Search engine optimization (SEO) has long been based on the assumption that users behave differently depending on their search intent. However, with the rise of AI Overviews (AIOs) on search engine results pages (SERPs), this assumption is no longer valid. In this article, we’ll explore the impact of AIOs on search behavior and what it means for SEO strategies.
The Rise of AI Overviews
AIOs are a type of search result that provides a concise summary of a topic, often in the form of a short paragraph or list. They’re designed to help users quickly understand the main points of a topic and can be found on many SERPs. While AIOs were initially seen as a novelty, they’ve become increasingly common and are now a key part of the search experience.
The Impact of AIOs on Search Behavior
Research has shown that AIOs are changing the way users interact with SERPs. In a recent study, Eric Van Buskirk of Clickstream Solutions and I analyzed anonymized clickstream data from over 846,000 U.S.-based Google search sessions. The results were striking: when an AIO is present on the SERP, users no longer behave in the same way as they do with classic search results. In fact, the time-on-page for a user on the SERP is no longer dependent on search intent when an AIO is present.
This means that AIOs are compressing five distinct search intents into one reading pattern. This is a significant shift from the traditional mental model of search intent, where navigational searches were
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