If you’ve felt AI Overviews creeping into more of your searches, you’re not imagining it. Independent tracking found the feature on roughly 13% of U.S. desktop queries in March 2025 and rising, especially for informational topics. Google itself says that when AI Overviews appear, people search more within Google—about a 10% increase in usage on those query types, echoed again around its Q2 remarks (coverage).

What changes most is click behavior. In Pew’s browsing study, people were less likely to click traditional results when an AI summary showed on the page. That shift is covered in their write-up and secondary analyses (Pew Research; ODSC summary). Windows Central captured the same mood from a user’s point of view (story).

None of this settles the debate about quality or fairness. Regulators and publishers in Europe are scrutinizing the feature’s impact on traffic and competition (The Guardian; Reuters). But if you publish on the web, the practical takeaway is simple: people are using AI Overviews, and they often get what they need without clicking through.

What to do, pragmatically

Start by assuming the AI panel is the new “above the fold.” If your page doesn’t state the answer clearly, cite primary info, and keep entities unambiguous, you’re easy to skip—even if you rank just below. The studies showing growth in AI Overview appearances skew toward informational queries, so these basics matter most there (Semrush study).

Next, measure what actually shows up for your topics. The sources cited in AI Overviews often don’t match the classic top ten, and the mix can change as Google ships updates. Treat it like a separate surface you need to understand, not a footnote to rankings.

A simple weekly loop

Pick a small set of queries that your readers actually use. Run them. Note when AI Overviews appear, which sources get named, and what those pages do that yours doesn’t. Tighten your pages: lead with the answer, show steps when relevant, reference primary data, and keep your schema tidy. Repeat next week and compare. If AI Overview coverage keeps expanding—as current data suggests—you’ll already be adapting while others argue about it.

If you want the Windows Central angle specifically, their piece is here: “Google is using AI Overviews in Search to nuke the web.”

If you maintain marketing pages or documentation, the small, consistent edits you ship now will matter more than any one-off “AIO optimization.” Treat this like product work: observe, iterate, measure.

Tooling: AEO-Tool · Chrome extension (link from aeotool.ai)