Semrush data shows how AI Overviews are reshaping search

Holy cow, this is some great new data on AI Overviews.

Semrush and my friends at Datos, A Semrush Company just published an extensive analysis of Google's AI overviews and how they are reshaping search.

Here's what stood out to me - but you really ought to read the whole study to get the full dataset.

1️⃣ AI Overviews Are Expanding Rapidly

The presence of AI Overviews in search results has doubled from 6.49% in January 2025 to 13.14% in March 2025. Industries like Science, Health and Society are experiencing the most significant growth. If you're a marketer or content publisher in one of these areas, the rapid expansion of AI Overviews should merit immediate attention. Other sectors aren't seeing as rapid an increase, but I don't recommend that you sit by idly if it's not happening to you yet.

Source: Semrush

2️⃣ Google Is Playing It Safe with AI Disruption - At Least For Now

According to Semrush, 95% (!!) of keywords with AI Overviews either have NO ads or extremely low cost-per-click. Most of these queries also fall into low-volume, moderate-competitive territory—suggesting Google is testing AI on less-monetizable searches first.

3️⃣ AI Overviews Strongly Favor Informational Queries

Informational searches comprise a staggering 88.1% share of queries that trigger AI Overviews. The share of queries that are transactional and trigger an AI overview is a small fraction of the total—just under 9%. That figure is growing (it's up from 6.3% in January) but for now, Google is prioritizing informational queries when it comes to showing AI overviews.