---
title: "Impact of Opting Out of Google’s AI Search Features on Organic Clicks"
url: https://adtech.lol/articles/6b2428d7-68b9-4c8c-a5a1-7595e73e4e28
source_url: https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-opt-out-test-organic-clicks-drop-499898/
source_site: searchengineland
author: "Danny Goodwin"
published: 2023-10-02T00:00:00+00:00
tags: ["Artificial intelligence", "Google", "Google Search", "Search engine optimization", "Click-through rate"]
publisher: AdTech Radar
---

# Impact of Opting Out of Google’s AI Search Features on Organic Clicks

> A case study reveals traditional organic clicks and AI impressions dropped significantly after opting out of Google’s AI search features, indicating a potential halo effect from AI citations.

Traditional organic clicks declined after a website opted out of Google’s AI search features, according to a small case study shared by SEO consultant Cyrus Shepherd. AI impressions also fell to zero.

**Why we care.** AI citations may drive more clicks than direct AI referrals show. Measuring only AI referral traffic could miss some of that value.

**What happened.** Shepherd shared three findings [on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cyrusshepard_case-study-what-happens-when-you-opt-your-share-7521340039763505152-gKbY/):

- **AI impressions fell to zero** immediately after the site opted out.
- **Estimated AI click-through rate was 0.9%**, based on changes in overall clicks before and after opting out.
- **Traditional organic clicks also declined** after AI features were disabled.

![Google Ai Features Case Study Impressions](https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/10/google-ai-features-case-study-impressions.jpg)

**The halo effect.** Shepherd called this a possible “Search SERP Halo Effect.” He believes appearing in both AI answers and traditional search results could build trust and increase clicks. An AI citation could help a website earn more clicks from its regular organic listings, even when users don’t click the AI answer.

**About the data.** Shepherd described the test as small and cautioned that results may vary. He didn’t disclose the site’s traffic volume, test dates, size of the organic click decline, or opt-out method. These missing details make it difficult to draw firm conclusions.

Source: [https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-opt-out-test-organic-clicks-drop-499898/](https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-opt-out-test-organic-clicks-drop-499898/)