Google’s AI Overviews are no longer a side feature, they are becoming the default layer of interpretation between users and the open web. With Google reportedly making Gemini 3 the default model behind AI Overviews globally (28 Jan 2026), the search experience is shifting from “find and click” to “ask and continue.”
For SEO, this is a structural change: visibility is being redistributed from blue links to synthesized answers, citations, and follow-up threads. The same forces that make results more conversational and contextual also compress click opportunity, increase competition for attribution, and raise the bar for what “search optimized” even means.
Gemini 3 becomes the default engine behind AI Overviews
On 28 Jan 2026, Google reportedly set Gemini 3 as the default model powering AI Overviews globally, with an “AI Mode handoff” on mobile that can move users into a more conversational search flow. That matters because model choice dictates how summaries are composed, which sources get cited, and how aggressively the interface keeps users inside Google’s answer layer.
A quote attributed to Google Search VP Robby Stein emphasized an experience that “flows into conversation,” where follow-up questions retain context. In practical terms, this reframes search from a sequence of isolated queries into a single evolving session, one that can reduce the number of traditional SERP impressions where websites typically win clicks.
For publishers and brands, the implication is that ranking is increasingly about being the selected source inside a generated narrative, not merely being the top result in a list. The SEO battlefield expands from classic positions to inclusion, prominence, and phrasing within AI Overview citations and conversational continuations.
From “AI Mode first” to day-one Search integration
Google’s own messaging foreshadowed this trajectory. On 18 Nov 2025, Google announced “Google Search with Gemini 3,” positioning Gemini 3 as available in Search starting with AI Mode, framed as day-one Search integration rather than an experimental add-on.
Google also described Gemini 3 as “supercharging Search” with deeper reasoning and new generative UI experiences. In SEO terms, “deeper reasoning” is not just about better answers, it can mean fewer follow-up clicks because the system can combine context, infer intent, and synthesize steps that used to require multiple visits across multiple sites.
This introduces a new optimization target: content that can be cleanly interpreted, confidently summarized, and responsibly cited. The more the UI leans into generated experiences, the more SEO must consider how information is extracted, condensed, and presented, often without the user ever reaching the source page.
Why Gemini 3’s capabilities reshape what ranks (and what gets cited)
Google’s official Gemini 3 launch post (18 Nov 2025) positioned it as Google’s “most intelligent model,” highlighting improved reasoning, multimodality, and coding/agentic capabilities. These traits directly influence AI Overviews: a stronger reasoning model can unify multiple sources, reconcile ambiguity, and generate more decisive output.
Multimodality matters because search is increasingly visual and mixed-media. As models better interpret images, charts, and embedded media, SEO can no longer treat “text content” as the only indexable value. Original visuals, labeled diagrams, and data presentation become more likely to inform summaries, if they are accessible and machine-readable.
Agentic capabilities matter because they hint at systems that can do more than answer, they can act. If Search becomes a pathway to task completion (booking, comparing, configuring, troubleshooting) within the interface, then content that is structured, step-based, and unambiguous may be easier for Gemini-driven systems to operationalize and cite.
The click-through reality: AI Overviews correlate with steep CTR declines
Multiple industry studies suggest the AI Overview layer is associated with meaningful CTR compression. A Seer Interactive study (reported by Search Engine Land on 4 Nov 2025) found that on informational queries featuring AI Overviews, organic CTR fell 61% and paid CTR plunged 68%. It also noted CTR declines even in cases without AI Overviews, suggesting broader layout and behavior shifts.
Additional reporting cited by EMARKETER (2025), linked to Ahrefs findings, observed that the presence of an AI Overview correlates with about a 34.5% lower average CTR. It also referenced an informational keyword position-1 CTR decline when comparing March 2024 to March 2025, reinforcing that the top spot is less “safe” than it used to be.
GrowthSRC Media research (reported by Search Engine Journal, 21 Jul 2025) echoed the trend: top organic CTR reportedly dropped from 28% to 19% after AI Overviews expansion, with position #2 CTR falling 39% YoY. Importantly, it also noted growth in the number of keywords triggering AI Overviews (Aug 2024 → May 2025), meaning the impact area is widening, not shrinking.
Industry-wide patterns: more AI Overviews, less top-10 demand
A TechMagnate dataset study (15 Jul 2025; updated 11 Nov 2025) analyzed 40,000 BFSI keywords and found AI Overview presence rising from 6.86% to 29.07% (Oct 2024 → May 2025) while top-10 CTR dropped 36%. It also broke down differences between informational and transactional queries, showing that intent matters, but no category is entirely insulated.
The strategic takeaway is that SEO planning can’t treat AI Overviews as a rare SERP feature. As triggers expand, forecasting must assume higher volatility in click yield even when rankings hold steady. In other words: “ranking stability” can coexist with “traffic instability.”
This is where Gemini 3’s default status becomes pivotal. A better model can increase AI Overview coverage by making Google more confident in generating summaries, handling nuanced topics, and maintaining context across follow-ups. As confidence rises, generated layers can appear more often, and occupy more attention.
Regulatory pressure: publisher control, attribution, and transparency
SEO is being reshaped not only by technology, but also by governance. Reported on 29 Jan 2026 with a consultation deadline of 25 Feb 2026, the UK CMA proposed measures targeting Google’s AI Overviews, including publisher control, attribution, and transparency expectations.
This matters because citations are becoming a form of “ranking.” If regulation pushes clearer sourcing, consistent link presentation, or opt-out/controls for content usage, the practical mechanics of how publishers earn visibility inside AI Overviews could change rapidly, potentially opening new opportunities for compliant brands that invest early in provenance and clarity.
At the same time, regulatory scrutiny signals that the relationship between AI summaries and publisher value exchange is unsettled. SEO leaders should monitor policy outcomes as closely as algorithm updates, because interface rules (how sources are shown, where links appear, what controls exist) can alter traffic distribution just as dramatically as ranking factors.
Beyond Search: Gemini 3 in Chrome “Auto Browse” and the rise of agentic navigation
On 29 Jan 2026, WIRED reported that Google Chrome’s “Auto Browse” agent uses Gemini 3 to complete web tasks. The Verge also reported Google adding Gemini AI-powered Auto Browse to Chrome in the U.S. for AI Pro/Ultra tiers. This is a significant SEO signal: task completion may happen through an agent that navigates the web on the user’s behalf.
If an agent can compare options, fill forms, summarize pages, or complete multi-step flows, the classic “SERP → click → browse” funnel can be bypassed. Websites may still be visited, but by automated browsing sessions optimized for completion, not engagement. That changes what “conversion optimization” and “content optimization” look like.
Practically, this elevates the importance of machine-friendly UX: predictable page structure, fast load times, accessible form fields, clear product data, and unambiguous policies. As agentic browsing grows, SEO converges with technical performance, structured data, and frictionless task design, because the “user” may increasingly be a Gemini-driven assistant executing intent.
SEO playbook shifts: optimize for inclusion, not just position
With Gemini 3 powers AI overviews, reshaping SEO, the goal expands from ranking to being used in answers. That starts with content built for extraction: concise definitions, step-by-step procedures, clean ings, and well-scoped sections that can be cited without losing meaning.
Second, invest in credibility signals that help models and systems choose you: transparent authorship, clear update dates, original data, and consistent topical coverage. As AI Overviews synthesize multiple sources, the winners are often the pages that are both understandable and trustworthy when summarized.
Third, measure success differently. Track not only clicks and positions, but also presence in AI Overview citations, changes in branded search demand, and downstream conversions from fewer, but more qualified, visits. In a world of CTR compression, the ability to convert and retain users becomes as critical as the ability to rank.
Gemini 3’s elevation to the default engine behind AI Overviews marks a turning point: Google is betting that conversation, context retention, and generated interfaces are the future of Search. The studies showing CTR declines suggest the costs will be unevenly distributed, especially for informational publishers and ad-dependent strategies.
The opportunity is to adapt faster than the interface changes. Brands that make their content easy to summarize, cite, and act on, and that prepare for both regulatory shifts and agentic browsing, will be best positioned as Gemini 3-driven experiences redefine what visibility and traffic mean.
