A new study on Google search behavior examines changes in clickthrough rates across industries. The data correlates with increased AI Overviews (AIOs) in Google’s search results.
Research from Advanced Web Ranking (AWR) reveals that AIOs appeared in 42.51% of search results in Q4, up 8.83 percentage points from the previous quarter.
With this increase, clickthrough rates for informational queries dropped significantly.
Websites in the top four positions for searches using terms like what, when, where, and how saw a combined decrease of 7.31 percentage points in desktop clickthrough rates.
Study author Dan Popa states:
“This surge in AI Overviews may be impacting clickthrough rates for organic listings, as informational content is increasingly getting overrun by these AI-generated summaries.”
Here’s more about the study and what the findings mean for your website.
Industry CTR Gap
The study reveals SEO success is becoming increasingly industry-dependent.
For example, law and politics sites recorded a 38.45% CTR in position one, while science sites get 19.06% for the same ranking. That gap nearly tripled in a single quarter.
CTR shifts were observed in the following sectors:
- Law & Politics: Recorded Q4’s highest position-specific increase with a 7.39 percentage point CTR gain for top desktop positions, alongside 68.66% higher search demand.
- Science: Recorded Q4’s largest CTR decline with top desktop positions dropping 6.03 percentage points, while experiencing a 37.63% decrease in search demand.
- Careers: Despite search demand more than tripling (+334.36%), top three desktop positions lost a combined 4.34 percentage points in CTR.
- Shopping: The holiday season brought a 142.88% surge in search demand, yet top-ranked sites saw CTR declines of 1.39 and 1.96 percentage points on desktop and mobile, respectively.
- Education: Mixed bag with top positions gaining nearly 6% in CTR while positions 2-3 declined, all during a traffic increase.
Only the business and style and fashion sectors saw increased search demand and improved CTRs, making them rare bright spots in a challenging market.
Desktop vs. Mobile
The report also looks at behavior patterns between devices.
While desktop CTR for informational queries declined, mobile showed opposing trends, with top-ranked sites gaining 1.81 percentage points.
Similar device-specific shifts appeared across multiple industries. For example, arts and entertainment websites saw a 1.01 percentage point drop in desktop CTR but a 2.28 percentage point mobile gain for position one.
Query length also influenced click behavior differently across devices.
Long-tail queries (four or more keywords) experienced CTR declines on desktop for positions 2-3. In contrast, single-word queries gained nearly two percentage points in CTR on mobile for top positions.
Why This Study Matters
These findings demonstrate that ranking #1 doesn’t guarantee the same traffic it once did. Your industry, query type, and SERP features (especially AI Overviews) all impact click potential.
AWR suggests tracking pixel depth (how far users must scroll to see your listing) alongside rankings for more accurate traffic forecasting.
It’s important to account for these widening performance gaps, particularly for informational content competing with Google’s AIOs.
Related: Studies Suggest How To Rank On Google’s AI Overviews
Study Methodology
Advanced Web Ranking’s research compared CTR averages from Q4 2024 to Q3 2024. It included data from markets like the US and UK, linking CTR shifts with industry search demand.
Using AWR’s free AIO tool, the study found an 8.83 percentage point rise in AI Overview presence. Queries were categorized by intent, length, and 21 industry verticals to identify user behavior patterns.
For more, read the full study.
Featured Image: jack_the_sparrow/Shutterstock
