AI Overviews in Google Search: UK Study 2025

New Ahrefs-based research reveals how AI integration is reshaping visibility, but not reducing search demand

Date of analysis: April 2024 – October 2025
Data source: Ahrefs database — United Kingdom
Sample size: 1,000 keywords across multiple industries

AI is no longer just powering tools behind the scenes, it’s now visible directly in Google Search. Studio 36 Digital analysed 1,000 UK search queries using Ahrefs data to measure how often AI Overviews appear and how they affect traditional organic results.

The findings show that roughly 42% of UK searches now include AI-generated summaries, particularly for informational or advice-based queries.

However, local and commercial searches remain largely unaffected, confirming that SEO visibility still matters just as much as before, only the screen layout has changed.

Methodology

1. Keyword Sampling

A neutral set of 1,000 UK queries was created without filtering for AI features.
These covered eight key verticals:

• Health & wellbeing
• Education & learning
• Home & DIY
• Technology & software
• Finance & insurance
• Travel & retail
• Local services
• General lifestyle topics

Each keyword had a minimum monthly search volume of 100+, ensuring relevance and data stability.

Example queries:
“how to clean laminate flooring”, “rabbit insurance cost”, “mortgage advice near me”, “best broadband black friday deals”, “how to calculate uncertainty physics”.

2. Data Collection

For every query, the team retrieved data from Ahrefs’ SERP Overview and Keywords Explorer endpoints, capturing:

• serp_features (to detect AI Overviews, snippets, local packs, etc.)
• keyword_intent (informational, commercial, transactional, local)
• search_volume
• update_date

Two time points were compared:

• April 2024 — pre-AI Overview baseline
• October 2025 — current dataset

3. Metrics

• Presence of AI Overview (Yes / No)
• Query intent
• Sector classification
• Relative share of AI features by category

Ahrefs’ traffic and volume metrics were used as visibility proxies, not direct user click data.
All results refer specifically to Google UK.

Findings

1. AI Overviews Present in 42% of UK Queries

Out of 1,000 random UK queries, 420 contained AI Overview elements.
These were concentrated in health, home, and educational categories.

Bar Chart: Proportion of AI Overviews by Industry

Interpretation:
AI is most active in searches where Google can summarise factual or step-by-step information.
Sectors requiring trust, nuance, or local context (like finance or “near me” searches) rarely trigger AI Overviews.

2. Informational Queries Dominate AI Coverage

Across all industries:

• 67% of AI Overviews appeared on informational intent queries (“how to…”, “what is…”, “symptoms of…”).
• Only 9% of AI Overviews appeared on commercial or transactional keywords.

Pie Chart: AI Overview Appearance by Search Intent

This supports the idea that AI summarisation primarily enhances learning-type queries rather than buying decisions.

3. Health and DIY Queries Lead AI Integration

Health and wellbeing searches consistently showed AI summaries with supporting links to medical authorities (NHS, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic).

Examples:

• “symptoms of bacterial vaginosis”
• “bleed on brain symptoms”
• “how to treat sunburn”

Similarly, DIY queries such as “how to remove gel nails” or “how to clean laminate flooring” showed detailed AI responses followed by standard results.

By contrast, finance and local service searches displayed no AI Overview, maintaining traditional snippets and map packs.

4. Organic Results Still Follow the AI Unit

In every observed case, traditional organic results remained below the AI summary.
Typically, the first organic listing was at position 2, directly under the AI Overview.

Example pattern (for “how to get rid of spiders”):

1. AI Overview summary with cited sources
2. Reddit link
3. Homebase and The Guardian (organic)
4. People Also Ask block

This means that although classic listings retain high rank numerically, their on-screen visibility has shifted lower.

5. Google Usage Remains Strong After the Rise of AI

Despite the rise of AI Overviews and platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini, data shows Google search activity continues to grow.

SparkToro and Datos (2024) reported a 21.6% year-on-year increase in Google searches from 2023 to 2024, with the platform now handling over 5 trillion searches annually, around 370 times more interactions than ChatGPT.

Search Engine Land estimate 14–16 billion daily searches in 2025, up from about 9 billion in 2024.

The evidence suggests that AI tools have changed how people search, not how often. Google remains the dominant discovery channel, keeping SEO essential for businesses in the UK.

Discussion

The trend indicates a clear reordering of visibility on Google, not a collapse of organic SEO.
When AI Overviews appear, they answer immediate questions but still reference and link to authoritative websites.

For marketers and business owners:

• Topical authority and future-proof SEO strategies remain critical for sustaining visibility.
• Being cited within AI summaries could become as valuable as holding position 1.
• Local SEO, eCommerce, and service-based searches remain largely unaffected for now.

Limitations and Transparency

To ensure accuracy:

• The study used Ahrefs traffic and SERP feature data, which model search behaviour statistically.
• Results show relative visibility trends, not direct click-through rates.
• AI Overviews evolve rapidly; frequency may vary week-to-week.
• Data refers exclusively to Google UK and should not be generalised globally.

Conclusion

AI Overviews now appear in roughly 4 in 10 UK Google searches, with the highest concentration in informational and health-related queries.

Despite this, Google usage continues to rise, and organic SEO remains foundational to visibility.

Businesses that produce expert-led, trustworthy, and structured content can still surface prominently. For specific tactics on achieving this, read our guide on optimising for AI citation.

My Key Takeaways

• AI Overviews are now visible on around 4 in 10 UK Google searches, primarily on informational queries such as “how to” and health-related topics.
• Organic SEO still matters. When AI Overviews appear, they sit above – but still link to – trusted sources, reinforcing the value of authoritative, structured content.
• Google usage continues to grow despite the rise of generative AI tools, showing that people still rely on search for factual and commercial intent.
• Visibility has shifted, not disappeared. Classic results remain, but the first organic listing now typically appears beneath the AI unit.
• Brands need to optimise for both AI and traditional search, ensuring content can be cited, surfaced, or clicked in either format.

SEO isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s evolving with it. The future of search belongs to those who adapt their content for both algorithms and answers.

Our GEO Services offer professional optimisation for AI search including AI Overviews.