Google quickly expanded its AI overview in search to 2025, then pulled back as it moved into commercial and navigational queries. These findings are based on Semrush’s new analysis of more than 10 million keywords from January to November.
AI Overviews expanded, then retreated. Google did not release the AI Overview in a straight line in 2025. The mid-year spike opened up for a reversal, suggesting that Google moved quickly to test the feature, then released it based on user data:
- January: 6.5% of queries resulted in AI Overview
- July: AI visibility peaked, appearing in just under 25% of queries.
- November: Coverage dropped back to less than 16 percent of inquiries.
The behavior of clicking the egg is the opposite of what you expected. Surprisingly, click rates on keywords with AI Overviews have slightly increased since January. AI overview does not automatically reduce clicks and may encourage you.
- AI overviews are still appearing frequently in searches that are already often click-free.
- But when Semrush compared the same keywords before and after the introduction of AI Overview, the zero click rates dropped from 33.75% to 31.53%.
Knowledge questions are no longer powerful. The early AI overview of 2025 was almost entirely informative:
- January: 91% information
- October: 57% information
Now, the AI Overview appears with trade and procurement questions:
- Trade inquiries: Increased from 8% to 18%
- Commercial inquiries: Increased from 2% to 14%
Navigation queries are increasing rapidly. In an unexpected twist, AI abbreviations are increasingly disrupting product and destination searches:
- Navigational AI Overviews grew from less than 1% in January to more than 10% in November.
Google Ads + AI Overview. Earlier this year, ads rarely appeared alongside AI Overviews. They are now common:
- Ads with AI overviews increased from about 3% in January to about 40% in November.
- Ads show up in about 25% of AI Overview SERPs.
Science is a high-impact industry. By keyword saturation, Science leads the overall AI overview at 25.96%. Computers & Electronics followed at 17.92%, while People & Society was close behind at 17.29%.
- Since March, Food & Beverage has seen the fastest growth in AI Overview of any category.
- Meanwhile, Real Estate, Shopping, and Arts & Entertainment remain the least affected, with AI Overview appearing in less than 3% of keywords.
Why do we care. AI overview is unparalleled and constantly reshaping click behavior, ad visibility, and ad placement. Volatility is likely to continue, so keep a close eye on performance shifts combined with AI overviews.
Report. Semrush AI Overviews Study: What 2025 SEO Data Tells Us About Google’s Search Shift
Celebrate deeply. In May, I reported on the first version of Semrush’s research in Google AI Overview now appearing in 13% of searches: Study.
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