Google's AI Overview Rollout Reveals Clear Intent Hierarchy—Here's What Gets Coverage and What Doesn't

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
4. 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.