What AI Overviews Did to Local Business Traffic in 2026 — And What Still Gets Clicked

2026 is the year the click became optional. We compiled every major study — Pew, Ahrefs, Seer, SparkToro, BrightEdge — on what AI Overviews actually did to traffic, put our own Search Console numbers next to the industry data, and mapped the five kinds of clicks that survived. The twist nobody quotes: paid ads fell harder than organic (−68% vs −61%), and brands cited inside the AI answer earn 35% more clicks. Every stat dated and sourced — built to be referenced.