# AI Overviews Reduce Click-Through Rates by 23.1% in France Google's AI features significantly impact organic search traffic in France. - **Source:** [Ahrefs Blog](https://ahrefs.com/blog) - **Published:** 2026-09-16 - **Topic:** [Marketing](https://brifing.si/c/marketing) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/88346517-fc52-4312-a428-b66704ede11c ## Immediate CTR Decline Google's AI Overviews, launched in France on July 22, 2026, caused a 23.1% drop in click-through rates for highly exposed websites within nine days. The study tracked 963 domains, with 82.2% of heavily affected sites experiencing significant traffic loss. This immediate impact demonstrates how quickly AI can disrupt traditional search behavior when implemented at scale in a major market. ## Exposure Correlation The data shows a direct linear relationship between AI Overview exposure and CTR loss - each percentage point of AI feature appearance costs roughly one point of CTR. Sites with 15% AI Overview exposure lost about 15% of their clicks. This predictable pattern allows marketers to estimate potential traffic loss based on their current SERP feature analysis in Google Search Console. ## Health Sector Hit Hardest Health-related websites suffered most severely, with a 20.4% CTR decline and 22.2% AI Overview exposure rate. Informational health queries with short answers are particularly vulnerable to AI absorption. Previous research showed 44.1% of medical queries triggered AI Overviews, making this vertical exceptionally susceptible to zero-click search results. ## Global Trend Confirmed The French results align with global patterns where AI Overview impact worsens over time. Position 1 CTR dropped from -34.5% in 2025 to -58% by year's end in other markets. As AI appears on more queries and users adapt to not clicking, the damage compounds. France appears to be following this same trajectory in early adoption stages. ## Methodological Rigor The study compared 963 French domains' performance 28 days before versus 9 days after AI Overview launch. Researchers isolated AI impact by contrasting domains with >20% exposure against a control group (<2% exposure). The control group's 2.3% CTR increase highlights how exposed sites not only lost traffic but missed typical seasonal gains, making the net effect -24.8%. ## Impressions vs. Clicks While impressions remained stable or even increased (one case showed +183%), clicks dropped significantly (-1.9% in the same example). This 'great decoupling' phenomenon means pages still appear in SERPs but become less relevant when AI answers appear. The most extreme cases saw CTR divided by more than three despite strong visibility. ## Query Intent Matters The study found query intent determines vulnerability more than industry vertical. Transactional queries (requiring tools, accounts, or purchases) resist AI absorption better than informational ones. Marketers should analyze their keyword portfolios through this lens rather than making broad industry assumptions about AI impact. ## Strategic Implications With multiple studies confirming 40-65% CTR declines from AI Overviews globally, the search marketing playbook requires fundamental revision. The zero-click search trend demands new strategies for capturing value when traditional organic clicks disappear. Early data from France suggests all markets will eventually face similar disruptions as AI integration deepens. ## Sources covering this story - https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overviews-france-impact/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._