Why This Research Matters Now

Search is undergoing its most significant transformation since the rise of featured snippets. With the rapid expansion of AI Overviews across Google SERPs, organic visibility, click behaviour, and performance measurement are being fundamentally redefined.

This report presents a large-scale BFSI-focused analysis, localized for US and UK search markets, examining how AI Overviews impact Click-Through Rate (CTR), ranking value, and SEO strategy over time. The findings are structured not only as research insights but as a repeatable quarterly SEO framework for enterprise teams.

What Changed in Search Behaviour Between Early 2024 and Late 2025?

Between January 2024 and August 2025, AI Overviews expanded from an experimental SERP feature to a dominant interface for informational queries.

Key Observations

  • AI Overviews now appear in approximately one-third of BFSI-related searches in the US and UK
  • Informational queries (“what”, “how”, “is”, “why”) are most affected
  • Users increasingly complete their journey without clicking on organic listings

This shift mirrors broader US and UK user behaviour, where trust in Google-generated summaries is high, especially for finance, insurance, and banking queries.

How Widely Are AI Overviews Appearing in US & UK SERPs?

Across both markets, AI Overviews have expanded at scale:

  • Early 2024: AI Overviews visible in single-digit percentages of BFSI queries
  • Late 2025: Visibility increased to 30–35%, with higher penetration in the US than the UK

What This Means

For SEO teams, this confirms that AI Overviews are no longer a future risk—they are a current ranking layer that sits above traditional organic results.

Why Informational Queries Are Losing the Most Clicks

Informational searches are the primary trigger for AI Overviews, which directly answer user intent on the SERP.

Impact in US & UK Markets

  • Average informational CTR declined by 30–35%
  • Transactional queries saw a smaller decline of 10–15%
  • Finance explainers, calculators, definitions, and eligibility queries were most impacted

Strategic Reality

SEO success for informational content can no longer be measured by traffic alone. Visibility, authority, and influence now matter more than clicks.

How AI Overviews Are Changing the Value of Rankings

Even top rankings are no longer immune.

Observed Trends

  • Position #1 CTR dropped by ~30%
  • Positions #2 and #3 saw sharper relative losses
  • Below-the-fold organic results experienced diminishing returns

US vs UK Nuance

  • US SERPs show faster AI adoption and sharper CTR erosion
  • UK SERPs lag slightly but follow the same trajectory

This confirms that ranking without AI visibility is becoming less defensible as a KPI.

What This Means for BFSI Brands in the US & UK

AI Overviews disproportionately affect regulated, trust-driven industries.

Why BFSI Is More Exposed

  • Users seek fast, authoritative answers
  • Google prioritizes trusted, well-structured sources
  • Brand authority influences AI citation likelihood

For banks, insurers, and fintech platforms, SEO is evolving from a traffic channel into a visibility and trust engine.

A Quarterly SEO Framework for the AI Overview Era

This framework helps SEO teams adapt systematically every quarter.

Quarter 1: Measure & Segment

Key Actions

  • Segment keywords into AIO-triggering vs non-AIO
  • Separate informational and transactional intent
  • Track visibility loss vs CTR loss independently

KPIs to Monitor

  • AI Overview presence rate
  • Share of voice above the fold
  • CTR deltas by intent

Quarter 2: Optimize for AI Visibility

Content Actions

  • Rewrite informational pages with:
    • Clear definitions
    • Short answer blocks
    • Structured headings (What / Why / How / When)
  • Strengthen E-E-A-T signals for US & UK compliance expectations

Technical Actions

  • Improve internal linking to authority pages
  • Ensure crawlability and freshness signals

Quarter 3: Defend Commercial Performance

Transactional Focus

  • Aggressively protect Position #1 for high-intent queries
  • Optimize titles and meta descriptions for differentiation
  • Improve landing page conversion efficiency

KPIs

  • Conversion rate by ranking position
  • Assisted conversions from informational pages

Read More – How Can Enterprises Navigate Salesforce Data Migration in 2025?

Quarter 4: Reassess ROI & Scale What Works

Strategic Review

  • Deprioritize low-ROI informational keywords
  • Double down on:
    • High-authority content
    • AI-citable pages
    • Brand-led search growth

Executive Metrics

  • Brand visibility trends
  • Demand generation impact
  • SEO-assisted revenue

How Success Should Be Measured Going Forward

Traditional SEO MetricsAI-Era Metrics
RankingsAI visibility
CTRBrand exposure
TrafficAssisted conversions

For US and UK BFSI brands, SEO maturity will increasingly be defined by influence, not clicks.

Final Thought: SEO Is Becoming a Strategic Asset Again

AI Overviews mark a shift away from volume-driven SEO toward authority-led search strategy. Brands that adapt early—by aligning content, measurement, and expectations with AI-driven SERPs—will secure long-term advantage across US and UK markets.

The question is no longer whether AI will impact SEO, but how prepared your organization is to operate within it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What exactly are AI Overviews in Google Search?

AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of Google’s search results for certain queries. They synthesize information from multiple authoritative sources to directly answer user questions on the SERP. Unlike featured snippets, AI Overviews often provide broader, multi-point answers, significantly reducing the need for users to click through to individual websites.

2. Why are AI Overviews having such a strong impact on organic CTR?

AI Overviews satisfy user intent immediately by delivering answers directly within the search results. For informational queries, this removes the traditional incentive to click on organic listings, leading to lower CTR even when rankings remain unchanged. The impact is most pronounced for “what,” “how,” and “why” queries.

3. Are AI Overviews affecting all industries equally?

No. Regulated and trust-driven industries such as banking, financial services, insurance, healthcare, and legal are more affected. These industries naturally attract informational queries, and Google prioritizes authoritative sources when generating AI Overviews, accelerating visibility shifts in these verticals.

4. How do AI Overviews differ from featured snippets or People Also Ask?

While featured snippets pull a single answer from one page, AI Overviews aggregate information from multiple sources and present a more comprehensive response. People Also Ask expands the query journey, whereas AI Overviews often conclude it. This makes AI Overviews more disruptive to organic click behavior.

5. Does ranking #1 still matter in the presence of AI Overviews?

Yes, but its value has changed. Ranking #1 remains critical for transactional and commercial queries where AI Overviews are less prevalent. However, for informational queries, even the top position may experience reduced CTR if an AI Overview appears above it.

6. How can websites increase their chances of being cited in AI Overviews?

Websites should focus on clarity, accuracy, and authority. This includes structuring content with clear headings, providing concise definitions, citing credible sources, maintaining topical depth, and strengthening E-E-A-T signals such as author expertise and content freshness.

7. Should SEO teams stop investing in informational content?

No. Informational content remains essential for brand discovery, trust-building, and early-stage user engagement. However, success should be measured beyond clicks—visibility, brand mentions, AI citations, and assisted conversions are increasingly important metrics.

8. How should CTR benchmarks be adjusted in an AI-driven SERP environment?

Traditional CTR benchmarks need recalibration. SEO teams should segment reporting by AI Overview presence, intent type, and ranking position. Comparing AIO-triggering keywords against non-AIO keywords provides a more realistic performance assessment.

9. What metrics should replace CTR as primary SEO KPIs?

In addition to CTR, teams should track AI visibility, share of voice above the fold, branded search growth, assisted conversions, and content influence across the funnel. These metrics better reflect SEO’s role in an AI-led search ecosystem.

10. How often should organizations reassess their SEO strategy due to AI Overviews?

SEO strategy should be reviewed quarterly. Given the rapid expansion of AI Overviews, regular audits of keyword intent, SERP features, and performance metrics are essential to ensure continued alignment with evolving search behavior.

Read More –How to Use AI for SEO: Expert Tactics That Drive Rankings & Leads (2025)

Closing Perspective

AI Overviews represent a permanent shift in how users interact with search. Organizations that adapt their SEO strategy to prioritize authority, visibility, and influence—rather than clicks alone—will be best positioned to succeed in US and UK search markets.