Trends and the Impact of AI on SERPs: Google Updates in 2025

The way users enter search queries into Google has changed dramatically with the advent of AI. Short, concise questions are giving way to detailed, conversational queries. AI search engines better understand the context on your website and provide a clear summary of text, images, and audio.

Our experts will tell you everything about:

• The Impact of AI Overviews on Your Website Traffic
• How Google Gemini Works
• Ads You Hide
• The disappearance of the &num=100 parameter
• The Real Reason Behind the Decline in Views

Google itself isn’t sitting still either. To better cater to the user experience and search intent, the search engine is rolling out numerous updates. Each one is designed to provide you, the user, with a clear answer: at a glance, without having to click through to subsequent pages, and complete with ample context and source citations.

1) Google Launches AI Overviews

Since May, the SERP has also included AI-generated summaries, also known as AI Overviews. These are short pieces of text that provide a complete answer to your question. They are compiled from various sources and powered by Google Gemini, the search engine’s language model.

If Google displays your page in the SERP and in the AI Overview, this counts as two impressions instead of one. Users no longer need to click through for additional information; they get it directly from the AI Overview. The result: the number of impressions for your page increases, while the number of clicks stagnates or decreases. Users who do click through afterward automatically become high-quality leads with genuine interest in your offerings or services.

Commercial pages are not seeing any noticeable shift in impressions. Google displays individual products at the top of the SERP, which generate additional impressions and clicks.

Below are a few examples of the impact of AI overviews. Compare the graph to a crocodile’s mouth, which begins to take shape starting in May 2025. Time and again , you’ll see a sharp increase in the number of impressions, combined with a decline in the number of clicks. Read more in our white paper to find out why impressions suddenly drop after September 15.

2) Google Gemini

Google is launching its own advanced virtual AI chatbot: Google Gemini, an interactive layer built on top of the Google Search feature. It is designed to assist users with their search and writing tasks, planning, studying, brainstorming, and image generation. You can easily integrate Google Gemini with other Google services such as Search, Gmail, and Drive, and even local documents.

Short search queries like “best pizza in Antwerp” are giving way to long-tail keywords in everyday language. Users are typing long, detailed phrases such as “Where can I eat the best pizza in Antwerp?”, “Where can I find the best pizza restaurant in Antwerp?”, or “I want to order a specific type of pizza at a maximum price.”

Just like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Grok, Gemini draws information from multiple sources. SEO principles remain one of the most important factors for continuing to rank well in search engines—and therefore in Gemini as well. The AI bot uses advanced algorithms to display personalized search results. Those who feed Gemini with clear content and structure are more likely to stand out.

3) Google allows users to hide sponsored search results

Since October 2025, it has been possible to collapse paid search results at the top of the SERP. By clicking the “Hide Sponsored Results” button, you can collapse the entire ad block. This allows you, as a user, to jump directly to the organic search results.

Please note that for many searches, you’ll need to scroll past the ads first before you can hide them. Currently, ads don’t always stay hidden when you perform new searches. You’ll need to collapse them again yourself.

When users click away from sponsored results more quickly, organic search results receive more attention and clicks. Sites that already rank in the top 3, in particular, may benefit from a higher CTR. When conducting analyses, take into account impressions and clicks before and after mid-October.

4) Google is removing the &num=100 parameter

Previously, AI bots could scrape up to 100 pages at once in a single query by adding the &num=100 parameter to URLs. This was ideal for quickly measuring and collecting large amounts of data.

Since September 2025, that’s no longer possible. If AI bots still want to scrape more than 10 pages, they have to run multiple queries. As a result, AI tools have to load more pages to collect the same data, which makes scraping more resource-intensive and slower. In practice, you lose crucial data, resulting in a drop in page views, especially after September 15.

This change disrupted tracking tools and rank trackers. For example, it is no longer possible to easily retrieve the top 100 positions in Google. Whereas bots used to get a complete overview of your ranking for a specific keyword with a single request, this now has to be done step by step. This makes reporting more cumbersome and less accurate.

If you dig into your data starting in September 2025, you may notice that the number of impressions for your pages is dropping. In essence, this is actually an improvement: views from AI tools are disappearing, leaving only organic impressions from real users. The number of clicks may not change, because visitors will continue to click on your website—unlike all the bots.

It might seem like your data and reports are taking a beating here. In reality, you’re simply getting an unfiltered and realistic view of your business, based on real users who are searching for information or products.

Below are a few examples from our clients. In each graph, you can see a clear drop in the number of views after mid-September. Irrelevant views generated by bots disappear and are replaced by real people. The result? After a while, these impressions gradually rise again, especially if you continue to consistently improve your website.

Your actual rankings won’t change because of this switch. What will change is how tools retrieve data. So don’t just focus on data from before September 15. Take a level-headed look at how your numbers evolve from that point on. Continue to focus on high-quality, clearly structured content to get cited. Your leads, sales, and revenue remain your best indicators of success.

5) AIO and GEO

Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) build upon the traditional foundations of SEO. Technology, content, and authority remain the most valuable pillars for both Google and AI—whether you want to be visible in traditional search engines or other AI-powered search engines.

The difference in 2026: you’ll only truly succeed when you understand how AI analyzes and processes answers. AI search engines are gaining more and more context—and they actually understand it. Just think about your previous conversations, the settings in your chatbot, customized prompts based on projects, and so on.

Based on this input, AI search engines generate a natural response in written language, rather than simply listing words or topics as traditional search engines do.

Digital Climax, your expert on Google and its updates

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