Ahrefs: Google AI Overviews cut French CTR by 23 percent in 9 days

Image credit: Abondance

PARIS — Google’s AI Overviews significantly reduced click-through rates (CTR) in France, with highly exposed domains experiencing a 23.1 percent drop within nine days, according to a new Ahrefs study.

The analysis indicated that domains where more than 20 percent of search queries triggered AI Overviews saw an adjusted CTR decrease of 24.8 percent compared to a control group. This shift prompted concerns among digital marketers and content creators regarding the future of organic search performance.

Across a panel of 963 domains, the median CTR declined by 5.7 percent, and overall clicks fell by 8.8 percent, the Ahrefs report stated. French (.fr) domains were particularly affected, with a median 12.3 percent drop in clicks, exceeding the general panel’s average.

The health sector emerged as the most exposed and impacted industry, experiencing a 22.2 percent AI Overview rate and a 20.4 percent CTR decrease. This suggested a significant re-routing of user engagement away from traditional organic search results in critical information areas.

Kevin Indig, an industry expert, previously highlighted similar trends, noting the increasing influence of AI in search results. Ahrefs’ global research further supported this, indicating that the CTR for position one on queries with AI Overviews fell from 34.5 percent in spring 2025 to 58 percent by the end of 2025.

The study reported that 82.2 percent of highly exposed domains observed a decrease in their CTR. Nearly half, 48 percent, of the domains in the panel lost more than 10 percent of their clicks, while 5 percent experienced a loss of more than half their clicks.

Despite rising impressions, clicks are consistently falling, the report stated. One notable case showed a 183 percent increase in impressions alongside a 1.9 percent decrease in clicks, effectively dividing the CTR by more than three. This trend suggested that while content is being seen more, users are less likely to click through to the original source.

Ahrefs based its findings on data from various sources, including Google Search Console, to assess the impact of AI Overviews on organic traffic metrics. Companies such as Seer Interactive and Authoritas have also been monitoring similar shifts in search engine behavior.

The findings underscored a significant challenge for websites relying on organic search traffic, as Google continued to integrate AI-generated content directly into its search results pages.

Source: Abondance