What site owners ask first: “Will AI Overviews steal my clicks, and what can I do about it right now?”
Organic traffic dips after Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) launch have many teams scrambling for answers. The short version: AI Overviews are not a death sentence, but they do change the click-flow. Gemini chooses pages that solve the query in plain language, cite reliable data, and expose structured signals it can parse quickly. If your article hides the main takeaway two scrolls down or buries schema behind mismatched copy, the model will reach for a competitor who writes cleaner.
Here is the no-panic checklist that protects visibility while you adapt:
- Confirm whether AI impressions, not overall rankings, are dropping. In GA4 create a filter for
source=google_sgereferrals so you can isolate traffic from AI Overviews versus classic links. - Compare those impressions against entity coverage and schema completeness. Google’s own guide to AI features and your website explains the technical hooks Gemini prefers.
- Refresh the answer-first section of every high-value post. Backlinko’s findings in its recent study on AI Overviews optimization show that pages updated with concise answers and supporting evidence regain citation spots within two weeks.
- Prioritize pages with commercial or lead-gen intent, then measure progress using the “SGE impression share” KPI outlined later in the section on Google AI Summary Ranking Factors.
Use these four steps as a triage plan before diving into deeper tactics like AI Overview featured snippet tactics. You will know exactly where the leaks occur, which fixes matter most, and whether AI Overviews are a real threat or an untapped traffic source for your niche.
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