By Jonathan Baker (Contributor: Christopher Canadeo, EGC’s Director of Growth) The days of entering a term in search and being greeted with a list of clickable links have been replaced by a paragraph or two that answers the question. Welcome to AI Overviews from Google—which has placed a lot of pressure on brands and publishers. Decreases and Increases Earlier coverage of how both Google AI Overviews and Gemini were changing the game in search served as an introduction into what’s ahead. Findings just published in e-Marketer, citing Digital Content Next, declared that AI Overviews have resulted in a 25 percent decrease in referral traffic. This percentage will only increase. Also increasing are the concerns among brands and publishers that rely on referral traffic and traditional SEO strategies for visibility. For further perspective… Across the Board Changes in Search Among select statistics, Digital Content Next noted… Approximately 50 percent of users once used to the “old fashioned” method of clicking on links now find the information they’re seeking via AI Overviews—which means they no longer need to click. Referencing a study by software company Ahrefs, AI Overviews led to decreased clickthrough rates of nearly 35 percent. In the most dramatic finding, Authoritas, another software company, noticed how sites that had once appeared at the top of search results in Google have since lost 79 percent of traffic, due to the rise of AI Overviews. Are you a marketer or publisher? If “yes,” you’re likely scared by the facts and figures listed above. Now it the time to use that fear as motivation to act. Meeting and Adapting to AI Overviews The following practices will help transform a brand’s searchability from “SEO of yesterday” to “AI Overviews” of today. Go beyond search rankings and optimize for AI visibility. This can be accomplished by structuring and packaging messaging that AI can quickly find and extract. This structuring should zero in on questions users will ask, clear(er) headers, and direct language. Move the focus of key performance indicators (KPIs) away from click-through rates. Instead of checking how many clicks a related link receives, marketers should research how often their brand’s name appears in AI summaries. Then, they should explore how AI exposure might improve actions such as conversions from other channels. Diversify all available channels to expand growth. In search advertising, Google dominates. Maximizing a brand’s presence on one or more social media platforms is one example of increasing visibility when organic search is no longer effective. Partnering with influencers is another option to sustain a brand’s online presence. Another option to help your brand stay visible in AI Overviews is partnering with The EGC Group. Since the rollout of AI Overviews, we monitored all new developments to this advanced technology. Let us help you advance so that your brand appears immediately upon a user’s search. Get in touch with us to learn more.
