Google AI Overviews now appear on 47% of searches and reduce clicks to the #1 result by 58%. Traditional search volume is dropping 25% by the end of this year. ChatGPT has 800 million weekly users. Perplexity grew 370% in a single year. The question isn't whether search marketing is changing. It's whether your strategy has changed with it.
There's no shortage of "future of search" predictions floating around. Most of them are vague, trend-listicle pieces that tell you "AI is important" without giving you a single number to plan around. This piece is different. Every claim is backed by a specific study from a credible source, and every trend is connected to something you can actually do about it.
This is a data-backed assessment of where search marketing stands right now, where it's heading based on current trajectories, and what the research says businesses should be doing about it. All stats are sourced inline from McKinsey, Gartner, Ahrefs, Seer Interactive, Semrush, Bain, and other primary research.
How is AI changing search marketing?
AI is redistributing attention, not removing demand. People are still searching. They're just searching in more places, and the answers they're getting are changing how they interact with the results.
The most visible shift is Google AI Overviews. Google reported that 1.5 billion people use AI Overviews every month across 200+ countries (Sundar Pichai, Q1 2025 earnings). Ahrefs' 300,000-keyword study found that AI Overviews now appear on 47% of Google searches globally, and when they do, clicks to the #1 organic result drop by 58%. That's Google's own product cannibalising its own organic results.
Then there are the standalone AI search platforms. ChatGPT has 800 million weekly active users (Sam Altman, Oct 2025), processing 2.5 billion prompts per day (OpenAI via TechCrunch). Perplexity has 45 million monthly active users with 370% year-over-year growth (TechCrunch, Sep 2025). Gemini crossed 750 million monthly active users (Pichai, Q4 2025 earnings). These aren't niche tools anymore. They're mainstream search channels.
The combined effect is staggering. Similarweb data showed that AI platforms generated 1.13 billion referral visits in June 2025 alone, up 357% year-over-year. At the same time, Gartner predicted that traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by the end of 2026 due to AI chatbots and virtual agents. The traffic is moving, and it's moving fast.
For search marketers, this means the old model of "rank on Google, get clicks, convert traffic" is being supplemented (not replaced, but significantly supplemented) by a new model: "get cited in AI answers, earn trust before the click, convert higher-intent visitors." The businesses that adapt to both models will outperform. The businesses that only optimise for Google will watch their traffic erode.
Is traditional SEO dying?
No. But it's not enough anymore, and the data makes that clear.
Seer Interactive's CTR study (Sep 2025) is the most comprehensive analysis of how AI Overviews affect click behaviour. On queries where AI Overviews appear, organic click-through rates dropped 61% (from 1.76% to 0.61%). Paid CTR dropped 68% (from 19.7% to 6.34%). The zero-click rate on these queries hit 83%.
Those are brutal numbers. But here's the part most people miss: brands that were cited within AI Overviews earned 35% more organic clicks and 91% more paid clicks compared to non-cited brands (Seer Interactive, same study). Being cited in the AI answer doesn't cannibalise your traffic. It amplifies it.
| Traditional model (2015-2023) | AI-era model (2024+) | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goal | Rank in Google top 10 | Get cited in AI answers + rank in Google |
| Traffic source | Organic clicks from SERPs | AI referrals + organic clicks |
| Content format | Keyword-optimised long-form | Question-answer pairs, direct answers, structured data |
| Authority signal | Backlinks and domain authority | Multi-source consensus, citations, brand mentions |
| Measurement | Rankings, traffic, CTR | Visibility score, citation rate, AI referral traffic |
| Conversion path | Click > landing page > convert | AI answer > trust established > higher-intent click > convert |
| Update frequency | Quarterly content refreshes | Monthly or fortnightly refreshes (citations change 40-60% monthly) |
The businesses at risk aren't the ones doing SEO. They're the ones doing only SEO. Google is still the largest search platform by a massive margin. But if your entire strategy is built around Google organic rankings, you're ignoring the channels growing at 357% year-over-year and the AI Overviews layer that's reducing clicks to your existing rankings by 58%. The answer is additive: SEO plus AEO, not one or the other. For a detailed breakdown, see our AEO vs SEO guide.
This is where Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) comes in. AEO is the practice of optimising your content, authority signals, and technical infrastructure to be cited in AI-generated answers across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Claude. It's not a replacement for SEO. It's the second half of a modern search strategy.
What is the zero-click trend and why does it matter?
The zero-click trend is simple: more searches are ending without the user clicking through to any website. AI is the accelerant.
Bain & Company's research (Feb 2025) found that 80% of consumers rely on AI-generated results for at least 40% of their searches. 60% of searches end without the user progressing to a website at all. On Google specifically, when AI Overviews are present, that zero-click rate jumps to 83% (Seer Interactive).
This isn't just an abstract trend for search marketers to worry about. It fundamentally changes what "visibility" means. If 83% of people reading the AI-generated answer never click through, then being in that answer IS the visibility event. The answer is the new search result. Citation is the new ranking.
“44% of consumers now prefer AI search for buying decisions. Traditional search is second at 31%. Unprepared brands face a 20-50% traffic decline.
For businesses, this means two things. First, the content you create needs to be citation-worthy, not just click-worthy. AI systems need to trust your content enough to cite it as a source, because that citation (your brand name, in the AI answer, with a link) may be the only touchpoint many users ever have with you. Second, the traffic that does come through from AI citations converts significantly better. Ahrefs found that AI search visitors convert up to 23x better than organic search visitors. Semrush's study put the figure at 4.4x. Either way, the message is clear: less traffic, but dramatically higher quality.
What will search marketing look like by 2028?
The research points to three major shifts converging by 2028. Each one is backed by data from a Tier 1 research firm.
AI search overtakes traditional search. Semrush's original study (Jun 2025) projects that AI search traffic is on track to overtake traditional organic search by 2028. When you combine ChatGPT's 800 million weekly users, Google AI Overviews' 1.5 billion monthly users, Perplexity's 45 million active users, and Gemini's 750 million monthly users, the aggregate footprint of AI search is already enormous. The question is just how quickly these platforms absorb the remaining search behaviour that currently goes through traditional blue links.
AI agents start making purchasing decisions. Gartner's IT Symposium prediction (Oct 2025) states that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI agent intermediated, pushing over $15 trillion through AI agent exchanges. This is the next evolution beyond AI search. Instead of a person asking ChatGPT for recommendations, an AI agent will autonomously research, evaluate, and in some cases purchase on behalf of the user or organisation. The implications for search marketing are profound: you won't just need to convince humans. You'll need to convince algorithms.
The revenue stakes are massive. McKinsey estimates $750 billion in revenue will flow through AI-powered search in the US alone by 2028. That's not a forecast of total e-commerce. That's the incremental revenue specifically attributable to AI search as a discovery and purchasing channel. Businesses that are visible in AI search will capture a share of that. Businesses that aren't will be invisible to the fastest-growing commercial channel in history.
What should businesses do right now?
The gap between "aware this is happening" and "actually doing something about it" is where the opportunity lives. Most businesses are still in awareness mode. The ones moving to action are the ones that will own their space in AI search before it gets competitive.
Here's the practical framework, in order of priority:
1. Audit your AI visibility today. Search for your brand and your key products/services across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google (look at AI Overviews specifically), and Gemini. Are you mentioned? Are you cited with a link? Are your competitors showing up instead of you? This audit takes 30 minutes and will tell you exactly where you stand. We've written specific guides on how to rank in ChatGPT and how to rank in Perplexity.
2. Restructure your content for AI citation. Every key page on your site should answer questions your customers ask AI. Use question-format H2 headings. Put the direct answer in the first paragraph under each heading. Include specific data, names, and verifiable claims. AI systems cite content that gives clear, authoritative, fact-dense answers. Vague marketing copy gets ignored.
3. Build authority across multiple sources. A Yext study of 6.8 million AI citations found that 86% of AI citations come from brand-managed sources: your website and your business listings. Get your brand into relevant directories, industry listings, and review platforms. Pursue editorial mentions through digital PR. The more independent sources that validate your brand, the more AI systems trust you.
4. Implement structured data. FAQ schema, Organisation schema, Article schema, and HowTo schema help AI systems parse your content. Structured data is the markup that tells AI engines what your content contains, who created it, and how to cite it. If your competitors have it and you don't, they have an advantage.
5. Don't abandon SEO. Expand it. Keep doing what works for Google. But add an AEO layer on top. The content improvements that help you get cited in AI answers (clear structure, direct answers, authority signals) also improve your Google performance. And the editorial mentions and citations you build for AI visibility contribute to your backlink profile. The two strategies are complementary. For a full breakdown, see our AEO vs SEO comparison.
6. Monitor and refresh regularly. AI citations are volatile. BrightEdge found that 40-60% of ChatGPT citations change monthly. Perplexity, which crawls the web fresh for every query, is even more dynamic. Set up a monthly visibility audit and a content refresh schedule for your top-priority pages. The businesses that update most frequently hold their citations longest.
If you're wondering what all of this costs, we've broken down AEO pricing and what's included in a separate guide.
Want to see where you stand in AI search?
Book a free AI Visibility Audit. We'll show you exactly where you're visible in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, where you're invisible, and what to do about it.
Book Your AI Visibility AuditFrequently Asked Questions
Will Google still be relevant in 2028?
Yes, absolutely. Google is still the dominant search platform by a wide margin, even with AI Overviews cannibalising some of its own organic traffic. The shift isn't "Google vs AI search." It's "Google alone vs Google plus AI search platforms." Google itself is evolving with AI Overviews, and brands that get cited in those AI Overviews actually earn 35% more organic clicks (Seer Interactive). Google isn't going away. But relying exclusively on Google organic rankings is an increasingly risky strategy.
Should I stop investing in SEO?
No. SEO and AEO are complementary, not competing. The content improvements that help you get cited in AI answers also improve your Google rankings. The authority signals you build for AI visibility contribute to your backlink profile. And Google is still where the majority of search traffic originates. The right move is to keep your SEO programme running and add AEO on top. Think of it as upgrading your search strategy, not replacing it.
What is the difference between SEO and AEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) focuses on ranking in Google's link-based search results. AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) focuses on getting cited in AI-generated answers across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Claude. The two overlap significantly in terms of content quality, structured data, and authority building. The key differences are in how content is structured (AI prefers direct Q&A), how authority is evaluated (AI uses multi-source consensus rather than just backlinks), and how performance is measured (citation rate and visibility score rather than ranking position). For a full comparison, see our AEO vs SEO guide.
How do I measure AI search performance?
There's no single tool that does for AI search what Google Search Console does for Google rankings. The practical approach is a combination of manual prompt testing (running your target prompts through ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini regularly), automated monitoring tools (like Otterly.ai, Profound, or Peec AI), and tracking AI referral traffic in your analytics. At Omni Eclipse, we track visibility score (how often you appear) and citation score (how often you're cited with a link) across all AI platforms. For more detail, see our AI visibility guide.
Ashur Homa
Built and scaled a digital brand to $100M+ in sales with zero ad spend. Has helped businesses generate millions through AI go-to-market strategy. Leads growth at Omni Eclipse.
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