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Google AI Overviews Impact? Top AEO Platform Solutions
Sean Dorje
Published
November 9, 2025
3 min read
Google AI Overviews Impact? Top AEO Platform Solutions
By Sean Dorje, Co-Founder/CEO of Relixir - Inbound Engine for AI Search | 10k+ Inbound Leads delivered from ChatGPT · Nov 10th, 2025
Google AI Overviews, appearing in 85% of search queries and serving over 1.5 billion users monthly, have caused organic click-through rates to drop 40-60% for affected queries. Businesses can offset these losses by earning citations within AI Overviews, which deliver 35% more organic clicks and require specialized Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) platforms that track visibility across multiple AI engines while implementing structured data and entity optimization.
Key Facts
• Traffic Impact: Organic CTR drops 61% for informational queries with AI Overviews, while cited brands gain 35% more organic clicks
• Platform Requirements: Effective AEO platforms must monitor 8+ AI engines including ChatGPT (400M+ weekly users), Perplexity, and Gemini
• Technical Essentials: JSON-LD schema markup and entity optimization are non-negotiable for AI visibility
• Revenue Impact: Fortune 500 companies report 32% of sales-qualified leads attributed to generative AI optimization within 6 weeks
• Coverage Scale: AI Overviews now reach 1.5 billion users across 200 countries, making it the largest generative AI deployment globally
• Future Outlook: Gartner predicts AI-driven search will cause 50% drop in traditional organic traffic by 2028
Google AI Overviews now appear in 85% of search queries, fundamentally reshaping how users discover content online. With over 1.5 billion users relying on these AI-generated summaries monthly, businesses face an urgent reality: traditional SEO strategies no longer guarantee visibility. The shift from ranking positions to citation frequency demands immediate strategic adaptation—especially as studies reveal that organic click-through rates have plummeted 40-60% for queries featuring AI Overviews.
This transformation extends beyond Google. AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other generative engines are creating an entirely new discovery ecosystem where being cited matters more than being ranked. Forward-thinking marketers are now investing in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) platforms to ensure their brands remain discoverable in this AI-first landscape.
What Google AI Overviews Are—and Why Their Impact Matters Now
Google AI Overviews represent a fundamental shift in how search results are delivered. These generative AI-powered summaries provide key information about topics directly within search results, supported by links to relevant web content. Unlike traditional search results that require users to click through to find answers, AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple sources into comprehensive, immediate responses.
The scale of adoption tells the story: More than 1.5 billion users around the world now use AI Overviews for help with their questions. This isn't a gradual shift—it's a seismic change in user behavior. Google reports that AI Overviews now reach 1.5 billion monthly users across 200 countries, making it the largest generative AI deployment globally.
The technology behind these overviews matters for optimization. Google uses a customized Gemini model that works in tandem with existing quality and ranking systems, including the Google Knowledge Graph. This integration means AI Overviews aren't just automated summaries—they're sophisticated synthesis engines that evaluate authority, relevance, and trustworthiness before generating responses.
Perhaps most critically, AI Overviews are expanding rapidly. They're triggered for just 6.49% of queries in January 2025, climbing to 7.64% only a month later—an 18% increase. This aggressive rollout signals Google's commitment to AI-first search experiences, making adaptation not just advisable but essential for maintaining digital visibility.
How Do AI Overviews Reshape Click-Through Rates, Visibility & Revenue?
The data paints a stark picture for traditional organic strategies. Research analyzing over 25 million impressions reveals that organic CTR for informational queries featuring AI Overviews has fallen 61% since mid-2024, while paid CTRs have plunged an even more dramatic 68%. These aren't minor fluctuations—they represent a fundamental restructuring of how users interact with search results.
Seer Interactive's comprehensive study found that organic CTR plummeted from 1.41% to 0.64% for queries with AI Overviews, while paid CTR dropped across the board regardless of AIO presence. The implications extend beyond immediate traffic losses. Ahrefs reported a 34.5% drop in position 1 CTR when AI Overviews appear, while Amsive found an average 15.49% decline.
These metrics translate directly to revenue impact. Traditional traffic-focused KPIs are becoming obsolete as AI Overviews fundamentally alter the path from search to conversion. Businesses that built their digital strategies around ranking positions now face a reality where those rankings deliver significantly less value.
Why Being Cited Offsets Traffic Declines
Yet there's a critical counterbalance to these sobering statistics. Brands that earn citations within AI Overviews experience remarkable performance improvements. When cited in an AIO, brands receive 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks compared to non-cited competitors.
This citation advantage extends beyond immediate traffic gains. Success metrics have shifted from traditional keyword rankings to citation frequency in AI Overviews, with cited sources seeing 2.3x traffic increases through branded searches. The mechanism is straightforward: users trust AI-recommended sources, leading to higher engagement rates and stronger brand recall.
The compounding effect of citations creates a virtuous cycle. Brands mentioned in AI Overviews gain authority signals that improve their chances of future citations. This self-reinforcing dynamic means early movers in AEO can establish dominant positions that become increasingly difficult for competitors to challenge.
Which Core Signals Decide If Your Site Gets Quoted in AI Overviews?
Google's AI Overviews don't randomly select sources—they follow sophisticated evaluation criteria. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals form the foundation of SGE visibility, requiring demonstrable credentials and first-hand knowledge to earn citations.
The selection process goes deeper than traditional ranking factors. One fundamental way to optimize for generative engines is using structured data—specifically Schema.org markup in JSON-LD format. This structured approach helps AI systems understand not just what your content says, but what it means in context.
Entity recognition plays an equally crucial role. Entities in SEO refer to any single thing that has a distinct identity—a person, product, organization, or place. Understanding and optimizing for entities becomes increasingly critical as AI Overviews expand their query coverage monthly.
The technical requirements are non-negotiable. Content must demonstrate clear expertise through author credentials, comprehensive topic coverage, and authoritative sourcing. Sites that fail to meet these elevated standards simply won't appear in AI-generated responses, regardless of their traditional search rankings.
Why Is JSON-LD Schema Non-Negotiable for AEO?
Structured data has evolved from a nice-to-have to an absolute requirement for AI visibility. The most common schema markup language is JSON-LD, and for good reason—it's the language AI models understand best.
Google Cloud's documentation emphasizes that structured data implementation is crucial for advanced website indexing in AI applications. When you implement schema via JSON-LD, you're essentially telling the AI, "Hey, this bit is a recipe, this is a product, this is an FAQ," in a language it loves.
The impact is measurable. A good Google AI Overviews schema markup focuses on entity recognition and contextual relevance, dramatically improving citation rates. Without proper schema implementation, even high-quality content struggles to achieve AI visibility.
What an Answer-Engine Optimization Platform Must Deliver in 2025
The shift to AI-driven search demands sophisticated tools that go beyond traditional SEO capabilities. As IDC research director Heather Hershey notes, "If machines can't read it, customers won't see it." This reality drives the need for platforms that can navigate the complex requirements of generative engine optimization.
Generative Engine Optimization is the science of getting your content chosen and included in AI-generated answers. Unlike traditional SEO, where you fight for the #1 link on Google, you're vying to be quoted or cited by AI assistants like Bing Chat, Google's SGE, or ChatGPT.
ChatGPT alone had more than 400 million weekly users by February 2025, while Gartner predicts that AI-driven search could cause a 50% drop in traditional organic traffic by 2028. These statistics underscore the urgency of adopting AEO platforms that can address this fundamental shift.
Essential platform capabilities for 2025 include:
Capability | Why It Matters | Impact Metrics |
|---|---|---|
Multi-LLM Coverage | Track visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude | 8+ AI engines monitored |
Citation Analytics | Measure brand mentions and competitive positioning | 35% higher organic CTR when cited |
Content Gap Analysis | Identify missing topics that AI engines seek | 2.3x traffic increase potential |
Schema Generation | Automate JSON-LD implementation at scale | Critical for entity recognition |
Performance Attribution | Connect AI citations to revenue outcomes | Direct ROI measurement |
Autonomous Gap Analysis & Continuous Content Refresh
The most advanced AEO platforms don't just track performance—they actively improve it. The typical AI Overview cites 3-8 sources, with more complex queries drawing from a broader range of authoritative content. This creates opportunities for platforms that can identify and fill content gaps systematically.
Successful GEO implementation requires continuous adaptation. As noted in industry research, brands must keep content current to maintain SGE visibility. Static content strategies fail in an environment where AI models update their understanding daily.
The automation advantage is clear. AI Mode uses different patterns than organic results and AI Overviews—the results are volatile, the source curation logic is independent, and only partially overlaps with traditional rankings. Platforms that can autonomously detect these shifts and adjust content accordingly provide sustainable competitive advantages.
Relixir vs. Other AEO Platforms: Who Covers More AI Engines & Drives ROI?
The AEO platform landscape has exploded with options, but meaningful differentiation remains elusive. AI brand monitoring is a relatively new market with over 100 tools competing for attention—each with different approaches, capabilities, and price points.
Contently's enterprise implementation demonstrated the potential, reporting a Fortune 500 client achieving 32% of sales-qualified-lead attribution to generative AI in six weeks, plus a 127% lift in citation rates. These aren't theoretical improvements—they represent measurable business impact.
Relixir distinguishes itself as the only platform purpose-built for Generative Engine Optimization, helping brands rank higher and sell more on AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. The platform reveals how AI sees brands, diagnoses competitive gaps, and automatically publishes authoritative, on-brand content.
When an AI tool mentions a brand in its answer, that brand sees a 38% boost in organic clicks and a 39% increase in paid ad clicks. This correlation between AI visibility and business outcomes drives the urgency for comprehensive AEO solutions.
Model Breadth & AI Alignment: Gemini vs. GPT vs. Claude
Different AI models require different optimization approaches. Google Gemini is lauded for deep analysis, creative originality, and advanced reasoning on complex or academic tasks. Meanwhile, ChatGPT excels in conversational ability and strict instruction-following.
Platform comparison reveals distinct strengths:
Model Focus | Optimization Priority | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|
GPT Models | Conversational context, code precision | Unified reasoning and tool use |
Gemini Family | Multimodality, extreme context depth | Handles 2M token windows |
Claude/Perplexity | Academic rigor, citation accuracy | Emphasis on source verification |
The most effective AEO platforms don't favor one model over another. Instead, they optimize content to perform well across all major AI engines. Gemini 2.5 Pro handles complex reasoning, Flash balances speed and cost, and Flash-Lite enables high-volume throughput—each requiring tailored optimization strategies.
Implementation Checklist: Entities, Schema & Performance Tracking
Successful AEO implementation follows a systematic approach. Entity optimization involves creating clear connections between your content and recognized entities in knowledge graphs. This foundational work enables AI systems to understand and trust your content.
Start with these essential steps:
☐ Entity Mapping: Define your brand, products, and key personnel as distinct entities
☐ Schema Implementation: Deploy JSON-LD markup across all core pages
☐ Knowledge Graph Integration: Get listed on Wikidata, Crunchbase, and LinkedIn for brand authority
☐ Content Structure: Create Wikipedia-level definitions for all entities
☐ Citation Tracking: Monitor brand mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude
☐ Performance Analysis: Connect AI visibility metrics to business KPIs
☐ Continuous Optimization: Refresh content based on AI response patterns
Case studies demonstrate the impact of systematic implementation. LS Building Products achieved a 67% increase in organic traffic and a 540% boost in Google AI Overviews mentions by rebuilding their content architecture around AI-friendly structures.
The technical requirements are specific but achievable. Focus on query segmentation—identify which queries in your vertical are prone to AIOs and analyze their historical CTR patterns. This targeted approach ensures resources are allocated to high-impact optimization opportunities.
The Road Ahead: Shift from SEO to AEO Before AI Surpasses You
The transition from traditional SEO to Answer Engine Optimization isn't optional—it's an existential requirement for digital visibility. SGE generates comprehensive answers by analyzing and synthesizing content from multiple high-authority sources, fundamentally changing optimization requirements.
The urgency is clear. With AI Overviews appearing in 85% of searches and traditional CTRs plummeting by up to 60%, businesses that delay AEO adoption risk digital obsolescence. The winners in this new landscape will be those who recognize that visibility now depends on being cited, not just ranked.
Key takeaway: The shift from SEO to AEO represents the most significant change in digital marketing since the advent of search engines themselves.
For businesses ready to adapt, platforms like Relixir offer the comprehensive tools needed to navigate this transformation. With capabilities spanning AI visibility analytics, competitive gap diagnosis, and autonomous content generation, Relixir empowers brands to maintain and expand their digital presence in an AI-first world.
The choice is straightforward: evolve your optimization strategy now, or watch as AI engines render your traditional SEO investments obsolete. The tools exist, the strategies are proven, and the early movers are already capturing disproportionate value. The only question remaining is whether your brand will lead or follow in this fundamental shift to AI-driven discovery.
About the Author
Sean Dorje is a Berkeley Dropout who joined Y Combinator to build Relixir. At his previous VC-backed company ezML, he built the first version of Relixir to generate SEO blogs and help ezML rank for over 200+ keywords in computer vision.
Fast forward to today, Relixir now powers over 100+ companies to rank on both Google and AI search and automate SEO/GEO.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Google AI Overviews?
Google AI Overviews are generative AI-powered summaries that provide key information directly within search results, synthesizing data from multiple sources to deliver comprehensive responses without requiring users to click through to websites.
How do AI Overviews affect click-through rates?
AI Overviews have significantly reduced organic click-through rates, with studies showing a 61% drop for informational queries. This shift emphasizes the importance of being cited in AI Overviews to maintain visibility and traffic.
Why is citation in AI Overviews important?
Being cited in AI Overviews can lead to a 35% increase in organic clicks and a 91% boost in paid clicks. This citation advantage helps brands maintain visibility and authority in AI-driven search environments.
What role does structured data play in AEO?
Structured data, particularly JSON-LD schema markup, is crucial for AI visibility. It helps AI systems understand content context, improving the chances of being cited in AI Overviews.
How does Relixir help with AEO?
Relixir offers a comprehensive platform for Generative Engine Optimization, helping brands rank higher on AI engines by automating content generation, gap analysis, and performance tracking, ensuring visibility in AI-driven search results.
Sources
https://www.digitalapplied.com/blog/google-sge-optimization-ai-overviews-2025
https://search.google/pdf/google-about-AI-overviews-AI-Mode.pdf
https://www.seerinteractive.com/insights/aio-impact-on-google-ctr-september-2025-update
https://ppc.land/google-ai-overviews-reduce-organic-ctr-61-paid-traffic-68/
https://gensearch.io/docs/guide/generative-engine-optimization
https://cloud.google.com/generative-ai-app-builder/docs/add-website-metadata
https://www.aiocopilot.com/blog/geo-generative-engine-optimization-complete-strategy
