Google’s John Mueller has clarified that every one hyperlinks inside AI Overviews (AIOs) share a single place in Google Search Console.
search engine optimisation advisor Gianluca Fiorelli requested Mueller how Search Console tracks place knowledge for URLs in Google’s AI-generated reply bins.
Mueller referenced Google’s official assist docs, explaining:
“Principally an AIO counts as a block, so it’s all one place. It may be first place, if the block is proven first, however I don’t know if AIO is at all times proven first.”
This means that each web site linked in an AI Overview receives the identical place worth in Search Console experiences.
This happens no matter the place the hyperlink seems within the overview panel, whether or not instantly seen or hidden till a person expands the field.
What Google’s Documentation Says
Google’s Search Console Assist docs clarify how AI Overview metrics work:
- Place: “An AI Overview occupies a single place in search outcomes, and all hyperlinks within the AI Overview are assigned that very same place.”
- Clicks: “Clicking a hyperlink to an exterior web page within the AI Overview counts as a click on.”
- Impressions: “Normal impression guidelines apply. To be counted as an impression, the hyperlink have to be scrolled or expanded into view.”
The docs additionally notice:
“Search Console doesn’t embrace knowledge from experiments in Search Labs, as these experiments are nonetheless in lively improvement.”
The Lacking Knowledge Behind Google’s Click on Claims
This dialogue highlights an ongoing debate within the search engine optimisation group relating to the efficiency of hyperlinks in AI Overviews.
Lily Ray, Vice President of search engine optimisation Technique & Analysis at Amsive, not too long ago identified Google’s year-old declare that web sites obtain extra clicks when featured in AI Overviews, stating:
“I might like to see a single GSC report that confirms this assertion, as a result of each research to this point has proven the other.”
“We see that the hyperlinks included in AIO get extra clicks than if the web page had appeared as a conventional net itemizing for that question.”
I might like to see a single GSC report that confirms this assertion, as a result of each research to this point has proven the other.https://t.co/I1MVzr0vVi
— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) Might 14, 2025
Ray’s assertion displays the issues of many search engine optimisation professionals, as Google has not offered knowledge to assist its claims.
Wanting Forward
Whereas we now perceive how place metrics are recorded, the query stays: Do AI Overview placements drive roughly visitors than conventional search listings?
Google claims one factor, however many individuals report completely different experiences.
Since all AIO hyperlinks share the identical place, it’s tough to find out which particular placements carry out higher.
This debate highlights the necessity for extra exact knowledge about how AIOs have an effect on web site visitors in comparison with common search outcomes.
Featured Picture: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
