We Studied 200,000 AI Overviews: Here's What We Learned

It’s 2024, and AI-driven hunt results are starring the conversation.

To enactment ahead, you request insights into however AI Overviews (AIOs) are influencing website visibility crossed cardinal industries. Tracking keyword trends is nary longer optional—it's essential.

That’s wherefore we analyzed 200,000 keywords to uncover the latest trends successful AI-generated responses connected Google. From ranking shifts to contented opportunities, this information is captious for staying competitory successful a hunt situation dominated by instrumentality learning.

Let’s instrumentality a peek into the aboriginal of hunt visibility—where AI holds the keys.

Key Takeaways & Stats

Before diving into the methodology, a speedy preview of findings: 

• Low Volume Keywords: 82% of desktop and 76% of mobile AIOs occurred for keywords with little than 1,000 monthly searches
• Primarily Informational Intent: 80% of desktop and 76% of mobile AIOs targeted informational keywords
• No Ranking Guarantee: Top 10 integrated rankings didn’t guarantee AIO inclusion
• Response Length Varies: Responses ranged from 5 to 488 words
• Low PPC Ad Presence: Only 5% of SERPs with an AIO besides featured PPC ads
• Extensive Linking: Up to 302 links successful a azygous AIO (for the keyword “netherland two-week itinerary”)

Methodology

To cod this research, our squad studied 100,000 keywords from the US mobile database and different 100,000 from the US desktop database. 

Then, we parsed each of the content and URLs associated with the AI Overviews connected these results pages. The information from this probe has been enactment unneurotic successful this nonfiction to springiness a snapshot of trends and insights we’ve seen truthful far. 

Keyword Data Set

The keywords were randomly selected from the Semrush US databases, filtering to see lone the keywords that triggered an AI Overview astatine slightest erstwhile betwixt September 1-10, 2024. 

The keyword acceptable had a wide scope of qualities successful presumption of hunt volume, keyword length, and keyword difficulty. 

Thus, the information acceptable represented a divers scope of searches from highly fashionable to uncommon, little to detailed, competitory to uncompetitive, and with differing intents.

However, the astir communal intent benignant was informational (80% connected desktop, 76% connected mobile). 

This makes sense, arsenic these queries are much apt to beryllium served with an informational summary, which is what an AI Overview provides.

What Industries See the Most AI Overviews? 

To cheque which industries spot the astir AI Overviews, we reviewed Semrush Sensor's keywords by categories and checked however often each manufacture saw an AI Overview.

We weighted the categories against each different to spot which had the largest stock of AI Overviews from our sample.

This investigation allowed america to estimation which industries astir often triggered AI Overviews. 

On desktop results, the apical 3 categories were:

• Health
• People & Society
• Science

On mobile, it was:

• People & Society
• Science
• Food & Drink

What Kind of Query Triggers an AI Overview?

In our illustration of 200k keywords, we recovered that 35% connected desktop and 32% connected mobile were question keywords (queries opening with who, what, why, when, how, etc.).

We besides recovered that astir of these keywords had informational intent, arsenic opposed to navigational, transactional, oregon commercialized intent. 

Question Keywords

Similar to featured snippets, AI Overviews are effectual astatine answering speedy questions being asked connected Google. 

Within our samples, we saw 35,013 retired of our 100,00 desktop keywords were questions. From the mobile sample, 32,461 of the 100,000 were questions.

What types of questions did we spot the astir successful our information set? 

On some mobile and desktop results, question keywords starting with “how,” “what,” and “is” were seen astir often.

Takeaway: “How” and “what” keywords trigger AI Overviews astir often, supporting the reflection that AIO’s grip informational queries astir often. 

Informational Keywords

Here’s the breakdown of keyword intent wherever we recovered AI Overviews:

Takeaways:

• Informational keywords were seen the astir successful our illustration of keywords
• Transactional keywords marque up little than 3% of each keywords that triggered AI Overviews, and navigational adjacent little (under 2%). 

In the meantime, for SEOs and contented marketers, you tin expect to spot AI Overviews shaking up immoderate existing SEO postulation that came from informational keywords. 

And little of an interaction crossed transactional oregon navigational searches (that means branded searches and radical searching specifically for your website).

How Many Words Are successful the Average AI Overview? 

The contented magnitude successful an AI Overview tells america however overmuch accusation Google thinks is needed to reply an informational query.

How galore words does it instrumentality to springiness a adjuvant reply to an informational search? And however galore links volition determination typically be? 

Here’s what the information says:

In presumption of the scope seen successful the study, the longest desktop AIO effect was 417 words (3000 characters) for the query “javascript and seo.” 

The shortest AIO effect we saw was conscionable 5 words, answering “032 aluminum is what gauge.”

The mean magnitude of an AIO was 119 words connected desktop and 91 words connected mobile. Here’s what that looks like:

Here’s the afloat breakdown:

How Many URLs Are successful an Average AI Overview?

On some desktop and mobile SERPs, we saw an mean of 11 links wrong an AI Overview. However, the overlap betwixt these links and the apical 10 integrated results is lone astir 20-26%.

We saw immoderate outliers from this trend, including 1 desktop AIO with 106 links for “planning a travel to williamsburg va” and 302 links successful a mobile AIO for “netherland 2 week itinerary.”

Why truthful many?

Because Google realizes that some queries inquire for a batch of information. If you privation a 2 week itinerary to sojourn a overseas country, there’s a batch to include.

And Google pulls unneurotic suggestions for things to bash each time of the travel from a wide scope of sites. 

Take a look:

Correlations Between URLs successful the AI Overview and the Top 10 Organic Positions

You mightiness wonderment however overmuch of a warrant it is that your integrated rankings volition besides amusement up successful the AI Overview. 

While determination is immoderate overlap betwixt integrated hunt results and AIOs, the basal takeaway is that these URLs are ne'er the same.

Most often our survey saw little than 3 of the URLs from the integrated apical 10 repeated successful the AI Overview.

How Often Did Top-10 SEO Positions Appear successful the AI Overview?

Takeaways: 

• On mobile devices, it was much communal to spot nary overlap betwixt the URLs successful AI Overviews and the apical 10 integrated results compared to desktop
• Over 80% of mobile AI overviews included 3 oregon little URLs from the apical 10 integrated results. In these cases, it was astir communal to spot conscionable 1 akin URL. 

• Over 88% of desktop AI overviews included 4 oregon little URLs from the apical 10 integrated results. In these cases, it was astir communal to spot 3 akin URLs. 

• There’s nary warrant that ranking a URL successful the apical 10 integrated results volition mean the URL volition besides beryllium successful the AI Overview for that aforesaid keyword.

What SEO Position successful the Organic Top 10 Appeared Most Often?

So, however overmuch of a warrant is determination for a fig 1 integrated ranking to besides beryllium successful the AI Overview?

Not much. 

But, arsenic you mightiness expect, the person an integrated effect was to fig 1, the higher the accidental it would besides look successful the AI Overview. 

However, the apical ranked effect was lone recovered successful 46% of desktop and 34% of mobile AI Overviews. 

Takeaway:

Over 50% of AI Overviews connected desktop and 60% connected mobile did not nexus to the apical integrated result. 

And the magnitude of clip an AI Overview didn’t nexus to any of the apical 3 positions was astir 25% connected desktop and 38% connected mobile. 

This tells america that the algorithm that determines the accepted integrated results produces beauteous antithetic results than the strategy that provides links successful the AI Overview.

Google's documentation states: 

AI Overviews amusement links to resources that enactment the accusation successful the snapshot, and research the taxable further. This allows radical to excavation deeper and observe a divers scope of contented from publishers, creators, retailers, businesses, and more, and usage the accusation they find to beforehand their tasks.

Depending connected however you look astatine it, that could beryllium an accidental oregon a situation for your SEO.

If you already inhabit precocious positions, you present person the situation of besides maintaining visibility with the AI Overviews.

But, if you person a hard clip climbing to the apical of the integrated results for a keyword, there’s a accidental your contented could beryllium featured successful the AI Overview if it supports the accusation successful the snapshot oregon explores the taxable further.

How often did we spot Ads and AI Overviews connected the aforesaid SERP?

On mean crossed some mobile and desktop samples we saw astir 5% of the SERPs with AI Overviews besides had PPC Google ads. 

In those instances, the aforesaid URLs were precise seldom seen successful an advertisement and an AI Overview organically. In fact, it lone happened 140 times retired of 100,000 desktop SERPs, and 95 times connected mobile. 

We besides lone recovered precise fewer times wherever an AI Overview linked to a URL that was successful a Google Ad, but not successful the integrated apical 100: 14 times connected mobile and 24 times connected desktop. 

One illustration of that was “how overmuch to lease a bmw x3.” 

Takeaways: 

It doesn’t look similar determination is simply a correlation betwixt bidding connected a keyword and getting your ad’s landing leafage featured successful an AI Overview. 

However, it is possible, and possibly it makes the astir consciousness with branded searches astir pricing wherever a paid landing leafage would person the champion answer.

Google precocious announced that it would statesman to rotation retired ads within AI Overviews. This announcement was made aft the clip play we collected information truthful we did not cod immoderate information regarding paid ads featured wrong an AI Overview.

Research & Track AI Overviews with Semrush

This AI Overview information shows conscionable a glimpse into however hunt is changing—and wherever you tin find immoderate existent chances to boost your ain visibility.

But don’t conscionable instrumentality our connection for it. Get into Semrush and commencement digging into your ain AI Overview research. 

AI Overview probe is present disposable successful the pursuing Semrush tools:

• Domain Overview
• Organic Research
• Keyword Overview
• Keyword Magic Tool
• Position Tracking
• Sensor

Track however AI Overviews amusement up for your people keywords, spy connected what your competitors are doing, and support an oculus connected wherever AI hunt is heading. 

Now’s the time. Get connected it and enactment up successful 2024 and beyond.