Study: Google AI Overviews drop in volume and length

A recent study by SE Ranking has revealed that Google's AI Overviews have seen a significant reduction in their presence over recent months. After an initial surge during beta testing, these AI responses are now far less common in search results.

Drop in AI Overviews volume

According to the findings, In July, only 7.47% of search results featured AI-generated summaries, marking a significant drop from the 64% recorded during the beta-testing phase earlier this year. This reduction follows user complaints about the accuracy of AI-generated content, which included bizarre and incorrect responses. This resulted in a significant decline in visibility with education, entertainment, and e-commerce sectors mostly affected and a drop in citations from Reddit and Quora.  

Google acknowledged these issues in late May and committed to refining the AI Overviews feature. This includes more stringent controls to prevent overview errors.  Google's head of search, Liz Reid admitted that the implementation did not meet user expectations and promised improvements.

Decline in the length of AI Overviews 

The content in these AI Overviews is now much shorter compared to the previous period. The study noted that on average, the length of each AI Overview has decreased to 2,633 characters. This is a significant reduction, nearly 40% less than the length recorded in the previous month. 

Despite these changes, certain niche topics, particularly in relationships, saw an increase in AI Overviews. Also, the study revealed that Forbes, Business Insider, and Entrepreneur were the most frequently referenced or cited media outlets. This suggests that these sources were mentioned or linked to most often in various discussions, articles, or reports during that period.

Still, Google revealed its plan to test ads within AI Overviews, starting soon for users in the U.S.