You have worked for years optimising and improving your website to bolster your organic search traffic, only to see Google now answer or provide your audience with the information they need before they even click to your site.
This is exactly what is happening with Google’s AI overview and more recently AI mode. By generating instant responses in both mediums, Google is making it increasingly easy for users to access the information they need without even visiting your website.
In this article, we will break down the current state of the AI overview section and AI mode, ways that AI is changing SEO forever and how to thrive through organic search in this new AI world. Read on to find out more.
The current state of AI overviews
AI overview first launched back in May 2023 and its results are already having a measurable impact on the SEO landscape. A study by Spark Toro found that over 58% of searches in Google now result in zero clicks. This means users find the information they need without having to visit a website.
In addition to this, AI overview results now appear in around 47% of searches. Although the large majority of these are informational, there is potential that Google will incorporate this for other search intent types moving forward.
Although these changes aren’t killing SEO, Google still dominates market share and search volume is still growing. SEO is just evolving and SEOs need to also evolve their strategies to reflect this.
AI mode, changing the SEO landscape
With the launch of AI mode, AI-generated answers are beginning to edge out traditional search listings, with Google leading the charge. AI mode is starting to rewrite the rules of how people discover brands online.
Whilst AI mode is still very much in its infancy, it’s the beginning of a new era. The era where clicks are optional, websites are bypassed, and your visibility depends not just on what you say, but how clearly, consistently and credibly you say it. For anyone relying on organic reach, AI Mode isn’t just a feature; it’s the new forefront of search.
Ways that AI is changing SEO forever
Let’s look at, in our opinion, the three biggest changes that AI is bringing into SEO at this current moment.
- Organic clicks are declining – Data makes it pretty clear that organic clicks are declining, especially as the prominence of AI mode and the AI overview continue to rise. Search Engine Land report that zero-click searches are up but organic clicks are down.
This shift is a concern for businesses that rely on organic traffic to generate business and revenue. Although ratherthan competing with AI-generated summaries, businesses should focus on creating content that AI can’t easily replicate or condense. The key is to provide value beyond a quick answer by offering depth and originality.
- Authority signals are vitally important – In today’s search landscape, authority isn’t optional. As internet users become more discerning, Google has evolved to match their expectations. Its AI overviews now heavily prioritise content from authoritative, well-established sources, making it increasingly challenging for smaller or newer websites to break through.
AI-generated summaries pull insights from websites Google deems credible. Without a strong online reputation, your business risks being buried beneath content from industry giants, government domains, and renowned publishers.
Google’s Search Quality Guidelines spotlight the EEAT framework: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, as critical ranking factors. AI mirrors this approach, favouring sources that demonstrate proven credibility and consistent quality.
For businesses aiming to appear in AI-driven search results, the path is clear: build trust signals that Google can’t ignore. That means publishing expert-led content, securing authoritative backlinks, showcasing real-world experience, and ensuring every touchpoint reinforces your brand’s reliability.
- Long-tail keywords are more important than ever – As most users have probably seen, AI is optimised for broad, high-volume search queries but often struggles to provide relevant answers for specific, nuanced searches. This is where there is a huge opportunity to target long-tail and niche keywords that will drive high-intent organic traffic to your site.
Because AI-generated summaries generalise information from authoritative sources, they tend to offer generic responses. To compete effectively, businesses should focus on keywords that require depth, expertise, and niche-specific knowledge.
- Organic clicks are declining – Data makes it pretty clear that organic clicks are declining, especially as the prominence of AI mode and the AI overview continue to rise. Search Engine Land report that zero-click searches are up but organic clicks are down.
How to thrive in the new AI world
There are lots of questions about how to keep thriving in this new world of AI. AI will search every place it can find when it’s looking for information that is beyond its broad, generic training data. This is where the opportunity lies and here is what you need to do to be ready.
- Become an indispensable brand – Users don’t search “trainers” to find Nike. They also don’t search for “chicken” to find KFC. These brands have executed their marketing strategies so well that people skip the search step entirely. These brands have reached a point where Google or AI will almost always recommend them when their subject is searched. Therefore, building an indispensable brand is key to thriving in the new AI world.
- Publish content that is original and deep in knowledge – Transform the valuable knowledge locked inside your team’s minds into a rich, accessible knowledge base and high-quality web content. Make it easy for Google, AI tools, and your customers to discover your expertise.
Publish detailed insights and helpful information that highlight your brand’s unique value propositions, including stories, facts and perspectives that have never been shared before. Often, the “too detailed” or “too obvious” content is exactly what people and AI are actively searching for.
- Share real-life stories – Tell real-life stories on your site! These don’t always have to be overly polished testimonials or case studies. They are the authentic conversations that are had with real people about your product or service.
- How they found your product/service
- What went right and/or wrong
- What they learned
These are the details that users will crave after being fed generic, broad answers by AI.
- Build communities – Today, brands have a powerful opportunity to create and manage their own moderated online communities. These are spaces where customers can engage in real, respectful discussions.
Well-moderated forums remain one of the most effective ways to generate a steady stream of relevant, helpful, timely and in-depth content at scale. This has always been true, but in the past, brands often struggled to justify the ROI.
Don’t overlook the impact of customer reviews, whether hosted on your own site or third-party platforms like Trustpilot, Amazon, Yelp, or Glassdoor. As AI increasingly relies on these reviews as trust signals, their value will only grow.
Stay ahead of the SEO game
If you are looking to stay ahead of the SEO game in this ever-changing AI-based world we now live in, then get in contact with us at R&Co. We have SEO experts who can help provide strategies and solutions for your business. It all starts with a conversation.
