The queries that still reliably send clicks in 2026 are the ones an AI summary can't finish for the searcher: navigational and branded searches, transactional searches where someone wants to buy or sign up, local searches, tool and template queries, and searches that need fresh, personal or high-stakes detail. Simple definitional and "how does X work" queries are where clicks have fallen most.
Key Takeaways
- Clicks survive where the job can't be completed on the results page: buying, logging in, using a tool, visiting a place, comparing live prices.
- Informational queries take the biggest hit. Ahrefs measured a 58% lower position-one CTR on informational keywords with AI Overviews (Dec 2023 vs Dec 2025).
- Semrush found AI Overviews on commercial-intent keywords grew 71% between November 2025 and April 2026, while transactional-intent AI Overviews fell 5%. The comparison stage is no longer safe.
- Don't rely on general lists. Use Search Console to find your own click-safe queries: stable CTR, stable position, over at least a year.
- Build content for click-safe intents and make informational content citable rather than clickable.
The simple test: can the searcher finish here?
Before any data, one question does most of the work: can Google's summary complete the searcher's task?
- "What is a CPA in marketing", yes. The answer is a sentence. Clicks go down.
- "Masai School login", no. You have to go to the site.
- "Buy running shoes size 10 wide", no. You need a store and a cart.
- "SEO audit checklist template download", no. You need the file.
- "Best CRM for a 10-person sales team": partly. The AI can shortlist, but many people still click to check pricing and features.
Everything below is a refinement of that test.
Query types that still get clicks
| Query type | Example | Why clicks survive | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigational / branded | "hubspot pricing", "brand + login" | Searcher wants a specific site | Low |
| Transactional | "buy", "book", "apply", "download" | Task needs a website to complete | Low to medium |
| Local | "physiotherapist near me" | Map pack and business profiles, calls and directions | Low for clicks to profile; site clicks vary |
| Tool / calculator | "EMI calculator", "word counter" | The value is interactive | Low |
| Template / resource | "content calendar template" | Searcher needs the file | Low to medium |
| Fresh / live data | "IPL score", "gold rate today" | Needs live source | Medium (Google shows much of this itself) |
| Deep commercial research | "X vs Y for enterprise", "X reviews" | Buyers verify details before spending | Medium, rising |
| Simple informational | "what is", "meaning of", "how many" | Answer fits in a summary | High |
| Broad how-to | "how to start a blog" | Summarisable steps | High |
The "risk level" column is my practitioner judgement from client accounts, not a study. Use it as a starting hypothesis and check it against your own data.
What the research says (and doesn't)
Two studies are worth knowing, both from vendors, so read them as directional:
- Ahrefs' updated study looked at 300,000 keywords and found a 58% lower CTR for the top result on informational keywords that had AI Overviews, and 50.8% lower for position two, comparing December 2023 with December 2025. The study covers informational keywords only and doesn't break results down further by query type.
- Semrush's commercial search study of 600,000+ US desktop keywords across 10 industries found AI Overviews on commercial-intent keywords grew 71% from November 2025 to April 2026, while transactional-intent AI Overviews declined 5%. It also found AI Overviews appeared far more often for commercial than transactional keywords in every industry.
Put together: informational clicks are under the most pressure, commercial research is quickly becoming exposed, and transactional queries remain the safest, as of September 2026.
How to find your own click-safe queries in Search Console
General lists only get you so far. Here's the method I use:
- Export queries for two equal periods a year apart (Performance report, Web search type). Use the API or BigQuery bulk export if you have more than 1,000 rows.
- Remove branded queries into a separate sheet with a regex. They are almost always safe and will skew everything.
- Filter to queries with stable position (change under roughly one place). You're isolating CTR change, not ranking change.
- Calculate CTR change per query. Sort ascending.
- Tag each query by intent, informational, commercial, transactional, navigational, local, and by format: definition, how-to, comparison, tool, template.
- Pivot CTR change by tag. The groups with the smallest drop are your click-safe intents. The biggest drops are where AI answers are replacing you.
- Spot-check the top 20 in each group for AI Overview presence, manually or with a rank tracker that flags it.
For extra context, Search Console's generative AI performance report (global rollout reported 31 August 2026) lists which of your pages get shown in AI Overviews and AI Mode. It has no query dimension and no clicks, but cross-referencing its page list with your CTR analysis tells you which pages are exposed.
Patterns I keep seeing in real accounts
From edtech and startup accounts I've worked on:
- Course and programme pages with fees, eligibility and batch dates kept most of their clicks. People want the official source for anything involving money and deadlines.
- "Career in X" and "what does a Y do" guides lost the most. AI Overviews answer them well enough for a casual searcher.
- Salary queries fell but didn't collapse, because people want sources and numbers by city and experience.
- Free tools like calculators and checkers were the most stable non-branded pages we had.
- Comparison pages held up better when they had original data (real prices, screenshots, test results) than when they were generic summaries.
How to build more click-safe content
Add a "do" layer to informational pages. A guide on "how to write a resume" loses clicks; a guide that includes a working resume builder or downloadable templates earns them.
Own the official answer. For your own products, pricing, policies and eligibility, make sure your site is the clearest, most up-to-date source. AI summaries often link to it, and searchers verify on it.
Invest in tools. Calculators, graders, checkers, generators. They're more work to build, but they're among the few non-branded pages where the value can't be summarised.
Go deeper on commercial comparisons. Since commercial queries are increasingly exposed, the pages that win clicks show things a summary can't: hands-on tests, pricing tables with dates, specific use-case verdicts.
Grow branded demand. Every branded search is a click-safe search. More on that in my post on branded search as a north star metric.
What to do with high-risk informational queries
Don't abandon them. Change the goal from clicks to citations:
- Lead with a clear, 2-3 sentence answer that can be quoted.
- Add original examples or numbers an AI answer would need to credit.
- Use clean headings so individual sections can be cited.
- Measure success by AI visibility and branded search, not by sessions.
FAQ
Do navigational queries show AI Overviews?
They rarely do in my testing, because the searcher wants a specific site. Branded queries remain some of the most reliable click sources in 2026.
Are "best X" queries still worth targeting?
Yes, but with more effort. Semrush's data shows AI Overviews on commercial keywords grew sharply in 2025-26. Pages with original testing, pricing and clear verdicts are more likely to get cited and clicked.
Do local searches still send clicks?
Local searches still drive a lot of actions, though many happen on the Google Business Profile (calls, directions) rather than as website clicks. Keep your profile complete and accurate.
Do AI Overviews appear on transactional queries?
Less often than on informational or commercial ones, according to Semrush's 2026 study, which found transactional AI Overviews declined 5% over its study period.
How do I know if a query has an AI Overview?
Check manually in an incognito window for your target country, or use a rank tracker that flags AI Overview presence. Results can vary by location, device and time.
Are long-tail queries safer?
Not automatically. A long, specific informational question can be answered easily by AI. Intent matters more than length.
Should I make more tools and calculators?
If they genuinely help your audience, yes. Interactive pages tend to keep clicks because their value can't be summarised in text.
Is YouTube a safer source of clicks?
Video results and YouTube have their own dynamics and can surface in AI answers too. It's a useful diversification channel, but measure it separately.
Find your click-safe keywords
If you want to know which of your queries still earn clicks and where to move your content budget, I'd be glad to help. I have 4+ years of marketing experience in organic growth, SEO and AEO for edtech and startup brands. See my work and get in touch through the contact form at younusfardeen.in.