature is still evolving, not rolling out uniformly.
Are AI Overviews Still Mostly Informational?
Early fears around AI Overviews focused on informational content being cannibalized. That concern remains valid, but the data now shows something more consequential.
In January 2025, 91.3% of queries triggering AI Overviews were informational. By October, that figure dropped sharply to 57.1%.
In parallel, commercial, transactional, and navigational queries began triggering AI Overviews at unprecedented rates.
Commercial queries rose from 8.15% to 18.57%, transactional queries climbed from 1.98% to 13.94%, and navigational queries jumped from less than 1% to over 10% within the same year.
This signals a strategic shift. Google is no longer limiting AI Overviews to low-risk, top-of-funnel queries.
The feature is expanding into areas traditionally associated with conversions, brand searches, and revenue.
What Does the Rise of Navigational AI Overviews Mean for Brands?
Perhaps the most surprising finding in the study is the explosion of navigational queries triggering AI Overviews.
Navigational searches, often branded queries like “company login,” “product pricing,” or “tool comparison”, rose from 0.74% in January to 10.33% by October.
These queries historically delivered some of the highest click-through rates in SEO.
The implication is significant. If Google can summarize brand-related queries directly in the SERP, even branded traffic is no longer guaranteed to reach a website. This introduces a new risk: visibility without visits.
Are AI Overviews Actually Increasing Zero-Click Searches?
The assumption that AI Overviews automatically increase zero-click behavior is widespread. Semrush’s data complicates that narrative.
Yes, keywords with AI Overviews tend to have higher zero-click rates overall.
However, when Semrush analyzed the same keywords before and after AI Overviews appeared, the zero-click rate decreased from 33.75% to 31.53%.
Additionally, the overall zero-click rate for keywords with AI Overviews has steadily declined since January 2025.
This suggests AI Overviews are not necessarily creating zero-click behavior. Instead, they often appear on queries that were already unlikely to generate clicks.
As AI Overviews expand into transactional and navigational intent, user behavior becomes more nuanced.
How Are Ads and SERP Features Changing Around AI Overviews?
One of the most consequential shifts highlighted in the study is the rise of Google Ads alongside AI Overviews.
In March 2025, ads rarely appeared on AI Overview SERPs. By late 2025, 25% of AI Overview results included ads at the bottom of the page, up from less than 1%.
At the same time, traditional SERP features like featured snippets, image carousels, and organic reviews are appearing less frequently when AI Overviews are present. Instead, Related Searches and People Also Ask now appear on over 90% of AI Overview SERPs, while video carousels and discussion forums, often dominated by YouTube and Reddit, remain prominent.
This reinforces a key takeaway: AI Overviews are not replacing Google’s ecosystem. They are being layered on top of ads, forums, videos, and internal discovery features.
Which Industries Are Most Affected by AI Overviews?
As of November 2025, the highest AI Overview saturation was seen in:
- Science – 25.96% of keywords
- Computers & Electronics – 17.92%
- People & Society – 17.29%
These sectors rely heavily on factual, consensus-driven content—making them easier for AI to summarize confidently.
Which industries are lagging behind?
- Real Estate
- Shopping
- Arts & Entertainment
These categories rely on local intent, visuals, pricing, and real-time context, areas where AI summaries are less effective.
Why Is Food & Drink Seeing Rapid AI Overview Growth?
Food & Drink recorded the largest increase in AI Overviews since March 2025.
What’s driving this expansion? Recipes and cooking queries often have structured, repeatable formats, ingredients, steps, and outcomes.
It makes them ideal for summarization. However, this growth poses monetization challenges for food publishers that previously depended on organic clicks.
Why Is Google Cautious With News and Real-Time Content?
Despite aggressive expansion elsewhere, Google has been notably restrained in News and Sports queries.
These categories are dominated by real-time information, where accuracy, freshness, and context are critical.
The study suggests Google remains cautious about generating AI summaries for evolving stories, signaling that full AI coverage of breaking news may still be some distance away.
How Should Brands Track AI Overviews Moving Forward?
The study makes one thing clear: traditional rankings alone no longer define SEO success.
As AI Overviews become more prominent, brands must adopt AI SEO services, track mentions, citations, and presence within AI-generated answers, not just blue links.
Visibility is increasingly about being the source Google trusts enough to summarize.
Tools that monitor AI Overview visibility, brand mentions, and competitor presence are becoming essential, not optional.
Are We Entering a Post-Click Search Era?
AI Overviews represent more than another SERP feature. They signal a structural change in how Google delivers information.
Search is shifting from “ten blue links” to synthesized answers, layered with ads and internal discovery.
In this environment, SEO becomes less about chasing clicks and more about earning authority.
Brands that adapt early, by creating clear, trustworthy, consensus-driven content stand to benefit.
Those that rely solely on rankings may find themselves visible everywhere, yet clicked nowhere.
Dipti Arora
AuthorDipti Arora is a Senior Content Writer with over seven years of experience creating impactful content across Digital Marketing, SEO, technology, and business domains. She has a strong background in managing news verticals and delivering editorial excellence. Dipti has contributed to leading publications such as The Times of India and CEO News, where her research-driven storytelling and ability to simplify complex subjects have consistently stood out. She is passionate about crafting content that informs, engages, and drives meaningful results.