AI Overviews Are Taking Over SERPs

AI Overviews (AIOs) are causing chaos. In the battle between search and LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude, Google’s AIOs threw a wrench into the SEO world. Traffic is declining. Clicks are disappearing. Rankings that used to mean something suddenly do not. AIOs are rewriting the rules of search, whether we like it or not.

But how far has this change actually reached? While the U.S. has already felt the tremors of AIO, the Nordics remained a calm corner of the search landscape. That calm is now fading fast. Let us zoom in on how AIOs have taken the SEO stage in the Nordics over the last few weeks.

How AIOs exploded in the Nordics

AIO first launched in the U.S. but is now rapidly expanding globally. It spreads fast in Europe, with the Nordics being the latest hotspot. What was once experimental is now an undeniable reality for SEOs worldwide.

We have intensively tracked AIOs globally since the launch of the SERP feature, and we can now see how they are quickly gaining ground in the Nordics. Based on the keywords we monitor, the data shows that:

• On May 14th, the average share of keywords in the Nordics showing AIOs was just 1.6%.
• On June 14th, that average shot up to 28.2% in just one month.
• Since then, the percentage has remained consistently high but stable at around 28%.

If you are working in SEO in the Nordics, or anywhere else in the world, this is not a “prepare for the future” moment. The future is already here, and SEOs are panicking.

The SEO panic

SEOs have endured many Google updates over the years. But this time, it is different. This time, it stings more than ever, causing even experienced search marketers to claim that “SEO is dead.” This update has created several concerns in the SEO community, so let us look at five of them.

1. Traffic loss

The most pressing concern is traffic loss. With answers provided directly on the SERP, users click less on blue links, resulting in more zero-click searches. Even websites with strong organic rankings are reporting declines in clicks. For instance, Mail Online saw a 56.1% lower average CTR for a search query with an AIO.

2. Lack of transparency

Google offers little insight into how content is chosen and featured in AIOs. Additionally, AIOs paraphrase or blend words from multiple sources without clearly citing them, making it difficult for publishers to gain authority from creating valuable content.

3. Tracking difficulties

SEOs struggle to monitor which keywords trigger AIOs and how often they appear. You cannot see how your content is featured in an AIO, making refining your strategy and wording difficult. Furthermore, tools like Google Search Console cannot distinguish AIO traffic from traditional organic traffic.

4. No playbook

Unlike featured snippets, there is no proven strategy to be featured in AIOs yet. SEOs are forced to experiment with their optimizations and strategy. No playbook exists, but we cannot sit around and wait for the “how to optimize for AIO” guides.

5. Impact on conversions

The long-term effect of AIOs remains uncertain. Less traffic means fewer conversions, and SEOs are waiting to measure AIOs’ impact on their bottom line. We still need more evidence, but some companies have already seen the effect. One company even took legal action due to revenue drops linked directly to AIOs.

How AccuRanker helps you track and understand AIOs

But how do you earn a seat at the AI table? It is too early to tell, but ignoring them is risky. You must dig deep into this feature and how it works. This way, you can try to identify the right actions to take that allow you to be featured in AIOs and get a competitive advantage.

The effect of AIOs is still unknown, but tracking and understanding your AIO performance is a crucial first step. AccuRanker gives you the tools to illuminate the dark corners of AIO visibility based on the keywords you track. Our key tracking metrics include:

• Historical keyword count with AIO: Track how many of your keywords have triggered AIOs over time and the number of keywords where your domain is part of the AIO.
• Distribution of URLs: Analyze the number of URLs contributing to each AIO and how many URLs contain a specific number of keywords.
• Top URLs: Identify all URLs featured in AIOs and how often they appear.
• Top domains: Spot all domains appearing in AIOs and the frequency of each domain.
• Keywords with AIO: Monitor all your tracked keywords with AIOs and identify the content and domains in the AIO.

We update your AIO data every 24 hours, but you can instantly refresh your keyword data and update your domain every two hours. The real-time data ensures you get the latest data and can track how your visibility changes over time.

By tracking how many keywords trigger AIO, you can follow the development. If the number of keywords with AIO in a category increases, you can focus your SEO efforts on that category. Furthermore, you can download all AIOs in bulk to analyze how they look, what content they include, and much more. These insights can guide you in optimizing your content to be featured in AIOs.

When AIOs take over the SERP and eat your clicks, you must know whether you are visible in AIOs and how your domain and URLs perform. Here, reporting enters the stage. We offer reporting tools to help you make the most of your AIO data.

You can integrate with Looker Studio and use our AIO template to visualize and track your AIO performance. This template gives you a fully functional dashboard with all the AIO insights you need. If you have another setup, our unlimited API lets you feed AIO data directly into your internal tools and workflows.

It is time to adapt

AI Overviews are no longer an experiment. Their influence on search behavior and SEO performance is undeniable. AIOs are already messing with your metrics, and you can no longer afford to guess.

The future of search is here. SEO is no longer about ranking — it is about visibility, authority, and adaptability. Understanding how AIOs impact your content and performance is the first step in adapting to the new SEO reality.

Want to see our AIO tracking possibilities in action? Book a demo with one of our experts now.