AI Overviews Are Losing Position 1: What This Means for SEO and Brand Visibility
New Data Shows Google AI Overviews Aren’t Untouchable
A new study from seoClarity reveals that AI Overviews — once thought to dominate position 1 — are being outranked in 12.4% of desktop searches in the U.S.
Just a month ago, fewer than 2% of AI Overviews were ranking below the first position. This shift is significant, especially for businesses and marketers concerned about losing organic traffic to generative AI results.
Where AI Overviews Rank Today
According to the study:
87.6% of AI Overviews still appear in Position 1
7.6% in Position 2
2.8% in Position 3
2% rank in Position 4 or lower
More importantly, transactional queries are where AI Overviews tend to rank lower — particularly product-focused or commercial searches. For example, a query like “[games on a Nintendo Switch]” is outranked by product category pages and a product carousel.
Why This Is Happening
Google is monitoring user behaviour, not just algorithmic signals. If users frequently scroll past the AI Overview to click a traditional result, Google may demote the AI block for that query.
That means traditional SEO efforts — when executed well — still influence SERP layout and can outperform AI-generated summaries.
LLMs Change How Your Brand Is Found
This is not just about rankings — it’s about representation. LLMs can find and cite your content even before it ranks in traditional search results. This means:
Your brand can be mentioned by AI without your consent
Inaccurate or poorly structured content can mislead users
Without schema, AI may skip your most important pages or fail to surface product data
In an AI-first world, you don’t want to rely on LLMs to define your brand. You need to intentionally shape what AI finds, interprets, and presents.
Performance Marketing Alone Isn’t Enough
For years, marketing strategies have prioritized performance (ads, conversions, CAC) because it’s measurable. But SEO and branding were often sidelined due to their indirect attribution models.
That’s changed.
With AI Overviews and LLMs:
Your brand is the content
Visibility happens outside your website
Performance must include brand structure, trust signals, and semantic accuracy
You can now measure brand performance through:
Share of voice in AI Overviews
Presence in featured snippets
Brand mentions in LLM-generated content
CTR and engagement on branded queries
How to Regain Visibility from AI Overviews
If your pages are being replaced by AI Overviews, here’s how to respond:
Focus on transactional and product queries
These are less likely to be fully covered by AI.Improve CTR with better metadata
If users click your result over the AI Overview, you signal relevance.Ensure your schema is complete
Help AI systems understand what your page offers and show it in enhanced formats.Strengthen branded content
Make your site the authority on your brand, not third-party aggregators.Track AI Overview presence
Use tools to see where your content is appearing — and where it’s being pushed down.
Final Thought
AI Overviews are not the end of SEO — but they are a shift. Brands that want to maintain visibility must go beyond keyword rankings. They need to own their narrative, structure their content for machines, and treat SEO as a brand and performance channel, not just a technical one.
If your brand isn't being seen clearly by AI, it’s being seen incorrectly.
