Google Organic CTR Study: Click-Through Rates — With and Without AI Overviews
How many clicks does each Google position really get — and what happens to them when an AI Overview shows up? This free study tracks organic click-through rates across millions of SERPs, refreshed every month since 2015.
Last updated on July 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do AI Overviews reduce organic click-through rates?
Yes, consistently. When an AI Overview appears, the #1 organic result earns a markedly lower CTR than on a standard SERP — across this study the reduction at position 1 has typically been on the order of half, though the exact size varies by month, device, and search intent.
What is a zero-click search, and how do AI Overviews affect it?
A zero-click search ends without the user clicking any result. AI Overviews raise the zero-click rate substantially: searches where an Overview appears are consistently more likely to end without a click than standard searches, because the answer is already on the page.
Which search intents are hit hardest by AI Overviews?
Commercial and informational queries lose the largest share of clicks at position 1; transactional queries lose the least, because a purchase still requires visiting a site. Navigational queries lose the most percentage points outright.
Do SERP features affect CTR as much as AI Overviews?
It depends on the feature. AI Overviews are currently the strongest single depressor of organic CTR because they answer the query outright. But stacked features — a snippet plus ads plus a video pack — can take a comparable bite collectively. The SERP Features tab lets you compare any combination against the clean organic baseline. To see which features appear for your market, use the Google SERP Features tool.
How often is this CTR data updated?
Monthly. Each dataset aggregates Google Search Console data across millions of keywords and is published as a new selectable month in the tool — a continuous series going back to September 2015. The "This month in 30 seconds" summary at the top of the page refreshes with every release.
What is CTR, and why is it so important?
Click-through rate (CTR) is the share of people who click a result after it appears in the search results. It turns a ranking position into an estimate of real traffic: two keywords ranking first can send very different numbers of visits depending on the SERP around them. Knowing the CTR for each position lets you forecast clicks, prioritize keywords, and measure what features like AI Overviews cost you.
How can I find out the CTR for organic search?
This study reports the average organic CTR for each of the top 20 positions, drawn from Google Search Console data across millions of keywords. Use the controls above to filter by device, search intent, and month, then read the CTR at your ranking position from the curve.
How do I read the CTR curve from the chart?
Each point on the CTR by position chart is the average click-through rate for that ranking position. The blue curve is standard organic SERPs; the purple curve is SERPs that show an AI Overview. Find your position on the horizontal axis and read its CTR on the vertical axis. The distance between the two curves is the traffic at stake when an AI Overview appears.
Do you collect CTR data for desktop and mobile?
Yes. Every metric is available for both desktop and mobile, and the two are reported separately because CTR runs higher on mobile at the top positions.
Do long-tail keywords have a different CTR than short-tail keywords?
They do. Long-tail queries tend to have a steeper curve, with the top result taking a larger share of clicks, because the intent is narrower and fewer results compete. Short-tail, high-volume queries carry more ads and SERP features, so clicks spread more evenly across positions.
Does CTR differ by industry?
Yes. CTR curves vary by category, driven by how many ads and SERP features a typical query triggers and how strong brand recognition is in that space. Use the closest match to your niche rather than a single blended average when the difference matters to your forecast.
Can I see how the CTR changes over time, or year over year?
Yes. The Position 1 CTR over time chart tracks every month in the series, and the month selector lets you compare any two datasets. Because AI Overview formats change in weeks rather than years, the monthly view catches shifts an annual table would miss.
How long have you been collecting this data?
A new dataset has been published every month since September 2015, giving a continuous record of organic CTR through the shift to mobile-first results, featured snippets, and now AI Overviews.