1. One specific win or loss due to AI Overviews We saw a clear loss on top-of-funnel, informational keywords. For one e-commerce client, impressions stayed flat and rankings didn't move, but clicks dropped noticeably once AI Overviews rolled out. Google started answering basic product comparison and "best for" queries directly in the overview, which removed the need for users to click. Traffic went down even though visibility technically stayed the same. The win came further down the funnel. Product category pages and pages tied to strong commercial intent held up much better. In some cases, they improved. When users moved past research and into buying mode, they still clicked through. AI Overviews didn't replace that step. 2. One actionable tactic to get cited in AI-generated summaries We write for extraction, not just ranking. That means clean structure, direct answers, and clear statements early on the page. We now include short, factual summaries near the top that directly answer the query in plain language. No fluff, no storytelling. Just a tight explanation that can be pulled into an overview. We also back those statements with real signals: product specs, comparisons, pricing context, and internal links that reinforce topical authority. Pages that are easy for Google to understand and trust are the ones getting cited. 3. Prediction for zero-click searches in the next 12 months Zero-click searches are going to increase, especially for basic questions and early research. That traffic is not coming back. The shift forces e-commerce brands to stop treating SEO as a traffic play and start treating it as a visibility and trust play. Being seen, cited, and associated with the right answers will matter more than raw clicks. Brands that rely only on informational content for growth will feel the squeeze. Brands that focus on commercial intent, brand recognition, and conversion-focused pages will still win. SEO isn't dying. It's just becoming less forgiving.
1. One specific win or loss experienced due to AI Overviews The clearest win we've seen from AI Overviews has come from service-based clients—specifically law firms using our Attorney Visibility AI system. While many e-commerce brands saw a drop in traditional organic clicks, our legal clients experienced the opposite effect: 5 to 10 new clients per month directly attributed to AI-driven discovery. The reason is simple. AI Overviews prioritize authority, clarity, and intent matching over traditional keyword density. Our system structures content so AI can confidently summarize and recommend the firm, often placing them as the cited source or implied recommendation. In contrast, brands relying solely on product-category SEO without authority signals saw noticeable CTR losses. 2. One actionable tactic to get cited in AI-generated summaries The single most effective tactic we use is AI-first content structuring. That means: Writing explicit question-and-answer blocks that mirror how users ask questions in AI tools Using concise definitions, comparisons, and "best option" language early on the page Reinforcing credibility with entity-based signals (practice area, location, credentials, reviews) We are no longer optimizing only for ranking—we are optimizing for being summarized. If AI can extract a clean, confident answer from your page in under a few seconds, you dramatically increase the likelihood of being cited. 3. Prediction for Zero-Click searches in the next 12 months Zero-click searches will continue to increase—but they won't eliminate opportunity. They will shift where value is captured. In the next 12 months, brands that rely on informational traffic without authority or conversion intent will lose visibility. Brands that position themselves as the answer—not just a result—will win. AI Overviews will act as a filter, sending fewer clicks, but higher-intent clicks to fewer sources. The future of SEO isn't traffic volume—it's AI visibility, trust, and recommendation positioning. Brands that adapt to that reality now will outperform competitors who are still optimizing for a SERP that no longer exists.
International SEO Consultant, Owner at Chilli Fruit Web Consulting
Answered 4 months ago
One of my e-commerce clients in the supplements space saw a 27% drop in organic product page clicks after AI Overviews started showing layered summaries with affiliate listicles and competitor snippets. We didn't lose rankings but we lost visibility when AI bundled the answer. So we had to rewrite key content blocks to make them easier for AI to parse: clear headers, short definitional paragraphs, and cited data with schema markup. We added a dedicated "fact section" to product guides, written the way AI Overviews pull answers. Tight, structured, linked to original research. Within two months, we got cited again for 4 major queries and saw branded impressions bounce back in Perplexity and GPT. Over the next 12 months, I believe Zero-Click will be standard. Traffic will drop for anyone who doesn't get named inside the answer itself.
One win we experienced due to AI Overviews was an increase in referral traffic from third-party AI summaries of our content, which boosted brand visibility in unexpected ways. On the flip side, a loss came from instances where AI misattributed or paraphrased key insights, reducing the value of our original work. To ensure our content is properly cited within AI-generated summaries, I focus on embedding our brand name directly into any key takeaways or crucial data points. It's a small but effective way to make sure we are acknowledged, even in a heavily paraphrased context. I predict "Zero-Click" searches will evolve into direct brand-AI partnerships. To stay visible, we'll need to create content specifically for AI algorithms, focusing on strategic metadata and citation-friendly formats. This will help us control our brand's narrative within AI-generated answers.
Navigating AI Overviews and Zero-Click Search in E-commerce SEO One clear impact I've seen from AI Overviews is a drop in top-of-funnel clicks for informational product queries. For an e-commerce client in the wellness space, pages that previously ranked in the top three for queries like "best supplements for joint pain" saw impressions increase but clicks decline by nearly 22%. However, the win was that branded searches and bottom-of-funnel product page visits increased, suggesting users were discovering the brand through AI summaries and returning later with higher intent. To improve citation within AI-generated summaries, the most effective tactic has been structuring content around concise, authoritative answers supported by schema. We now include clear comparison tables, expert-led FAQs, and definition-style sections that directly address user questions, paired with Product, FAQ, and Review schema. This makes it easier for AI systems to extract and reference our content accurately. Looking ahead, I expect zero-click searches to grow significantly over the next 12 months, especially for research-heavy queries. E-commerce brands that treat visibility, citations, and brand recall as KPIs—rather than just clicks—will be better positioned to win in an AI-first search environment.
Win/Loss: We've seen a client lose significant click-through on informational queries that now get answered directly in AI Overviews. Product comparison and "best of" content that used to drive top-of-funnel traffic is getting summarized without the click. The win, however, is that transactional queries with clear purchase intent still drive traffic, and being cited in an Overview as a recommended source has boosted brand visibility even when users don't click through immediately. Actionable Tactic: Structure content with clear, quotable takeaways near the top of the page. AI Overviews pull from content that directly answers questions in a concise format. We've started adding summary sections with specific recommendations that are easy for AI to extract and attribute. Prediction: Zero-click searches will continue growing, but I don't think it's the death of SEO that some users predict. It's a shift toward brand building through visibility. Being the source that AI cites builds credibility over time, even if the immediate click doesn't happen. The brands that adapt their content strategy to this early will likely benefit most. The ones waiting for things to go back to normal will almost certainly struggle.
I'm an SEO director at Perth Digital Edge, a search-first digital agency in Perth, working mainly with ecommerce and lead-gen brands. Win/Loss: For one mid-sized ecommerce retailer, we saw a 15-20% drop in non-brand CTR on broad category terms ("best gifts for..." etc.) once AI Overviews rolled out, because users got a full answer without scrolling. However, we also saw a lift in revenue from long-tail, product-led queries where AI Overviews pulled in our comparison tables and buying guides. The loss was at the top of the funnel; the win was deeper down where our content actually helped shape the AI summary. Tactic to be cited: We now design key pages as if they're the source document for an AI assistant: Open each section with a single, definitive sentence answer (so it can be lifted cleanly). Add structured data (Product, FAQ, HowTo) and entity-rich phrasing (brand, model, specs, price, use-case). Include concise bullet lists and numeric claims ("5 benefits...", "3 key specs...") that map to common "what/which/how" questions. This combination makes it easy for Google's AI to quote us directly while still sending clicks for users who want depth, images, and reviews. Prediction for zero-click: Over the next 12 months I expect Google to move towards an AI-first shopping interface, where most generic ecommerce searches are answered inside an AI Overview or a native shopping module. Traditional product listing pages will be pushed down, and Google will behave less like a directory and more like a front-end retailer: discovery, comparison, and checkout increasingly happen on Google, with merchants getting paid by Google, not from on-site carts. A full acquisition of a player like Amazon is unlikely for regulatory reasons, but strategically Google is clearly heading towards an "all AI, all on Google" experience where it owns the customer relationship and logistics are plugged in behind the scenes. For ecommerce brands, the game shifts from "how do I get the click?" to "how do I become the trusted source the AI cites and the marketplace prefers?"
One tactic that has proven effective in bringing our brand to AI overviews is creating listicle articles — for example, comparing our products with competitors and providing detailed pros and cons. Such content feeds AI engines with detailed information about your brand differentiators. This not only works well on our own platform, but also for guest posts on authoritative websites. As for Generative Engine Optimization, I see both the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge in the upcoming year. People increasingly rely on AI for instant answers; therefore, we, content marketers, have a lot of work in this field. At the same time, this era is relatively new, and no one knows the exact formula for success. We experiment with new content formats, invest in GEO tools, and share knowledge with peers. The brands that embrace this shift and adapt will have a competitive edge in the next 12 months.
here is my take on question 1 AIO do cut total organic clicks, but the majority of e-com brands are not paying for SEO just for clicks anyway, they care about $$. From what we see at seomontreal.io, getting mentioned in AI Overviews can actually amplify revenue. People trust the AI summary without overthinking it, when Google straight up tell them "best XYZ for ABC is (brand)", a lot of users don't even compare anymore they just buy. So yeah, fewer clicks overall, but better clicks.
The Win My "Best Pilates Reformers 2025" guide earned the top citation in AI summaries for the query "top reformers." The traffic became stable at around 10K per month, and it happened when competitors saw 30% drops. The citations drove branded searches up and turned zero-clicks into indirect wins. My Tactic Then I structured the content for the AI scraping. For that, I included H2 FAQs, tables, schema markup, and fresh UGC quotes. I updated it quarterly because AI likes authoritative and useful data pages. That's all. Zero-Click Prediction In 12 months, we know that 40-50% searches were zero-click, but we also know that e-commerce adapts by using long-tail queries, Google Shopping, and voice AI. The brands that were cited gained authority with focused citations and a multi-channel approach.
1. We saw a win on high-intent pain-relief queries where AI Overviews cited our educational content, driving fewer but better-qualified clicks. The loss was on generic "best massager" terms, where the overview answered the question without a click. 2. We structure content around clear medical-adjacent FAQs, concise definitions, and comparison tables, then back claims with credible sources and consistent schema. This makes our pages easy for AI to extract and trust. 3. Zero-click searches will increase, especially for top-funnel queries. However, brands that own expert, experience-based content will still capture high-intent traffic. The fight shifts from volume to quality clicks.
There are some instances where e-commerce clients suffered a significant loss as there was a drop in the click-through rate of high-intent informational keywords due to AI Overviews providing answers even before the click. However, to our credit, a buying guide was quoted directly in the AI Overview, which resulted in less but extremely high-quality clicks with better conversion rates. The most potent tactic that we are using is structuring content in such a way that it becomes explicitly quotable, which may include concise definitions, comparison tables, clear pros and cons, and authoritative supporting sources. AI Overviews prefer clarity and confidence over ambiguity. In the coming year, zero-click searches will definitely be on the rise, but they will not bring about the end of SEO. Rather, they will compel it to change. The brands that will focus on making their authority, original insight, and content that truly deserves to be referenced will still be the ones to gain visibility - even if the click is different from what it used to be.
The e-commerce brands panicking about AI Overviews are asking the wrong question it's not whether you'll lose clicks, but whether you'll become the source Google's AI trusts enough to cite. One notable shift we've observed: product category pages with thin descriptions are losing visibility entirely to AI summaries, while pages featuring detailed comparison data, specification breakdowns, and genuine editorial guidance are increasingly pulled into those same overviews as cited sources. The tactic proving most effective is structuring content to answer the implicit follow-up question not just "what is this product" but "how do I choose between options," using clear subheadings, factual comparisons, and concise verdict statements that AI can easily extract and attribute. This works because Google's AI needs defensible sources to maintain credibility, and content that demonstrates evaluative depth earns that trust. Over the next 12 months, zero-click searches will plateau in transactional queries as Google balances user experience with commercial sustainability, but brands that fail to optimize for citation-worthy content will find themselves invisible in the queries that matter most.
A clear win I've seen is with a mid-size DTC home fitness brand. When AI Overviews appeared for "best [product] for [use case]" terms, their classic organic listings dropped down the page and CTR in Search Console fell. But they started getting cited in the AI Overview for those terms. Total organic sessions for those categories stayed about flat, while conversion rate from that traffic went up. Shoppers arriving from the Overview were further along in the buying journey and less likely to bounce or price-compare, so revenue and AOV held, even though the surface metrics looked worse. One actionable tactic I use to get cited is to design "Overview-ready" blocks on key pages. For each target query, I add a 2-3 sentence, direct answer in plain English, then a short pros/cons section and a simple comparison table with the key attributes buyers care about (size, material, warranty, shipping). I structure it with clear headings and lists, keep it tight, and back it with correct schema for products. When I do this, I'm seeing those blocks more often reflected in how the AI Overview phrases its answer. Over the next 12 months, I expect zero-click searches to grow most around broad research queries and simple how-to questions. E-commerce won't be "zero-click only", but the top of the funnel will shrink. Early research clicks will get soaked up by AI Overviews, while a bigger share of clicks will go to a smaller set of brands that earn citations and trust. Clicks will drop for many category and comparison terms, but the traffic that does reach sites will, in my view, be more purchase-ready and show stronger conversion rates.
1. One clear win and one clear loss The loss (and it's real): For a mid-market e-commerce brand in home goods, we saw a 18-22% drop in organic clicks on high-intent "best [product] for X" and comparison queries. AI Overviews began answering those questions directly, effectively removing the need to click through to category pages and buying guides. More importantly, this wasn't a temporary dip. In some verticals, AI Overviews have structurally devalued entire content types that used to drive predictable top-of-funnel traffic. The win (if you know where to look): The traffic that does come through now converts better. Users who click after reading an AI Overview are more qualified, further along in their decision process, and convert at a higher rate than pre-Overview traffic. Fewer clicks, but higher intent. 2. One actionable tactic we're using to get cited (and survive) We stopped optimizing for rankings alone and started optimizing for answer extraction plus differentiation. In practice, that means: Clear question-based subheadings with concise, 2-3 sentence answers Simple lists and tables with pricing ranges, specs, and pros/cons Strong authority signals: expert bylines, original product testing notes, frequent updates Layering in first-party insights that AI can't safely summarize without attribution (original benchmarks, internal scoring models, proprietary comparisons) If your content is generic enough to summarize cleanly, it will be summarized away. If it's genuinely differentiated, Google is far more likely to cite it or force the click. 3. Prediction for zero-click searches over the next 12 months Zero-click searches will increase materially, especially for informational and comparison queries. That trend is not reversing. My prediction: Over 50% of top-of-funnel product research searches will end without a traditional organic click. Transactional and branded searches will remain relatively resilient. Many brands will misread this as an SEO failure, when it's really a measurement failure. The brands that struggle will keep chasing lost clicks. The brands that win will shift focus toward: Being visible inside the AI answer layer Brand demand creation Owned audiences (email, SMS, community) Search strategies built around less volume, higher intent Ranking still matters, but it no longer guarantees visibility. In 2025, organic success is about being part of the answer, not just the destination.
1. One win we saw was with an e-commerce client we positioned early for AI Overviews by shifting toward the methods outlined in SEO patents. We were already consulting Google patents around passage ranking, context scoring, and answer extraction, so when AI Overviews hit search results, the client began appearing as one of the primary cited sources in their niche. Still to this day, they are still enjoying a heightened position of trust in AI overviews. Some top-of-funnel CTR declined, but overall revenue from organic traffic increased because we improved visibility on high-intent and comparison queries before others adapted. 2. The most effective tactic we're using is designing content specifically for answer extraction. That includes publishing clear answers in the first sentence after a question heading. If not the first sentence, the second sentence. It also means using semantic HTML, structured data, and entity-focused internal linking, all while supporting your website with an llms.txt file to clarify site intent for AI systems. We optimize for clarity and ease of extraction for AI and crawlers. If you do these things, you will naturally create a solid resource that users will enjoy using, and more importantly for your bottom line, AI and search will too. 3. Over the next 12 months, I am confident zero-click searches will continue growing, but they will strongly reward sites practicing true Answer Engine Optimization. Content that's educational, concise, and structured around how search systems actually interpret information as opposed to SEO folklore like keyword density. The websites making content based on what the patents say, rather than what the gurus say, will gain a disproportionate amount of visibility compared to legacy blog-style content.
Win/loss: When AI Overviews launched in Q4, we watched CTR on basic "what is" product queries drop 38 percent in a single week. It felt like a rug pull. Two weeks later, something unexpected happened. Our SaaS comparison pages started getting quoted inside AI summaries. Raw clicks were still down 14 percent, but assisted conversions rose 21 percent. We were getting fewer visits, but they were already pre-sold. Actionable tactic: We added a 60-word testing summary above the fold with hard numbers: pricing ranges, feature counts, and why each product ranked. That single block gave Google clean, quotable facts and started appearing in AI Overviews within days. 12-month prediction: Zero-click keeps growing, but e-commerce shifts to "qualified-click." Fewer visits, higher intent, and most of the value concentrates around brands that publish original comparisons and verifiable data. Albert Richer, Founder, WhatAreTheBest.com.
When Google first rolled out AI Overviews, one of my e-commerce clients in the health niche saw a 28% drop in organic clicks within the first month — even though rankings stayed stable. What surprised us was that the AI summaries pulled product comparisons and snippets from competitors who had optimized content structured more like FAQs. Instead of chasing lost traffic, we shifted focus to optimizing for visibility within the AI snapshot itself. We reformatted our top-performing pages to directly answer questions, included concise product specs, and embedded schema that clearly highlighted product benefits and unique data points. Within six weeks, those same pages began being cited in AI Overviews, recovering roughly 15% of the lost traffic. The most effective tactic I've found for being cited in AI-generated summaries is writing in a "Q&A first" format. I treat each key query like it's a featured snippet opportunity — short, factual, and supported by authoritative links. I've also noticed Google's AI prefers content with clearly labeled data, so using schema markup for pricing, ratings, and reviews makes a measurable difference. Looking ahead, I expect "zero-click" searches to increase by at least 20% in 2025, particularly for transactional queries where users can get quick comparisons or summaries without visiting a site. Brands that rely solely on rankings will struggle. The winning strategy is shifting from chasing clicks to optimizing for brand visibility within AI answers — treating those citations as the new top of funnel.
As an agency owner working with e-commerce and service brands, AI Overviews have driven clear shifts across client accounts in 2025. 1. One specific win/loss For one retail client, AI Overviews caused a "loss" on broad, upper-funnel product queries: organic CTR dropped as AI snapshots answered generic discovery searches above the fold. But on mid- and bottom-funnel queries (e.g., "[product] + use case" or "[product] for [audience]"), where our pages were cited inside the Overview, click-throughs were fewer but far more qualified, with conversion rates rising versus pre-AI traffic. Net result: fewer total clicks, but higher revenue per session where we earned an AI citation. 2. One tactic to be cited The most effective tactic has been treating LLM optimization as its own SEO discipline: structuring content so AI systems can lift self-contained, high-utility snippets. Concretely, we build topic clusters and then design pages with granular H2/H3s, direct Q&A blocks, concise FAQs, and small tables around very specific intents (for example, "[product] for [problem] in 2025," compatibility questions, and edge-case use scenarios), supported by schema. This makes it easy for AI Overviews to map our content to their fan-out sub-queries and cite us as a primary source. 3. Zero-click outlook (next 12 months) Over the next 12 months, zero-click behavior will intensify: broad informational and comparison searches in e-commerce will see more AI-led answers and fewer visits to traditional listings. At the same time, brands that intentionally build "AI authority" across a topic—becoming the default cited source rather than just "ranking" for a keyword—will see more of their impact show up in branded search, assisted conversions, and share of voice inside AI surfaces rather than classic last-click organic metrics. In practice, the winners will be brands that optimize to be the trusted entity generative systems rely on, not just another link in the SERP.
At Tower 25, one clear loss we saw from AI Overviews was a drop in click-through rates for top-of-funnel e-commerce queries where Google now answers basic questions directly in the SERP. Informational product queries that once drove discovery traffic are now often resolved without a click. However, the win came from adapting quickly. One actionable tactic that's worked well for us is structuring content in concise, authoritative answer blocks—clear headings, short paragraphs, and direct responses supported by data. This increases the likelihood of being referenced or summarized within AI-generated results rather than being replaced by them. Looking ahead, I expect zero-click searches to grow, especially for comparison and informational queries. That said, high-intent searches won't disappear. Brands that focus on expert-driven content, strong product differentiation, and mid-to-bottom-funnel pages will continue to attract qualified traffic—even in an AI-first search environment.