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How Search Generative Experience (SGE / AI Overviews) Affects GSC Data

Kong Metrics Team · · 3 min read

The Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is undergoing its most radical transformation in two decades. With the rollout of Search Generative Experience (SGE) and AI Overviews, Google is actively attempting to answer user queries directly at the top of the page using generative AI.

For SEOs, this creates a massive wave of anxiety. If Google answers the question via AI, why would the user ever click a website link?

The short answer: they won't. You must understand how this impacts your Google Search Console data and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Pivoting for Sustainable Growth

AI Overviews are inevitable, but they are not the end of SEO. By pivoting your content strategy to focus on the high-intent, transactional queries where AI struggles, you can maintain your visibility and ensure your search traffic continues to drive real business value, regardless of how the SERP landscape changes.

The Rise of AI Overviews

AI Overviews predominantly target Top of Funnel (ToFu) informational queries. If a user searches "what temperature to bake chicken," the AI Overview will simply state "400 degrees for 20 minutes."

The user's intent is instantly satisfied. They bounce.

If your website previously held the #1 ranking for that query, you are going to see a drastic change in your GSC Performance report.

Measuring the SGE Traffic Loss

Because Google does not specifically label "AI Overview" traffic in Search Console, you must look for the data fingerprint it leaves behind: The Impression/CTR Disconnect.

When an AI Overview triggers above your #1 ranking:

  1. Your Impressions will remain high (because your URL is technically still rendering on the page below the AI box).
  2. Your Average Position will remain at 1.0 (because GSC doesn't count the AI box as an organic ranking).
  3. Your Click-Through Rate (CTR) will absolutely plummet.

Tracking the Fallout with Kong Metrics

You cannot manually monitor thousands of keywords for SGE impact. You must use the Kong Metrics CTR Benchmark tool.

Kong Metrics will automatically flag URLs that maintain a high ranking (e.g., Position #1 or #2) but experience a sudden, massive drop in CTR that falls far below the expected industry curve. This is the exact signature of an AI Overview stealing your clicks.

Adapting Your Strategy

Once Kong Metrics highlights the pages losing traffic to SGE, you must pivot.

Stop dedicating massive editorial budgets to simple "What is X" informational queries. The AI will eat them.

Instead, use Kong Metrics' Opportunity Scoring to pivot your resources toward Middle/Bottom of Funnel queries (e.g., "Best X software for Y industry", "Case studies on X"). AI struggles to answer nuanced, experience-based, transactional queries. By identifying and optimizing for these high-intent Striking Distance keywords, you can insulate your traffic from the SGE rollout.

Learn how to pivot your strategy with SEO Traffic Forecasting, track your progress with Good CTR Google Search Console, and ensure your site is resilient by checking Manual Actions Security GSC.