Google’s AI features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, drove an estimated 21% of clicks to one website, according to an experiment by SEO consultant Cyrus Shepard. Shepard, founder of Zyppy SEO, opted his site out of Google’s AI features for four weeks starting September 1 and tracked the impact. He found that AI features accounted for about 10% of the site’s search impressions but generated a higher click-through rate, leading to a significant share of total clicks.
Shepard estimated the AI-driven clicks by comparing traffic data before and after opting out. He noted that the site’s organic listings also saw a slight boost in click-through rates when appearing in AI Overviews, a phenomenon he described as a ‘halo effect.’ Including this lift, Shepard estimated that 23% of all search clicks to the site were tied to AI features. Despite the experimental nature of the study, Shepard decided to keep his site opted into Google’s AI features, viewing it as the ‘only reasonable action.’
The experiment highlights the potential impact of Google’s AI features on website traffic. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has given Google until December 3 to provide publishers with detailed metrics on AI search features, including impressions, clicks, and click-through rates. Shepard’s findings offer a preliminary look at how these features might influence search traffic, though he cautioned that the results may not apply universally.