16 SEO Statistics for 2026 (AI Overviews & Clicks)

SEO in 2026 is shaped by AI answers. According to SparkToro, 68.01% of US Google searches ended without a click in early 2026, and Ahrefs found that an AI Overview correlates with a 58% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page. Yet ranking still matters: 76.10% of pages cited in AI Overviews also rank in Google’s top 10 (Ahrefs, 2025), and AI search visitors convert at a far higher rate than traditional organic visitors (Semrush, 2025).

The 16 SEO statistics below cover search market share, zero-click searches, AI Overviews and AI search, technical SEO and local search. Each figure is attributed to the study or dataset it comes from, with links in the Sources section at the end.

Updated October 2026.

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Key statistics at a glance

Google holds 89.94% of the worldwide search market (StatCounter, September 2026).
68.01% of US Google searches end without a click (SparkToro, January to April 2026).
AI Overviews correlate with a 58% lower CTR for the #1 result (Ahrefs, February 2026).
76.10% of pages cited in AI Overviews rank in Google’s top 10 (Ahrefs, July 2025).
Being cited in an AI Overview correlates with 35% higher organic CTR (Seer Interactive, November 2025).
The average AI search visitor is worth 4.4 times a traditional organic visitor (Semrush, July 2025).
45% of consumers use ChatGPT or other AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6% (BrightLocal, 2026).

How much traffic does search still send?

1. Google holds 89.94% of the worldwide search engine market

StatCounter Global Stats puts Google’s worldwide search share at 89.94% in September 2026, with Bing at 5.29% and no other engine above 2%. For most websites, SEO still means Google SEO, although Bing’s index also feeds several AI assistants.

2. 68.01% of US Google searches end without a click

SparkToro’s 2026 zero-click study, based on Similarweb’s US clickstream panel for January to April 2026, found 68.01% of Google searches ended with no click at all, up from 60.45% in 2024 and 49% in 2019. Answers in the results page, AI Overviews and Google’s own properties absorb a growing share of attention.

3. Mobile devices generate 58.99% of web page views

StatCounter data for September 2026 shows 58.99% of worldwide page views come from mobile devices. Google indexes the mobile version of pages first, so the mobile experience is the version that ranks.

How do AI Overviews affect SEO?

4. AI Overviews correlate with a 58% lower click-through rate for the #1 result

Ahrefs’ February 2026 study of 300,000 keywords found that when an AI Overview is present, the top-ranking page’s click-through rate is 58% lower than expected, up from a 34.5% reduction in its April 2025 study. The effect decreases further down the page, to a 19.4% reduction at position 10.

5. Organic CTR on queries with AI Overviews fell 61% in 15 months

Seer Interactive’s November 2025 analysis of 3,119 informational search terms across 42 client organizations found organic CTR for queries with AI Overviews fell from 1.76% in June 2024 to 0.61% in September 2025, a 61% decline. Queries without AI Overviews also fell, by 41%, so organic CTR is shrinking across the board.

6. Pages cited in an AI Overview get 35% higher organic CTR

Seer Interactive found that in Q3 2025, brands cited inside an AI Overview earned a 0.70% organic CTR, compared with 0.52% for brands that were not cited, about 35% higher. Paid CTR was 91% higher when the brand was cited. Seer notes this is a correlation, but it suggests that being the source an AI answer quotes is the new version of ranking first.

7. 76.10% of pages cited in AI Overviews rank in Google’s top 10

Ahrefs’ July 2025 study of about 1.9 million citations from 1 million AI Overviews found that 76.10% of cited pages rank in the top 10 organic results for the query. Traditional SEO, meaning relevant content and authority that earns a first-page ranking, remains the main route into AI Overviews.

8. 99.2% of keywords that trigger AI Overviews are informational

According to Ahrefs’ 2025 research, 99.2% of keywords that show AI Overviews have informational intent. Commercial and transactional pages, such as product, pricing and service pages, are much less exposed to AI Overviews than how-to and definition content.

AI search statistics for SEO

9. The average AI search visitor is worth 4.4 times a traditional organic visitor

Semrush’s July 2025 AI search study found that the average visitor arriving from AI search is 4.4 times as valuable as the average visitor from traditional organic search, based on conversion rates. People who click through from an AI answer have usually already done their research.

10. AI search could send more visitors than traditional search by early 2028

Semrush projects that, for digital marketing and SEO topics, AI search may start driving more visitors to websites than traditional search by early 2028, and sooner if Google makes AI Mode its default. Semrush also expects AI channels to match traditional organic search in economic value by the end of 2027.

11. Nearly 90% of pages cited by ChatGPT search rank in position 21 or lower on Google

The same Semrush study found that when ChatGPT search cites a web page, that page ranks in Google positions 21 or lower for related queries almost 90% of the time. Unlike Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT does not simply reuse Google’s top 10, so brands outside page one can still be cited.

Technical SEO statistics

12. Only 48% of mobile websites pass all Core Web Vitals

The HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2025 found that 48% of websites pass all three Core Web Vitals on mobile and 56% on desktop (July 2025 data). Largest Contentful Paint is the hardest to pass, with only 62% of sites rated good on mobile. Page experience is a tie-breaker rather than a main ranking factor, but slow pages also lose visitors.

13. 97.3% of mobile home pages use HTTPS

According to the Web Almanac 2025 security chapter, 97.3% of mobile home pages and 97.5% of desktop home pages are served over HTTPS. HTTPS has been a lightweight Google ranking signal since 2014 and is now simply expected; see our guide on enabling an SSL certificate.

Local SEO statistics

14. 97% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses

BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults, published February 11, 2026) found 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 41% say they always do, up from 29% in 2025. Reviews feed both Google’s local rankings and the decision to click.

15. 45% of consumers use AI tools for local business recommendations

BrightLocal found that 45% of consumers now use ChatGPT or other generative AI tools to find local business recommendations, up from just 6% in 2025. That makes AI the third most popular source for local research, so consistent business information across directories and review sites matters for AI visibility too.

16. 71% of consumers use Google to read local business reviews, down from 83%

Google is still the leading review platform in BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, used by 71% of consumers to read reviews of local businesses, but that is down from 83% in 2025 as AI tools and other platforms take share. A complete, active Google Business Profile remains the foundation of local SEO.

What do these SEO statistics mean for small businesses?

Clicks from Google are harder to win, especially for informational content. The response is not to abandon SEO but to adjust it: rank for commercial and branded searches where AI Overviews rarely appear, write content that AI answers want to cite, keep pages fast and secure, and collect reviews for local search.

Brand searches are the most resilient traffic source, so a distinctive, memorable name pays off. Use the business name generator for ideas and the namechk domain and username checker to secure matching domains and handles. For more data, see our Google search statistics and content marketing statistics.

How we compiled these statistics

We used dated, published studies from Ahrefs, Semrush, Seer Interactive, SparkToro (Similarweb panel data) and BrightLocal, plus StatCounter and the HTTP Archive Web Almanac. Correlation studies are labeled as such. We removed older, frequently repeated figures that could not be traced to a study from 2024 or later. All data is as of October 2026.

FAQs

What percentage of Google searches result in no click?

SparkToro’s 2026 study of US Similarweb clickstream data found 68.01% of Google searches between January and April 2026 ended without any click, up from 60.45% in 2024 and 49% in 2019. Searches inside the Google app were not measured, so the real zero-click share is probably higher.

Do AI Overviews hurt SEO traffic?

For informational queries, yes. Ahrefs found AI Overviews correlate with a 58% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page (February 2026), and Seer Interactive measured a 61% drop in organic CTR on AI Overview queries between June 2024 and September 2025. Pages cited inside the AI Overview fare better, with about 35% higher organic CTR.

How do I get cited in Google AI Overviews?

Rank well first. Ahrefs found 76.10% of pages cited in AI Overviews also rank in Google’s top 10 for the query. Clear, well-structured answers, original data and strong topical authority help, because AI Overviews draw on pages Google already trusts. Commercial pages are less affected, since 99.2% of AI Overview keywords are informational.

Is SEO still worth it in 2026?

Yes, but the goals are changing. Google still handles 89.94% of searches, and Semrush found AI search visitors convert at 4.4 times the value of traditional organic visitors. SEO now means ranking, being cited in AI answers and building a brand people search for directly, rather than chasing informational clicks alone.

How important are reviews for local SEO?

Very. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses and 41% always do. Google remains the top review platform, used by 71% of consumers, while 45% now also use AI tools such as ChatGPT for local recommendations, which draw on reviews and directory listings.

Does page speed affect Google rankings?

Page experience, including Core Web Vitals, is part of Google’s ranking systems, but it acts more as a tie-breaker than a main factor. It still matters for visitors: the HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2025 found only 48% of mobile websites pass all three Core Web Vitals, so a fast site can stand out.

Sources

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