The world of search is undergoing huge change. For decades, Google has been the dominant force, shaping how we access information, with its SERPs serving as the battleground for organic and paid visibility. However, the advent of AI-powered search technologies, particularly AI Overviews and emerging competitors like Perplexity, is transforming this landscape in ways that could drastically alter the future of search as we know it.
As Google continues to evolve, introducing AI Overviews and partnering with platforms like Reddit, the traditional search experience – once defined by the simplicity of “10 blue links” – is becoming increasingly complex. The rise of zero-click searches and the increasing dominance of user-generated content in SERPs are causing concern among marketers, who fear the shrinking opportunities for organic visibility.
At the same time, new players like OpenAI’s SearchGPT have the potential to challenge Google’s supremacy by offering conversational search experiences that might redefine user expectations. While these innovations promise to enhance the search experience, they also raise critical questions about the future of search, measurement, and organic growth.
So how can brands adapt? What does the rise of AI-powered search engines mean for traditional SEO practices? This article explores the challenges and opportunities presented by AI Overviews, SearchGPT, and the broader AI-driven search revolution, and provides insights on how brands can navigate this new era and ensure their long-term visibility and success.
Three SEO challenges brands are facing today
Declining SERP real estate
Changes in the SERPs are nothing new. For many years now Google has been testing and modifying the search experience by adding, moving and tweaking the way paid and organic results appear on screen, as well as including additional features such as Knowledge Graphs, Featured Snippets and People Also Ask. Gone are the good old days of the 10 blue links. Several core updates and the Google-Reddit partnership have contributed to a shake-up of the SERPS which has seen huge amounts of user-generated content rank above branded content. Add AI Overviews to the mix and it’s easy to see why many SEOs are panicking, feeling that the opportunities to appear on page one organically are shrinking by the second.
Zero-click search
Since 2019 when it was first launched, SEOs have been worried about how many searches Google’s answering directly on the SERPs, therefore “stealing” precious traffic to other websites. With the rollout of AI overviews, the fears that the search engine is reinforcing its position as an ‘answer engine’ have increased, despite the often inaccurate results. An analysis published in July by research company SparkToro focusing on search behaviour in H1 of 2024, reported that almost 60% of Google searches end without a click. Also, in over 20% of instances where a click does happen, this user remains on another Google-owned property such as YouTube, Images, Maps or News. These numbers indicate that nearly two-thirds of all searches stay inside the Google ecosystem.
While it’s still early days to fully gauge the impact of AI Overviews on CTR, everything we have seen so far shows that Google’s making it increasingly more difficult for brands to grow organically, at least in the way we have all known for the past decade.
New entrants in the search market
No one would argue with the fact that, when AI Overviews launched earlier this year, it felt like a rushed and panic-stricken move. Several new entrants in the market are reinventing the search experience and, of course, Google didn’t want to get left behind.
AI-powered answer engines such as Perplexity have been around for a while now, but usage isn’t as widespread. For example, the latest data shows that the platform has approximately 10 million active monthly users and received around 50 million hits in February 2024. Still in a drop in the ocean when compared to Google’s dominance.
The biggest threat to Google right now is represented by OpenAI and their much-anticipated new product, SearchGPT. The AI-powered search engine – only a prototype at the time of writing – will not be providing links for users to click on, but instead giving fully-fledged answers, followed by attribution links. This is similar to what AI Overviews is trying to do, with the key difference being that the user will be able to ask follow-up questions, as you would in a conversation with a person, with the shared context building with each query, just like on ChatGPT.
Again, usage of ChatGPT is still low compared to Google but it’s naive to think that a tech giant can never fall. After all, a federal judge in the US decided that Google broke the law to maintain their online search monopoly and this saga isn’t over yet.
Will AI-powered search replace Google? No. Change in Search behaviour isn’t going to happen overnight. But I believe it’s key for marketers not to bury their heads in the sand and, instead, keep a close eye on any developments and start thinking of Search beyond Google alone.
How to navigate the recent changes
For now, AI Overviews SEO is just…SEO
As an agency, the question we’ve been asked the most this year is “How can we optimise for AI Overviews? What do we do?”. The reality is that, from being susceptible to core updates to a reported 99% overlap between top 10 results and AI Overviews cited websites, it is really difficult to gauge how optimising for AI Overviews differs from the SEO tactics we know and love.
“We can’t yet predict the impact of AI Overviews so we need to avoid any knee-jerk reactions. Strategy adjustments, where needed, will need to be bespoke, based on your website and market. In the meantime, keep focusing on what we know works: high-quality content that tackles user needs, great technical SEO, and an excellent user experience.” – Paula Gonzalez, Head of Organic
In my recent article on How to make it easy for customers to buy I also shared how generating enough traffic often isn’t the real problem for organisations and made the case for more investment into creating an exceptional experience to foster long-term loyalty and advocacy for your brand. If AI Overviews are indeed causing organic traffic erosion (figures I’ve come across so far range between a 9% to 25% loss), then ensuring as many customers as possible stick around becomes even more important.
Share of model and measurement of AI-powered search
While we may be used to being able to track and understand search behaviour through keyword research, Google Trends and platforms such as Google Search Console or GA4, one of the biggest challenges that comes with the rise of AI-powered search is measurement.
The term ‘Share of Model’ refers to assessing a brand’s presence within AI datasets, particularly LLMs such as ChatGPT, as a percentage of total mentions within a specific category. This metric gives marketers a sense of a brand’s overall ‘visibility’ to AI models, which is increasingly important. Monitoring how a brand’s mention rate changes over time, especially in relation to key competitors, could offer benefits similar to those of Share of Search, which has already proven to be a valuable predictor of market share.
One practical method for tracking Share of Model involves using relevant queries to prompt the AI model and analysing the brand’s visibility compared to competitors.
“Currently the best optimisation techniques for AI is to continue to do what you do for SEO as they use similar indicators. However it’s only by tracking AI performance as well as SERP performance that you can see whether they are aligned and move together or diverging and there’s points to optimise.” – Jonathan Catton, Head of Data and Insights
As AI-powered search continues to grow, the future of measurement will likely involve advanced tools for tracking and optimising Share of Model. Brands that adopt these models now will be better equipped to adjust their strategies early, ensuring they maintain visibility.
Organic growth beyond Google
Users turn to other platforms to search for information and products – YouTube, TikTok, Reddit and Instagram, just to name a few. Instead of focusing on Google alone, brands should explore other tactics and channels such as Social, but also double down on PR and Email to grow organically. This diversification will help in reaching audiences that might not be accessible through Google alone but also future proof your organic growth by making you less Google-reliant and more resilient against market changes.
“Once viewed as a strategy for incremental audience growth, platform diversification is now essential for maintaining market position as the search landscape fragments and evolves at speed.” – Jack Morgan, Head of Strategy
The future of search is now
AI-powered search is transforming the digital landscape, challenging traditional Search. Google’s AI Overviews and rising competitors like SearchGPT are reshaping search behaviour, reducing click-through opportunities and expanding the role of AI in delivering answers. Although Google remains dominant, the rise of alternative search models signals the need for a broader approach.
Search is changing and organisations who bury their heads in the sand will be quickly left behind. On the other hand, it’s those brands brave enough to start adapting to the recent developments right now that will come out as winners. But where to begin?
Doubling down on customer research to truly understand what makes people tick, offering exceptional experience to increase conversions and loyalty, and focusing on high-quality multi-format content that offers real value are the three key things that brands should prioritise in the immediate future. At the same time, cast a wider net and invest in platforms outside the Google ecosystem to counteract the shrinking real estate available on the SERPs. Finally, invest time and resources into AI-powered measurement, such as Share of model, to start monitoring and understanding your brand’s visibility within AI datasets.
And of course we’re always here to help. If you want to stay competitive in a Search landscape undergoing change like never before, we’d love to hear from you.
