By Jonathan Baker, with Insights from Christina Botte, EGC’s Director of Social Media If anything is certain in what are essentially uncertain times, it is the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in search. This is especially true for search engine icon, Google. The rapid success of AI Overviews and Gemini are breaking records. A View into AI Overviews To begin with, consider “AI Overviews,” which have become the go-to resource for finding information in Google Search. First launched in May 2024, AI Overviews have achieved success like no other online innovation. How much success? As reported in (appropriately) the AI-powered Perplexity, Google’s recent second-quarter earnings call tallied a total of two billion monthly users who use AI Overviews. (For perspective, this figure was one-and-a-half billion users two months ago, thus demonstrating how fast and far this feature has escalated.) Oh, and regarding Gemini, Google’s AI assistant… Jumps in Gemini Complementing the surge in AI Overviews is Gemini, which currently has 450 million active users. Where Google’s overall AI services are concerned, monthly token processing progressed from 480 million in May to an astounding current figure of 980 trillion. In what many will read as an understatement, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google said: “AI is positively impacting every part of the business, driving strong momentum.” The figures above serve as proof in the shift in how users prefer to conduct online searches. These also correlate to how AI search is impacting the “old fashioned” method of scanning links as answer options after entering a question in a search bar. Are Click-Through Rates Clearing Out? Complementing the above findings, Perplexity cites a study conducted by Pew Research Center on trends for conducting online search. Not surprisingly, most users choose reading an AI Overview instead of clicking on links: Click-through rates have dropped to from 15 percent to 8 percent. Naturally, this decline in traditional search has online publishers, marketers, and advertisers concerned about how (or if) they can get consumers to click on links to their websites. To stay relevant—and visible—means pivoting and adjusting to accommodate how users want to find information online. It’s No Longer About Being an Option; it’s Being the Answer Christina Botte, Director of Social Media at EGC, offers this wakeup call on the ever-changing state of search: Search is no longer a list of blue links. It’s a conversation, a summary, a destination. Click-through rates are dropping, traditional SEO is under pressure, and brands are waking up to a new reality: If AI is answering the question, will your brand ever be seen? The opportunity now lies in understanding how AI ranks and pulls content. Not just to be on Page 1—but to be the answer. And if you’re not adapting your content, structure, and strategy for this shift? You’re already behind. Don’t get left behind because of the changes from AI Overviews, Gemini, and other innovations from Google. EGC will help maximize your impact. Learn about our SEO Synergy services. Contact us today so that your online presence will be strong tomorrow.
