New WebFX Study Reveals Google AI Overviews Now Surface in One in Four U.S. Searches

PR Newswire
Monday, August 4, 2025 at 1:48pm UTC

New WebFX Study Reveals Google AI Overviews Now Surface in One in Four U.S. Searches

PR Newswire

WebFX's analysis of 2.37 million U.S. Google searches shows that AI Overviews now surface in 25.8 % of results, rising to 54 % for longer informational queries.

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- WebFX, a leading digital marketing agency, today published a comprehensive analysis of 2.37 million U.S. Google search results that shows Google's AI Overview feature now appears in 25.8% of all queries. The research highlights how query length, user intent, and industry vertical influence the likelihood of the AI-generated answer box replacing traditional organic listings.

Key Findings

  • Overall prevalence – An AI Overview is present in more than one out of every four searches examined.
  • Query length – Searches containing seven or more words trigger the AI Overview in 54 percent of cases, while two‑word queries do so only 19.6 percent of the time.
  • Search intent matters – Informational questions that begin with "how", "why", or "what is" are nearly twice as likely to display an AI Overview compared with transactional or commercial searches.
  • Industry variation – Health-related keywords top the list at 51 percent, followed by family and community at 39 percent, while apparel sits near 12 percent.
  • Built‑in defenses – Adding geographic or brand modifiers, such as a city name or retailer, lowers the AI Overview rate to below 10 percent.

"Our objective was to measure the real‑world footprint of AI Overviews across every major vertical, not just a few cherry‑picked keywords," said VP Marketing Trevin Shirey. "The data confirms what many marketers have suspected: Google's own AI answer box is rapidly changing how users find information, especially for long‑tail how‑to searches."

The full breakdown and study can be found here: https://www.webfx.com/blog/seo/where-and-why-google-ai-overviews-appear-2-3m-keywords-study/

WebFX is a full‑service digital marketing agency headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Serving clients in more than 200 industries, the company specializes in data‑driven SEO, paid media management, and AI-powered revenue marketing software.

Media Contact

Trevin Shirey, WebFX, 1 7176091625, trevin@webfx.com, https://www.webfx.com

Cision View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/new-webfx-study-reveals-google-ai-overviews-now-surface-in-one-in-four-us-searches-302519702.html

SOURCE WebFX