A new report shows that Google’s AI Overviews appearance in Search results fluctuates monthly, causing volatility problems for SEO professionals and content creators.
AI Overview fluctuations
BrightEdge (an SEO platform) released its latest data on Google’s AI Overviews frequency for appearing in Search results.
The report shows AI Overviews on a roller coaster ride since its release (renamed and packaged) in May 2024.
- In May 2024, Google reduced AI Overviews’ appearance in Search to 15%, and by early June, it had only shown for 7% of queries.
- Later in July, AI Overviews visibility rose again, reaching 12%, only to fall back to 7% before the beginning of August.
AI Overview fluctuations might level at the 7% watermark, far below the appearance frequency of previous months. Either way, the Overview’s unpredictability is a concern for content creators and Google!
Google’s Volatility Challenge
Google knows the challenges of AI Overviews and is experimenting with different formats to resolve them, including the space AI Overviews occupy in the search results and citations.
However, the ongoing volatility of AI Overviews highlights that Google has yet to resolve those challenges.
Increases in AI appearance
Specific search queries saw a rise in AI Overview results, including salary-related questions like “human resources manager salary” and “nurse salary,” where Overviews’ appearance rose from 7% in June to 85% in July.
AI Overviews were also more frequently shown for long-tail keywords, complex technical keywords, and specific product features, Suggesting that Google is fine-tuning them to appear for search queries requiring a detailed and specific answer.
Decrease in AI appearance
Despite AI Overviews’ initial growth in search results, other areas have witnessed significant reductions in visibility.
BrightEdge’s tracking data shows Overview answers occupy 12% less space on Google Search results and 0% in entertainment and travel queries.
In July, Overview continued reducing its appearance in query searches such as brand-specific, product, and basic how-to queries.
As previously reported by a Newsdash study, healthcare-related searches continue to generate the highest AI Overview responses, at 61%. This is a decline from 69% due to Google removing AI responses for keywords related to genetic, rare, and complex disorders.
The same study from Newsdash revealed that AI Overview now appears in only 3.9% of searches for hard news topics!
AI Overviews overlap with Google’s search results
Regardless of the volatility issues, one area of consistency is the inconsistent overlap between traditional search results and AI Overviews.
For example:
- Pages ranking 31–100 saw an overlap rise that occasionally exceeded 3%.
- Pages in positions 11-30 were the most stable.
- Top 10 results citations decreased, affecting some notable resources, including Today (-60%), CDC (-15%), Wikipedia (-5%), USA and Forbes (-30%).
SEO implications
AI Overviews instability should concern content creators and SEO specialists because it might affect their content’s visibility in search results and rankings.
As Google continues stabilizing the volatility by refining its AI formats and adjusting Overviews’ appearance in different search queries, understanding how Overview behaves is crucial for creating successful SEO strategies and maintaining your ranking presence in Search.
When he is not writing content, Terry can be found on his boat in Italy or chilling in his villa in Spain.
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