73% of marketers now optimize for AI search answers, IAB 2026 study

Google's overall search query volume just hit an all-time high, driven by its AI Overviews and AI Mode features.

AI Overviews now appear in 18% of all searches, 60% of question-based queries.
Click-through rates fall from 15% to 8% when an AI summary appears on a page.
Google's search ad revenue still rose 19% year-over-year in Q1 2026.

Why it matters: Readers click an AI overview's own links in just one percent of visits; marketers write for it anyway.

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