Google AI Overviews Are Reducing Website Clicks But Not Improving User Experience

Google has been pushing its AI features into Search, and one of the biggest changes is something called AI Overviews. These are the summaries you now see at the top of many search results. They try to answer your question directly, so you may not need to click on any website.

At first glance, this sounds useful. If people get answers faster, that should improve their experience, right?

But a new study suggests something surprising. While AI Overviews are clearly reducing the number of clicks to websites, they are not actually making users feel more satisfied.

Let’s break this down in a simple way.

What This Study Was About

A research paper by scholars from the Indian School of Business and Carnegie Mellon University looked at how AI Overviews affect real user behavior.

The researchers, Saharsh Agarwal and Ananya Sen, wanted to move beyond guesses and assumptions. Instead of just looking at data trends, they ran a controlled experiment where they could directly compare what happens with and without AI Overviews.

This is important because most earlier reports only showed patterns. This study tried to understand cause and effect.

How The Experiment Was Done

The researchers created a Chrome extension and used it to control what users saw during their searches.

They selected 1,065 participants from the United States. These were active desktop users who regularly used Chrome, so the results reflect real browsing habits, not occasional usage.

Each participant was placed into one of three groups:

Normal group: These users saw Google Search as it is, with AI Overviews appearing when triggered.
No AI Overview group: For these users, the extension removed AI Overviews completely. Everything else stayed the same.
AI Mode group: This group was pushed into Google’s AI-focused search experience for all queries.

The study ran for two weeks for each user, between January and February 2026.

Interestingly, most people in the “no AI Overview” group did not even notice that something was missing. This means their behavior stayed natural.

What Happened To Clicks?

This is where things get really clear.

When AI Overviews appeared, fewer people clicked on websites.

The numbers show a big drop:

Clicks to external sites went down by 38%
Average clicks per search increased from 0.38 to 0.61 when AI Overviews were removed
Searches where users didn’t click anything (called zero-click searches) increased from 54% to 72%

In simple terms, more people got their answers directly on Google and didn’t visit any website.

Position Matters More Than You Think

Another interesting detail is where the AI Overview appears on the page.

Most of the time, around 85%, it shows up right at the top.

When the AI Overview was placed at the top, it had the strongest effect. Removing it almost doubled the number of clicks to other websites.

But when it appeared lower on the page, it did not make much difference.

This tells us something important. The higher the AI answer is placed, the less likely users are to explore other sources.

What About Ads And Search Activity?

You might think fewer clicks on organic results could impact ads or how often people search.

But the study found something different.

Ad clicks stayed almost the same
The number of searches people performed also did not change

This suggests that AI Overviews are not reducing search activity. Instead, they are replacing visits to websites.

People are still searching. They are just not clicking as much.

The Big Question: Are Users Happier?

This is the most important part of the study.

If AI Overviews reduce clicks but improve user experience, then the trade-off might make sense.

So the researchers asked participants about their experience.

They used a simple rating system to measure:

Satisfaction
Quality of information
Ease of finding answers

The result?

There was almost no difference between users who saw AI Overviews and those who did not.

People felt the same either way.

This means that even though AI Overviews change behavior, they are not making users noticeably happier or more satisfied.

What About Google’s AI Mode?

The third group in the study used Google’s AI Mode for all searches.

This gave even more insight.

Compared to the other groups:

They clicked even less
Zero-click searches were even higher
Their satisfaction levels were actually lower

However, the researchers noted that this part of the study is less certain. Some users left the experiment early or tried to bypass the system, which may have affected the results.

Still, the trend is clear. More AI-heavy search does not automatically mean a better experience.

Why This Matters For Websites

For website owners, publishers, and marketers, this study raises a serious concern.

If fewer people are clicking on links, traffic will drop. And traffic is what many online businesses depend on.

Earlier reports had already hinted at this issue:

Pew Research found that users clicked links only about 8% of the time when AI Overviews were present, compared to 15% without them
Ahrefs reported a 58% drop in click-through rates for top-ranking pages when AI Overviews appeared

This new study strengthens those findings by using a controlled experiment instead of just analyzing data trends.

It clearly shows that AI Overviews are a major reason behind declining clicks.

What Google Says

Google has defended AI Overviews by saying they reduce unnecessary clicks. According to the company, users get better answers faster, so they don’t need to visit multiple pages.

Google executive Liz Reid has mentioned that AI Overviews cut down on “bounce clicks,” where users quickly leave a page.

However, the study does not find strong evidence that users actually feel better or more satisfied.

So while AI Overviews may be efficient, they are not clearly improving the overall experience.

A Change In How Search Works

This situation points to a bigger change.

Search engines used to act as a bridge. They helped users find websites.

Now, they are starting to become the destination themselves.

Instead of sending users to different sources, they are answering questions directly.

This changes the entire system:

Users get quicker answers
Websites lose traffic
Content creators may get less visibility

The balance between platforms and publishers is shifting.

Is This The Final Answer?

Not yet.

The study is still a working paper published on SSRN, and it has not been peer-reviewed. The researchers plan to expand their findings with more data.

So while the results are strong, they are not the final word.

Still, the direction is hard to ignore.

Final Thoughts

AI Overviews are clearly changing how people use Google Search.

They are reducing clicks to websites in a big way. At the same time, they are not improving how users feel about their search experience.

This creates an interesting situation.

Users are getting answers quickly, but not necessarily better answers. Websites are losing traffic, but search activity remains the same.

As Google continues to develop AI features, this balance will become even more important.

For now, one thing is clear. AI Overviews are not just a small update. They are reshaping how search works for everyone.