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  • Dofollow Digest #26: How AI overviews are reshaping search

Dofollow Digest #26: How AI overviews are reshaping search

Author

Eric Carrell
May 19, 2025

Hey, it's Eric 👋

Last week, we hosted a webinar discussing Google's AI Overviews with Kevin Indig, Garrett French, and Eric Van Buskirk.

If you missed it, don't worry - I've digested the key findings from the study and what they mean specifically for SaaS companies. The data offers some fascinating insights into how search behavior is evolving and where the opportunities lie.

🔗 LINK ROUNDUP

🔍 DEEP DIVE: How AI Overviews Are Reshaping Search Behavior (And What SaaS Companies Can Do About It)

Kevin Indig's usability study of Google's AI Overviews provides valuable data on how this feature is influencing search behavior. The study tracked 70 users across 8 different search tasks, capturing scroll behavior, eye movements, and verbal reactions.

It found that when an AI Overview appears, external click rates decrease – by about two-thirds on desktop and nearly half on mobile. Most users read only the top third of an AI Overview before making a decision. Furthermore, users now seem to apply a two-step assessment when evaluating results:

  1. "Do I trust this brand?" (primary consideration)

  2. "Does this answer my question?" (secondary consideration)

This represents a shift in how we think about search optimization. Authority and brand recognition now play a more prominent role in the user decision process, often acting as prerequisites before relevance is considered.

For SaaS companies, the study uncovered an interesting pattern: when users do navigate away from the SERP after seeing an AI Overview, many clicks go to community platforms like Reddit and forum posts. These platforms provide additional social validation, especially for queries with financial implications or higher stakes.

This creates an opportunity for SaaS marketers to develop a two-pronged approach:

First, optimize for visibility in AI Overviews. Since most users only read the top third, being cited early is crucial. This means creating authoritative content that Google considers worth referencing.

Second, establish a presence on the community platforms that get traffic. For B2B SaaS specifically, this makes Reddit, Product Hunt, and industry forums increasingly important channels in your overall SEO strategy.

The study also highlighted demographic differences worth noting. Users aged 25-34 on mobile devices appear more likely to trust and use AI Overviews as their final answer source, while older demographics tend to rely more on traditional organic results. This suggests that your target audience should influence your optimization priorities.

At Dofollow, we see this as an evolution in search that creates opportunities for adaptable SaaS companies. The focus is shifting from simply ranking #1 to becoming the source Google cites first – a shift that rewards quality over quantity, which aligns perfectly with our approach to link building.

📣 WATCH THE WEBINAR REPLAY

If you'd like to dive deeper into these insights, the full webinar recording with Kevin Indig, Garrett French, and Eric Van Buskirk is now available.

The session includes additional data points not covered in this newsletter, plus a Q&A section where the panel addresses specific questions about adapting to AI Overviews.

Til next time,

Eric