AI Overviews at the moment are much less more likely to cite pages that rank in Google’s prime 10 natural positions, based on new BrightEdge information. This transformation was noticed following Google’s March 2025 core replace.
By the numbers. The overlap between AI Overview citations and Google’s prime 10 natural positions dropped from 16% to fifteen% following the March 2025 core replace.
Why we care. Tens of hundreds of thousands of searches per day now function AI-generated summaries that don’t cite the highest-ranked outcomes from natural search. The excellent news? Pages rating outdoors Google’s prime 10 positions now have a greater shot at being cited in AI Overviews.
However. This seems to be a significant shift in how Google is synthesizing data by way of its AI-generated solutions. The change may pose new visibility and attribution (and much more rank monitoring) challenges. Different ongoing challenges:
The large image. Google’s John Mueller confirmed that Google AI Overviews are impacted by core updates. BrightEdge’s newest discovering appears to be additional affirmation of that. Mueller mentioned final August:
- “These are part of search, and core updates have an effect on search, so sure.”
What’s subsequent. We’ll proceed to look at how Google’s AI Overviews and core updates impression natural visitors (that “mandatory evil” which makes it doable for web sites to exist and Google to have all of the contemporary, useful content material it wants).
Dig deeper. Google AI Overviews spiked throughout March 2025 core replace
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In regards to the creator
Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Advertising Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. Along with reporting on the most recent search advertising and marketing information, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Topic Matter Skilled) program. He additionally helps program U.S. SMX occasions.
Goodwin has been enhancing and writing concerning the newest developments and traits in search and digital advertising and marketing since 2007. He beforehand was Govt Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many main search conferences and digital occasions, and has been sourced for his experience by a variety of publications and podcasts.
