Google's 'AI Overview' surges in search share from 15% to 43% in a year

Google Search is rapidly shifting toward AI answers: AI Overviews appeared in 43% of searches this year, up from 15% last year, according to Similarweb.

Users are increasingly asking longer, natural-language questions and getting answers directly on the results page instead of clicking through to websites.

The shift is raising concerns about lower web and news traffic, though source citations are improving and ChatGPT’s link-out rates have also ticked up.

Overall, search behavior, traffic flows, and content distribution are being reorganized as Google moves from link-based results to AI-driven responses.