A new UX study by Kevin Indig and Eric van Buskirk has revealed some interesting insights about how users interact with Google’s AI Overviews:
- Most users skim AI Overviews: The median scroll depth in AI Overviews is 30%, meaning most users don’t read more than the top third.
- Citations get few clicks: Only 19% of mobile users and 7.4% of desktop users clicked on a citation provided in the AI Overviews.
- Many turn to Reddit for social proof: When users leave the AI Overviews, a third go to Reddit, YouTube, or other forums.
This seems to confirm what many SEOs have feared: that AI Overviews mean a lower click through rate. However, the study’s sample size is small compared to Google Search’s massive scale, which means the insights can’t be used to make any definitive conclusions.
Still, the study’s insights are interesting and a reminder that online visibility is increasingly shifting from clicks to SERP visibility.
