The Impact Of AI Mode On SEO – Analysis Of 10 Studies

I just got back from San Diego and Toronto, where I spoke at Ahrefs Evolve and SEO IRL – both of which were fantastic. A lot of people I met subscribed to the Growth Memo. Thank you all for coming out!

I also had the pleasure of facilitating a 3h mastermind with leaders from Redfin, Angi, Clickup, Glean and Ourplace in San Diego. If I’ll do more of these, I’ll let you know.

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Two weeks ago, we published the largest user behavior study of AI Mode and found groundbreaking results.

This week, I’m connecting the dots between 10 different studies, tests, and data sources to see what the research actually says about AI Mode – and to answer five questions everyone’s asking:

• How does AI Mode impact click-through rates and SEO traffic?
• Are people even using AI Mode?
• Are AI Mode responses accurate?
• How are AI Overviews and AI Mode similar? How are they different?
• Can brands still benefit from earning AI Mode visibility, even if clicks are scarce (if not zero)?

In this meta-analysis of the core data our industry produced about AI Mode in 2025, we’ll look at the aggregated research – all in one place. So, I’d bookmark this, as it’s likely a stakeholder is going to ask you for it soon, if they haven’t already.

(If I’m missing any big studies or tests here, send me a DM.)

Image Credit: Kevin Indig

Here’s what we do know for sure: AI Mode drastically reduces external clicks.

This is a corroborated finding across the research touchpoints I used for this meta-analysis (including studies, tests, and fresh data).

We live in this reality right now – and can’t afford to ignore it.

Organic traffic stagnation (or even traffic decline) despite ongoing organic growth efforts is the reality today … and will accelerate if/when AI Mode becomes the default Google search experience.

Image Credit: Kevin Indig

• Semrush’s AI Mode early‑adoption analysis of ~69 million U.S. Google sessions found that 92 – 94% of AI Mode sessions resulted in no external click, and only 6-8% produced any outbound traffic [1].
• The AI Mode person‑conduct examine I printed during the last two weeks, directed by Eric van Buskirk from Clickstream Options, corroborated this discovering: 77.6% of our directed search process classes had zero exterior visits, and median exterior clicks per process had been zero.
• Eric and I additionally labored collectively on Propellic’s journey {industry} examine, and it echoes the identical sentiments though it’s industry-specific. Our knowledge confirmed that for some search duties, customers’ interactions by no means left AI Mode. Customers discovered sufficient data from AI-generated solutions and moved on, until they wanted to take a closing reserving step [2].

Site visitors does stream in sure circumstances.

I reported final week within the Progress Memo AI Mode usability examine half 2 that buying prompts produced clicks almost 100% of the time, whereas non‑transactional duties produced virtually none.

Likewise, Propellic’s journey examine discovered that planning duties saved customers in AI Mode ( with ≈104 seconds of engagement), however as soon as a call was made they clicked out to guide (spending about ≈38 seconds earlier than the exterior click on).

Take into accout, AI Mode doesn’t simply dramatically cut back clicks, it additionally shrinks looking out classes: Semrush noticed AI Mode classes common two to 3 queries versus ~5 in conventional search [3]. Which means not solely is there much less of an opportunity for visitors, however there’s additionally doubtless much less of an opportunity for visibility, too.

1. Count on massively decrease click-through charges from AI Mode in comparison with basic blue‑hyperlink SERPs.
2. As a substitute of visitors, suppose when it comes to model visibility and person affect inside AI Mode.
3. For efficiency metrics, shift your consideration from CTR to model mentions, dwell time, and conversion in the course of the closing, most high-intent step.

Analysis throughout our {industry} this 12 months exhibits, at the least for now, customers are sluggish to undertake AI Mode.

Nevertheless, Google appears hell-bent on coaching all searchers to go in that route by way of together with AI Mode buttons in Chrome and in AIOs on the SERP – even when that would imply much less time for customers within the SERPs or fewer advert clicks over time. In actual fact, the Progress Intelligence Transient #8, I reported:

Logan Kilpatrick, who leads the Google AI Studio and Gemini API product, shook the website positioning world [on September 6] when he mentioned AI Mode was going to change into the default search expertise.

Though he certified his assertion shortly after, Sundar Pichai had already mentioned the identical factor on the Lex Fridman podcast again in June.

So prepare. All roads appear to result in AI Mode, whether or not customers prefer it or not.

iPullRank’s AI Mode UX examine discovered that solely 2-5% of members used AI Mode throughout 5 duties, whereas 30-47% engaged with AI Overviews.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

And the month earlier than they launched their examine, iPullRank obtained Similarweb knowledge displaying over 50% of customers tried AI Mode as soon as after which bounced [4].

When members did use AI Mode within the iPullRank AI Mode examine, they usually consumed the reply, clicked nothing and moved on.

As well as, again in August, Aleyda Solis shared UK adoption of AI Mode slowed after person curiosity appeared to subside after the preliminary launch.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

So, it is sensible why Google is sluggish to roll AI Mode out broadly – it doesn’t have product-market match, but.

Within the Nielsen Norman Group’s (NNG) usability examine – UX analysis that examined how folks interacted with AI chats for search as a complete, together with AI Mode – famous that after being launched to AI chat, members discovered it useful for advanced data‑searching for duties. And that generative AI saved time for these duties by synthesizing the information. [5]

Nevertheless, members within the NNG examine nonetheless cross‑checked info by way of basic search, indicating residual skepticism.

Different analysis highlights inaccuracies and gaps with AI Mode:

iPullRank members looking for native information or well being clinics discovered AI Mode outcomes to be inaccurate or missing specificity, so that they relied on conventional websites or maps:

“In [the local sports and news headlines] search, many discovered the AIOs and AI Mode (in addition to ChatGPT) to be inaccurate, much less reliable, and never updated, however the members didn’t count on these sources to be well timed or correct within the first place, which is a matter in itself.”

In a small-scale experiment by Ahrefs, Patrick Stox created AI Mode‑generated articles on technical website positioning subjects that had contained factual errors (e.g., incorrect hreflang recommendation) and printed them stay to see if they might rank. The three take a look at pages failed to look for his or her goal key phrases, and the take a look at means that AI Mode content material could also be insufficiently correct for Google’s personal EEAT tips.

1. Customers typically belief AI Mode and AI solutions on different platforms. Responses could be extremely trusted for some high-intent buying searches and informational queries, however they might comprise inaccuracies or undesirable localization.
2. Customers and entrepreneurs ought to deal with AI solutions as beginning factors, double‑checking important data and contemplating model authority and verification.
3. There’s a model threat inherent to LLMs like AI Mode. Dangerous actors can use the nonetheless nascent and easy performance of LLMs to unfold lies about manufacturers on the net and create unhealthy model sentiment. That is one thing you wish to monitor with AI visibility trackers.

4. How Are AI Overviews And AI Mode Comparable? How Are They Completely different?

Each AIOs and AI Mode produce synthesized solutions drawn from a number of sources, they usually each purpose to maintain customers on Google. However customers do work together with them otherwise.

Whereas we present in our analysis that AI Overviews act extra like truth sheets, the place customers skim to seek out fast data, AI Mode will get deeper engagement. Customers spend on common twice as a lot time with AI Mode as with AI Overviews.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Curiously, in iPullRank’s AI Mode examine, customers had been confused about AI Mode vs. AI Overviews and largely ignored the “dive deeper into AI Mode” button.

Setting apart the final person confusion, there are two core similarities seen throughout the 2025 AI Mode analysis and my evaluation of 19 research concerning the affect of AIOs:

1. Model affect: Visibility in each AIOs and AI Mode is dependent upon sturdy authority alerts, like model recognition, a top quality hyperlink profile, and high quality content material.
2. Restricted visitors: Each experiences cut back clicks. Research on AIOs confirmed CTR declines, whereas AI Mode classes are overwhelmingly zero‑click on.

The variations?

• Quotation patterns: SERanking discovered extra sources (averaging 12.6 hyperlinks per reply) with a mixture of block and inline hyperlinks in AI Mode, whereas AIOs usually cite fewer sources. AI Mode and AIOs have low overlap with solely 10.7% of URLs and 16% of domains overlapping between them.
• Content material size and elegance: Semrush’s comparability examine exhibits AI Mode produces longer solutions (~300 phrases), much like ChatGPT, and makes use of extra distinctive domains (~7 per reply) than AI Overviews (~3).
• Consumer interplay: AI Mode is accessed by way of a separate mode (or panel – at the least, for now) and gives chat‑model comply with‑up, product previews, native packs and enterprise profile playing cards. AIOs seem inline inside basic search and Individuals Additionally Ask questions and barely embody interactive options (on the date of this writing, at the least – we’re seeing extra interactive options pop up that take customers into AI Mode).
• Set off frequency: AIOs aren’t triggered on a regular basis, though Google has elevated their rollout throughout queries during the last 12 months. AI Mode could be invoked by the person or autopopulated for longer, conversational prompts.

5. Can Manufacturers Nonetheless Profit From AI Mode Visibility, Even If Clicks Are Scarce?

Sure – visibility inside AI Mode influences person selections even with out clicks. Right here’s how I can reply this confidently: A number of research present that customers learn AI solutions, look at citations and kind opinions with out leaving Google.

I get this query on a regular basis from my purchasers: “If Google exhibits AI Mode and our clicks go away – how do we all know whether or not what we’re doing works?”

Our AI Mode usability examine discovered that members spent 52-77 seconds studying AI solutions per process and infrequently concluded their analysis throughout the pane. Propellic’s journey analysis exhibits customers spending ≈104 seconds planning inside AI Mode after which reserving on an exterior web site.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Excessive belief scores (4.3/5) indicate that model mentions inside AI Mode switch authority to these manufacturers.

Contributors checked out inline hyperlinks, citations and product previews however hardly ever clicked out, until that they had a buying process to finish.

We additionally discovered that model familiarity meaningfully drives selections.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

In actual fact, acknowledged manufacturers had been chosen even when different choices had been out there. Thus, being cited (even with no click on) reinforces model recall and might result in direct visits later.

In brief: Deal with AI Mode as a branding channel. The aim is to be current the place customers learn, not simply the place they click on.

1. Attribution and monitoring of selections made in AI Mode is at present unimaginable, however we all know from the analysis that it issues. If/when AI Mode turns into the default search expertise, it’ll considerably change the way in which we take into consideration Search.
2. The most effective we are able to do is monitor AI Mode visibility (how usually, when and with what sentiment is our model talked about?) and self-reported attribution.
3. Adverts in AI Mode will present an additional layer of visibility that hopefully lets us quantify and prioritize optimization work.

I’m not taking swings at any of those research and exams or the groups that developed them. We’re all benefiting from this costly analysis these groups are working laborious to distribute.

Throughout our sector, I’m seeing sharp specialists and colleagues work diligently to broadly and freely share data, and it makes me prouder than ever to be in development advertising and marketing.

It actually seems like so many people are doing this work collectively.

However the fact is, LLMs are a black field proper now. And there’s a lot extra we have to know.

Whereas the out there research provide priceless insights, additionally they include limitations.

Under is my fast evaluation. The intention of together with this right here is to encourage us all to additional downside remedy to crack upon these vaults of knowledge.

This examine makes use of a big dataset of 10,000 U.S. queries and repeats queries throughout three datasets to measure volatility. It analyzes hyperlink sorts and overlap with natural outcomes, offering clear metrics.

However the examine lacks qualitative person knowledge and doesn’t consider how usually AI Mode seems.

This analysis consists of actual‑person suppose‑aloud classes with 100 members throughout a number of duties. It additionally offers qualitative insights into person confusion between AI Mode and AI Overviews, which is significant.

Utilization of AI Mode on this examine was extraordinarily low (2-5%), making some findings skinny. So, whereas we obtained some good knowledge right here about how customers are looking out inside Google proper now with these new options out there, we don’t get strong details about how folks use AI Mode particularly.

The info for these two research may be very sturdy. However for the AI Mode comparability examine particularly, I’d prefer to see analysis on an expanded view of search intents, apart from the basic 4.

In Belief Nonetheless Lives in Blue Hyperlinks – additional evaluation of the UX examine of AIOs I printed in Could – I demonstrated a transparent sample of latest methods customers work together with LLM-based search options to validate AI outputs.

All of us should increase our understanding of search intent, and having the information/analysis that extra particularly parses out intent would assist.

I might be very excited to see a mixture of clickstream knowledge with direct observations, damaged down by vertical and over time for extra AI Mode insights.

Progress Memo – Consumer Conduct & website positioning Influence (Components 1 & 2)

I wouldn’t change something concerning the analysis we’ve put out on AI Mode the previous couple of weeks.

Simply kidding.

Our outcomes had been particularly restricted to the usage of AI mode, so I warning towards making use of the insights from the examine past the duties or options examined. Contributors knew they had been in a examine, which clearly can affect their conduct. We additionally choose a broad vary of duties, which covers many intents and use circumstances however didn’t discover all of them in depth. I hope future analysis can focus solely on elements like native search or buying.

I’d additionally like to copy the examine kind throughout {industry} sorts, bigger units of search duties by search intent, and throughout LLMs.

In fact, that is a particularly small pattern; outcomes could not generalize. However, that is an fascinating take a look at of Google itself regardless.

I’d be curious to check extra subjects, together with human‑written baselines.

This examine checked out LLM interactions total, and it wasn’t particular to AI Mode or Google; it additionally was a smaller pattern of 10 members.

General, it might be fascinating to check every AI-chat-based search methodology, together with AI Mode, particularly with a bigger pattern measurement and measure variations in belief and effectivity.

This was restricted to journey vertical, though there are insights right here that can be utilized no matter {industry}.

Contributors had been prompted to make use of AI Mode, which can not mirror natural conduct – particularly if persons are naturally avoidant of the characteristic.

The examine measures citations in LLMs, not click on conduct or person satisfaction with these outputs or citations.

General, I’d like to see extra details about AI Mode that features broader geographic and multilingual datasets because it rolls out extra globally, together with investigation into content material accuracy and person satisfaction.

Our {industry} actually wants elevated pattern measurement + range throughout these usability research, however to be sincere, it’s an enormous, costly endeavor.

Featured Picture: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal