What industry data reveals about the impact of Google’s AI Overviews on paid search

Google’s AI Overviews have moved beyond the experimental phase and are now a permanent part of search. To assess their impact, Adthena analyzed data across six major industries from late December 2025 to January 2026, tracking performance metrics from hundreds of thousands of advertisers, including more than 5 million ads.

While aggregate data suggests stability, a deeper look reveals a different picture. For advertisers, these automated summaries are no longer just a visibility concern; they directly threaten PPC revenue.

What AI Overviews mean for paid search revenue

Generative summaries fundamentally change the math of a successful campaign. When an AI Overview pushes paid ads below the fold, it triggers a chain reaction that impacts your profitability:

• Lower CTR = fewer clicks: Reduced visibility leads to fewer visits to your landing pages, shrinking your traffic pipeline.
• Fewer clicks = fewer conversions: A smaller traffic pool inevitably leads to a drop in total lead or sale volume.
• Higher CPC = reduced profitability: In sectors where AI summaries trigger on high-competition terms, the cost to stay relevant rises, squeezing margins and lowering your return on ad spend (ROAS).

AI Overviews impact across six industries

Adthena tracked AI Overview frequency, content themes, and CPC/CTR performance across desktop and mobile. The findings show a fragmented landscape: impact varies by industry, device, query type, and content intent.

Content themes: The battle for mid-funnel intent

Adthena’s analysis shows that Google is increasingly moving into comparison and instructional spaces, directly challenging high-converting paid search territory.

• The comparison conflict: In Telecom, Technology, and Retail, AI Overviews are dominated by comparison content. When Google provides a side-by-side analysis, it satisfies the research phase and may stop users from clicking your ad to learn more.
• The informational buffer: Conversely, Healthcare (74% News) and Financial Services (54% FAQ) see informational themes. These act as intent filters, potentially protecting ad spend by satisfying low-intent users before they reach a paid link.
• The opportunity gap: Problem solving content remains virtually untouched at 0-2%. This is a safe harbour for advertisers: troubleshooting queries are still largely free from AI interference.

CPC trends: The premium for visibility

Tracking CPC fluctuations identifies where advertisers are paying a visibility tax to stay competitive.

• Technology: Queries featuring an AI Overviews consistently show higher CPCs than those without, a clear signal that AI Overview presence is pushing up the cost of visibility.
• Automotive & Retail: Automotive and retail show nearly identical cost levels regardless of AI Overviews presence.
• Financial Services: CPC increases may look modest here, but in a sector where CPCs are already high, the hit to campaign profitability is harder than the numbers suggest.

Device splits expose desktop saturation

Segmenting by device reveals a striking divergence, but the picture is more nuanced than it first appears.

• Desktop dominance: Technology and Education queries on desktop are heavily saturated by AI Overviews, meaning ads in these sectors almost always compete with an Overview.
• Mobile opportunity: Mobile AI Overviews have a lower frequency across almost all industries. But the limited screen real estate on mobile means that when an Overview does appear, it displaces ads more aggressively than on desktop, where multiple ads often remain visible below the summary.

CTR trends provide evidence of traffic erosion

Analyzing CTRs over time exposes the persistent performance gaps between influenced and standard search results.

• Persistent gaps: Telecom and Technology show consistently lower CTRs when an AI Overview is present, representing a direct drain on your traffic pipeline.
• Consumer resilience: Financial services and retail show narrower gaps, suggesting users in these sectors still prioritize ads over AI Overviews.
• Late month volatility: Sudden spikes in healthcare illustrate how quickly performance shifts as Google iterates on its AI rollout. 

Distribution data reveals the zero click reality

This final layer of data exposes the winner-takes-all scenario that average metrics often hide.

• The baseline gap: Without AI Overviews, CTR holds up well across industries – Retail in particular. Where AI Overviews are absent, CTR holds up well across industries. Where they’re frequent, it doesn’t always and the gap between the two tells the real story.
• High AI Overviews frequency, low CTR: When AI Overviews appear on nearly every query, CTR hits its floor across industries—including Technology. The higher the frequency, the less traffic ads reliably capture.
• Resilience in Automotive: Automotive shows a healthier spread across mid-range frequency buckets, suggesting users are more likely to bypass the summary to find verified brand information.

To safeguard your margins, start here:

1. Monitor Click Through Rates (CTR) and Cost Per Click (CPC) changes: While not the full picture, shifts in CTR or CPC can act as early indicators of AI Overviews impact.
2. Segment performance by device: Break out desktop and mobile reporting to uncover device-specific trends that combined data can hide.
3. Use Adthena’s free Market Share reports: Understand how often AI Overviews appear in your category and where visibility is most at risk.

Gaining visibility with Adthena’s AI Overview solution

Understanding AI Overview impact requires continuous, query-level intelligence. Adthena’s AI Overview solution indexes search results multiple times per hour, giving advertisers accurate visibility into:

• AI Overviews frequency patterns by query, industry, and device.
• Content themes and citation sources.
• Performance metrics including impact on CPC and CTR.
• Ad position vs AI Overviews.

With these insights, you’ll know exactly where AI Overviews are disrupting your revenue and what to do about it before your performance is impacted.

Coming soon: Adthena’s AI Overviews solution will also include visibility into ads appearing within AI Overviews themselves, so you’ll have a complete picture of how your spend is performing across the entire SERP.

The SERP has changed: Adapt or fall behind

Google’s AI Overviews aren’t going away, but their impact isn’t universal or inevitable. The advertisers who win won’t spend more; they’ll know exactly where AI Overviews appear, what content they surface, and how their audience responds. 

Precision wins. Assumptions don’t.

Book a demo to see exactly how AI Overviews are impacting your campaigns.