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Dofollow Digest #36: Three types of keywords that keep working despite AI Overviews

Author

Eric Carrell
August 01, 2025

Hey, it's Eric 👋

Been diving deep into some fascinating new research from Ahrefs about "AI-proof" keywords. While most of us are panicking about AI Overviews stealing clicks, some types of content are actually holding their ground—or even gaining traffic.

The data reveals three specific patterns that keep working even when AI summaries dominate the SERP. I'll break down what this means for SaaS companies below, plus share some practical ways to engineer more clicks in the age of zero-click search.

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🔍 DEEP DIVE: Three Types of Keywords That Keep Working Despite AI Overviews

Ahrefs analyzed their own keyword performance to find queries that maintained or increased clicks even when AI Overviews appeared on the SERP. Out of 1,393 keywords, 97 (~7%) ranked in SERPs with AI Overviews while still driving traffic.

Three patterns emerged:

1. Free Tools and Utility Pages

Keywords like "free website traffic checker" and "keyword generator" kept driving clicks because AI summaries can't replace actual tool functionality. Users need to click through to accomplish their task.

The reason is straightforward: AI Overviews can tell users about a tool's features, but they can't actually run the tool for them. When someone searches for a keyword density checker, they want to check their own content - not read about how keyword density works. This creates a natural moat around utility-based content.

2. Content That Wasn't Ranking Before

Some pages that didn't rank on page one originally began appearing in top 10 results or AI Overview citations after March 13th. Good SEO fundamentals still help you gain visibility even in AI-dominated SERPs.

What's happening here is that Google's AI systems need diverse, high-quality sources to generate comprehensive overviews. Pages that previously ranked on page two or three can now get featured in AI Overview citations, giving them new visibility. This suggests that optimizing content for expertise and depth - not just keyword targeting - has become more valuable since AI Overviews launched.

3. SERPs Where AI Overviews Rank Below Position 1

AI Overviews don't always appear in the top spot. About 8.5% of the time, they rank in positions 2-6. When this happens, traditional organic results keep more of their click-through rates.

This positioning varies by query type and competition. Complex technical searches or highly commercial queries often push AI Overviews lower in the results. For SaaS companies targeting B2B keywords with purchase intent, this creates opportunities to maintain top-position visibility even when AI summaries are present.

What This Means for SaaS Companies

Content that requires user interaction or provides unique utility holds its value. AI summaries can answer questions, but they can't replace tools, complex workflows, or hands-on experiences.

Worth considering for SaaS companies:

  • Interactive tools and calculators that prospects can use for free

  • Step-by-step implementation guides that users need to follow along with

  • Comparison pages that help users evaluate specific tools and features

  • Industry-specific resources that require domain expertise to create

Users still click when they have a job to be done that requires more than information. Content that helps users accomplish tasks tends to perform better than content that just explains topics.

🔗 LINK ROUNDUP

Til next time,

Eric