SEO in Transition: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Game

• Rise of Zero-Click Searches: The phenomenon of so-called “zero-click searches,” where users find the information they need directly in the search results without visiting an external website, is growing rapidly. A study by SparkToro shows that, in 2024, 59.7% of Google searches in the European Union and 58.5% of searches in the U.S. ended without a single click.
• Decline in Click-Through Rates: According to analyses by Seer Interactive, Google’s AI Overviews are estimated to reduce the organic click-through rate (CTR) by approximately 20 to 40%.
• Growing Search Volume Despite Declining CTR: While clicks to third-party websites are decreasing, overall search volume continues to rise. In 2024, Google reported a search volume increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year. This indicates that the platform itself is growing, but users are increasingly satisfying their needs directly within the search results.

According to a Semrush analysis, AI Overviews appear predominantly for long-tail keywords with low search volume. Semrush examined over 10 million keywords and found that nearly 60% of the keywords triggering an AI Overview have fewer than 100 searches per month. This mainly affects information-oriented queries: 88.12% of the keywords that triggered an AI Overview in March 2025 were informational — that is, searches where users look for definitions (e.g., “What is a VPN?”), explanations (e.g., “Is honey vegan?”), or comparisons (e.g., “Renting or buying?”).

These types of content typically sit at the top of the marketing funnel and have traditionally been used to generate reach. Now, however, such pages directly compete with AI Overviews, which often significantly limit their visibility.

In contrast, transactional (1.76%) and commercial (8.69%) search queries—such as “buy protein shake” or “compare best credit cards”—trigger AI Overviews much less frequently and still tend to lead more directly to clicks on websites.

The industries most affected by AI Overviews so far are science, health, people & society, and law & government—sectors heavily shaped by informational search queries. According to Semrush, the impact is growing much more slowly in real estate and shopping, where commercial and transactional searches make up a larger share.

The evolution of the search landscape has introduced new terms that describe how SEO strategies must adapt:

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Optimization for generative AI systems.
• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Optimization aimed at appearing as a direct answer in AI-generated summaries.
• Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO): A comprehensive approach to optimizing for all aspects of AI-powered search.

The goal of these new optimization disciplines is to prepare content not only for human users but also for the artificial intelligence behind tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini. It’s about positioning your brand prominently within the answers these systems provide, securing visibility where traditional click-through rates are declining.

Ellen Mamedov, Global Director of Search Engine Optimization at Intuit Mailchimp, reports a steady decline in web traffic since AI-powered search engines have enabled users to gather information about the company and its products without visiting the websites.

To counter this shift, Mailchimp began updating its websites to better serve so-called crawlers—bots that visit web pages to collect data for AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. According to Mailchimp’s research, technical search elements such as page load speed and code snippets for tracking user activity are more important for these bots and AI-driven searches than for traditional search engines. These bots are designed to absorb and process information as quickly as possible, which is why they prefer fast-loading pages optimized for machines rather than primarily for human readers. Mamedov even goes a step further, predicting that websites in general will evolve to primarily serve as data sources for bots that feed large language models (LLMs), rather than as primary destinations for consumers.

The traditional metric of website traffic is losing its sole significance in the AI era. Brands like HubSpot demonstrate that a decline in blog traffic doesn’t necessarily mean a drop in revenue. Although blog traffic decreased significantly in 2024, HubSpot recorded a revenue peak in the fourth quarter of 2024.

In other words: brand awareness and influence can boost conversions even with less traffic. Today, SEO needs to be viewed holistically—not just as a traffic driver, but as a way to strengthen brand presence across all channels.

For brands, this means:

• Measuring SEO success by more than just traffic
• Boosting influence and brand recognition
• Optimizing visibility across multiple platforms

This is how SEO stays relevant—even in times when fewer clicks don’t necessarily mean less success.

Particularly noteworthy is the above-average value of traffic generated through AI platforms. A Semrush study found that the average AI search visitor (coming from a non-Google search source like ChatGPT) is 4.4 times more valuable than the average visitor from traditional organic search, based on conversion rates.

Reasons for the higher conversion rate:

Informed users: Large language models (LLMs) provide users with comprehensive information upfront, so by the time they visit a website, they are often well-informed and close to making a purchase decision. This significantly increases the likelihood of conversion.

Personal recommendation: AI-generated answers are often presented like personal, verbal recommendations, which enhances their emotional impact and persuasiveness compared to traditional search results.

Purchase intent: A December 2024 survey by Bain of over 1,000 people found that 42% of regular generative AI users rely on these tools for shopping recommendations. In April 2025, OpenAI even announced that ChatGPT will soon introduce a “Shopping Button” that directs users straight to a retailer’s website to purchase the researched product.

In the rapidly changing AI landscape, businesses must act proactively and adapt their SEO strategies.

Concrete Strategies and Best Practices

Optimizing Content for AI

• Chunkable content: Present information in small, easily citable sections.
• Clear language and grammar: Optimize your content for NLP systems using straightforward language and correct grammar.
• Descriptive headings: Use meaningful headings to clearly structure content (<h1> to <h6>).
• Semantically accurate markup: Tag elements like quotes, addresses, or lists semantically (e.g., use <blockquote> for longer quotes) so AI systems better understand their meaning.
• Consistent brand messaging: Ensure uniform brand communication across all channels, as AI systems learn from many sources.
• Monitor negative sentiment: Respond to negative reviews and comments, since they affect how AI perceives your brand.
• Multimodal content: Use a mix of text, images, audio, and video to offer AI systems diverse ways to interpret your content.

Creating Niche Content

Analyses by Semrush show that AI systems prefer to cite content that is specifically targeted to particular use cases and audiences. For example, instead of writing about general saving tips, write an article focused on ‘Smart saving on bulk purchases for families with young children.’ Or comparison guides that clearly differentiate your offerings from competitors.

Quora is the most frequently cited website in Google AI Overviews, followed by Reddit. Users on these platforms often ask and answer niche questions that aren’t covered elsewhere, making them valuable information sources for highly specific AI queries. Incorporating Quora, Reddit, or other well-known sites into your marketing strategy can be crucial for your AI optimization — Google often cites these platforms as trusted sources.

Prioritize Technical SEO

• Fast loading times: Optimize your pages’ performance.

• Ensure Crawlability: Make sure AI crawlers can easily read your pages — avoid rendering important content solely with JavaScript, since many AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript.

The selection of sources cited by AI follows the same quality criteria that establish authority in traditional SEO. Content featuring unique data, well-founded analyses, clear structure, and a high level of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness stands a better chance of being referenced as a source. EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is therefore a key success factor for both organic search results and AI-driven search outcomes.

Whether optimizing for a specific topic or keyword in AI-powered search is worthwhile depends on the individual case. Is your brand mentioned in AI results—or that of your competitors? How are the developments in the AI era currently impacting your traffic and conversions? These factors determine whether you should specifically optimize for AI tools and promote external mentions—or focus instead on commercial search queries with direct revenue potential.

Google has already begun rolling out the AI Mode, which offers a ChatGPT-like experience and completely replaces the traditional search results page. If this mode becomes the standard, the user experience will change radically: moving away from lists of links toward direct, contextualized answers.

The Semrush AI Overviews Study shows that the frequency of AI Overviews is rapidly increasing: In January 2025, 6.49% of search queries triggered an AI Overview. This value rose to 7.64% in February 2025 (an 18% increase) and to 13.14% in March 2025 (a 72% growth compared to the previous month).

SEO isn’t dead, but it’s undergoing a fundamental change. If you want to stay visible, you need to engage with GEO, AEO, and AIO now. The days when reach came solely from organic rankings are over. Today, visibility means being at the very center of the answer itself.

For companies, this means an urgent need to optimize their content for AI and large language models before the competition does. Start by analyzing your visibility in AI-driven searches. Investing in high-quality, trustworthy, and machine-readable content—along with optimizing technical SEO—can be crucial to staying successful in this new era of search.

Sources of information

WSJ: AI Has Upended the Search Game. Marketers Are Scrambling to Catch Up.

BREAKtheWEB: AI SEO Statistics

Semrush: AI Search SEO Traffic Study

Semrush: AI Overviews Study

WordStream: Google AI Overviews

SEO Südwest: KI-SEO: Tracking, Tools und KPIs für AIO, ChatGPT & Co.

Bain & Company: Goodbye Clicks, Hello AI: Zero-Click Search Redefines Marketing

Wired: OpenAI Adds Shopping to ChatGPT in a Challenge to Google

SparkToro: 2024 Zero-Click Search Study

SISTRIX: AI Overviews

SE Ranking: AI Visibility Tracker

Semrush: Google AI Mode