Winning in the Age of AI Search: How Brands Can Thrive as Search Evolves

Search is changing faster than ever. With the rise of AI-powered features like Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, the familiar “10 blue links” are disappearing - users increasingly get their answers right in search results.

That shift has profound implications: less traffic from search, fewer guaranteed clicks, and more competition for visibility. A recent study showed when an AI summary appears, clicks on traditional results fall to 8%, compared with 15% when no summary is shown. Just 1% clicks the links inside summaries, and more users drop off entirely - 26% abandon browsing after viewing a page with a summary, versus 16% without.

So, how do you ensure your business isn’t left behind?

The New Search Reality

Google is testing ways to encourage clicks inside AI Overviews - an acknowledgment that publishers risk losing traffic when answers appear directly in search results.

Meanwhile, AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini are becoming gatekeepers between your content and your audience, deciding which information is surfaced and in what form.

What This Means for Your Business

Three key shifts are emerging:

1. Content must be engineered for AI. Traditional keyword-focused pages won’t suffice - AI systems favour structured, intent-driven, and visually rich content.
2. Owned media is more valuable than ever. As referral traffic from search declines, channels like newsletters, podcasts, and online communities become essential for direct connection with audiences.
3. First-party data is your competitive moat. AI intermediates many interactions, making direct access to audience insights - and the ability to act on them - critical for sustained visibility.

How to Adapt: Strategic Actions for Brands

SEO isn’t dead, it’s evolving into an AI Visibility Strategy. Here’s how to respond:

• Reframe your SEO goals to prioritise visibility in AI systems, not just traditional search rankings.
• Engineer your content with structured layouts, FAQs, guides, data snippets, and compelling visuals.
• Diversify your presence by building owned media assets: email lists, content hubs, and interactive experiences.
• Strengthen first-party data practices to personalise and measure across channels.
• Monitor AI-overview visibility and continually test which formats and topics perform best.

How We Can Help

ClickThrough can support every step of your adaptation:

• AI Search Readiness Audits: Evaluate how your content fares in AI-driven environments.
• Content Re-Engineering: Transform your assets into structured, AI-friendly formats.
• Owned Media Strategies: Build newsletters, communities, and content ecosystems.
• Data & Measurement Support: Develop first-party data frameworks and analytics to track performance.

The Opportunity Ahead

AI may be changing how search works, but this isn’t the end of SEO - it’s an evolution. Brands that embrace structured, AI-ready content, build strong owned media channels, and lean into data-driven personalisation won’t just survive - they'll thrive.

The future of discoverability isn’t something to fear - it’s something to embrace.
Let’s build your AI visibility strategy together.