Google’s AI Overviews Shift User Search Behavior, Study Finds
Hannover, Germany – November 19, 2025 – Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs), introduced in March 2025, are fundamentally altering how users interact with search results, according to new research from usability.de. The study, utilizing eye tracking and click analysis, reveals a meaningful shift in user attention and click patterns, impacting the visibility of organic search results.
Researchers at usability.de tasked 33 participants, aged 21 to 71, with completing five realistic search tasks in a test environment, monitoring their eye movements and clicks while varying the placement of AIOs on the search results page.
The analysis showed that aios positioned at the top of the results page immediately capture user attention. When placed lower, users initially focus on the top organic content. 55 percent of users read the AI-generated summaries, and two-thirds subsequently clicked on links – most often organic search results. Advertisements and sources displayed on the right side of the page were clicked on in approximately one in five searches.
Since 2016, the proportion of first clicks on organic search results has fallen considerably, from 70 percent to 44 percent, indicating a decline in initial visibility for organic listings. However, usability.de notes that organic results remain crucial for user validation, with users favoring links perceived as neutral and trustworthy. Sponsored links are noticed early but receive fewer clicks, particularly during information-seeking searches.
“For me,AI is always the beginning of research – that’s good for the overall overview,” one study participant commented,reflecting a growing perception of AIOs as a starting point for information gathering.
The research concludes that AIOs are increasing zero-click searches and fundamentally changing user clicking behavior. Usability.de recommends that companies prioritize clear, structured, and trustworthy content optimized with GEO (Geographic Optimization) to increase their chances of appearing within AI-generated summaries.
