The news: Google’s AI Overviews feature gets users offline and out of search quickly, making it harder for brands and websites to capture attention and clicks.

• Only 8% of Google users whose search triggered an AI Overview clicked on a link, per Pew Research. Among those who didn’t see an AI summary, nearly twice as many (15%) clicked a link.
• 26% of users whose results included an AI summary ended their browsing session entirely, compared with 16% who saw traditional results.

How it works: 18% of all Google searches in March produced AI Overviews, though some search behavior is more likely than others to generate one.

• Question words return AI results. 60% of queries beginning with words like “who,” “what,” “when,” or “why” resulted in an AI summary.
• Full sentences also have an effect. Over a third (36%) that included both a noun and a verb triggered an AI summary.

What’s coming up? Brand websites or content on emerging platforms like Substack could struggle to appear in AI summaries and search results—even when optimized for generative engines—as a significant amount of citations go to a few main sources.

• 15% of AI summaries link to Wikipedia, Alphabet-owned YouTube, or Reddit, which has a content partnership with Google, per Pew Research.
• 6% cite government websites and 5% link to news websites.

Trust and interest: While users frequently report inaccuracies in AI Overviews, they’re unlikely to fact-check information, increasing risks of believing misinformation and hallucinations.

• 42% of internet users have encountered inaccurate or misleading content in AI Overviews, per Exploding Topics. About one-third have seen information that lacks important context (36%) or seems biased and one-sided (32%).
• Although only 9% fully trust AI Overviews, just 1% of users click on a source link in an AI summary, per Pew Research.

Ready for more? Despite trust issues, many users feel the benefits of convenience outweigh risks for misinformation.

• 71% said Google Search is either the same as or better than before AI Overviews launched, per Exploding Topics.
• 39% think the internet is better with AI-generated content.

Our take: Google’s AI tools offer fast answers, but they’re cutting off engagement before it can begin. For publishers, brands, and creators, that means fewer opportunities to connect, convert, or even be seen.

Prioritize visibility on platforms favored by AI Overviews, like YouTube and Reddit, and strengthen owned channels like newsletters and apps to help boost appearance in results while reducing dependence on traffic from Google.