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Data Collected: Monitored AI Overview coverage across 9 industries from May 2024-September 2025 using BrightEdge Generative Parser™ to analyze:
- Industry adoption rates
- Query intent patterns
- Subcategory performance
- Rollout phases
Key Finding: AI Overview coverage grew from 26.6% to 44.4% overall, but the real story is the intent hierarchy—Healthcare hits 83.6% with informational queries while eCommerce declined to 18.5% as Google protects transactional searches.
The Big Numbers
- 44.4% of queries now show AI Overviews (up from 26.6%)
- 5.5X growth in Education (15.4% → 85.2%)
- 100% AI Overview adoption in technical subcategories
- -8.7pp decline in eCommerce (only declining industry)
- <20% coverage for Finance & Restaurants
The Rollout Timeline
May 2024: Strategic Launch
- Healthcare leads at 67.6%
- B2B Tech at 34.2%
- eCommerce at 27.2%
- Focus on high-trust informational queries
September 2024: Public Rollout
- Education explodes (+42pp overnight)
- Insurance surges (+22pp)
- eCommerce drops to 8.8%
- Clear pivot to educational content
December 2024: Expansion
- Travel accelerates (8.1% → 36.9%)
- Healthcare reaches 84.2%
- Commercial queries remain suppressed
September 2025: Current State
- Education dominates at 85.2%
- Entertainment emerges at 45.9%
- eCommerce rebounds slightly to 18.5%
- Finance still minimal at 17.9%
The Intent Hierarchy
High Coverage (60-85%)
- “What is/How does” queries
- Medical definitions & symptoms
- Technical documentation
- Educational concepts
- Research comparisons (non-transactional)
Low Coverage (<20%)
- “Buy X online” queries
- Local commercial searches
- Financial advice
- Direct brand navigation
- Pure transactional intent
Takeaways from Data
- Google Protects Commercial Revenue eCommerce’s decline from 27.2% to 18.5% reveals Google’s strategy—AI Overviews appear where they add value without threatening ad revenue. Transactional queries remain in traditional SERP format.
- Specialized Knowledge Wins Subcategories with 100% adoption (CI/CD, Security Management, Ophthalmology) share three traits: high informational value, low commercial intent, and specialized expertise required.
- Industry Patterns Predict Opportunity Three clear patterns emerged:
- Early Adopters (Healthcare, B2B Tech): Started strong, steady growth
- Transformation Stories (Education, Insurance): Explosive growth after public rollout
- Late Bloomers (Entertainment, Travel): Minimal start, recent acceleration
- The September 2024 Inflection Public rollout triggered massive shifts—Education jumped 42pp overnight. This marks when Google found its sweet spot: high-value informational content with zero ad conflict.
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Published on September 11, 2025
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