The way people search is being rewritten. With AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini Overviews gaining traction, users are increasingly getting answers without ever clicking through to a website. One analysis put the no-click rate at nearly 60%. It’s a strong signal that visibility alone doesn’t guarantee traffic anymore.

And it’s not just organic search that’s feeling the impact. Paid ads are feeling the pressure, too. When AI-generated answers take center stage, fewer users scroll down to engage with traditional ads. One agency even reported a drop in click-through rates of over 50%.

So what does this mean for marketers? It’s no longer just about ranking high. It’s about showing up in new ways, measuring value differently, and rethinking how we earn engagement in an AI-first search landscape.

How to Stay Visible and Valuable in Organic Search

Earn Attention, Even Without the Click

AI features, like summaries and featured snippets, may limit traffic, but they still offer valuable exposure. Being included in these top-of-page placements builds trust, reinforces brand presence, and can influence future behavior, even if users don’t immediately visit your site.

Here’s how to make those appearances count:

  • Offer just enough to spark curiosity. Provide value up front, but leave room for deeper exploration. This works especially well with lists, comparisons, and how-to content.
  • Use “Position Zero” as a branding tool. Even when users don’t click, they see your name, your voice, and your expertise. That top spot boosts credibility over time.
  • Structure for speed. Use concise answers, bold headers, and clean formatting. This boosts your chance of being featured in summaries.

Think of it as the new first impression: brief, but powerful.

Shift the Focus from Clicks to Credibility

With less traffic coming from search, smart marketers are playing the long game, focusing on brand-building and authority, not just CTR.

How to do it:

  • Increase branded search. Make it easy, and worthwhile, for users to search for your brand by name. That signals intent, familiarity, and trust.
  • Create thought leadership content. Content that shares proprietary insights, fresh perspectives, or unique research tends to get referenced by AI tools and cited by others. In the long run, being mentioned may matter just as much as being visited.

In short, referenced is the new clicked.

How to Make Your Content AI-Friendly

As search shifts toward AI-generated answers, marketers must adapt their SEO strategies to how AI understands, selects, and serves content.

Try this:

  • Use clear and simple structure. Organize your content with clear headings, use FAQ-style questions and answers, and add extra information (called “schema markup”) that helps search engines and AI understand your page better.
  • Target specific questions people ask. Focus on writing content that answers detailed, specific questions—like “How does [X] work?” or “What’s the best way to [Y]?” These types of questions are more likely to show up in AI-powered search results and summaries.
  • Make it easy for both people and AI to read. Write in a friendly, natural way that people enjoy reading, but also use clean formatting (like short paragraphs and bullet points) so AI can easily scan and understand the content.

Think of it as optimizing for the algorithms, not just for humans.

Rethinking Paid Search in an AI-Dominated Landscape

Why Traditional Search Ads Need a New Strategy

As AI takes up more space in search results, some advertisers are seeing diminishing returns on traditional search ads. But there’s still plenty of opportunity… if you pivot smartly.

What’s working now?

  • Lean into branded keywords. These users already know you, and they’re more likely to convert.
  • Reach your audience where they already are. Share your content through email, social media, and your own website or blog. This helps people see your message more often, makes it easier for them to share, and keeps your brand top of mind.

Smarter Creative, Stronger Impact

Getting noticed beneath AI summaries means rethinking your ad creative.

Winning strategies include:

  • Leading with benefit-driven headlines that speak to immediate user needs.
  • Using visual formats, like carousels, image extensions, shoppable ads, to catch attention.
  • Keeping copy clear, fast, and snackable for distracted scrollers.

The goal: Deliver value instantly, and look good doing it.

Measure What Matters — Beyond the Click

Traditional KPIs like CTR still matter, but they no longer tell the full story in an AI-shaped journey. Marketers need to track behavior over time, across channels, and through nonlinear funnels.

Here is what to focus on:

  • Prioritize full-funnel engagement. Focus on the entire customer journey, not just the first visit. Tools like Google Analytics 4 can help you track important behaviors, such as how often people return to your site, how your branded searches are growing, and how users engage across multiple visits.
  • Focus on smarter attribution. It’s also important to track assisted conversions, which show when someone engages with your brand early, possibly through an AI answer, but comes back later through another channel to convert. Direct visits suggest users remembered your brand and returned on their own, while growth in branded searches often signals that AI visibility is driving awareness, leading people to look up your brand later.

Search Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Evolving

AI is rewriting the rules of search, from how people find answers to how brands earn attention. Success now depends on showing up in smarter ways, creating content that’s built for both humans and machines, and rethinking performance beyond the click.

If you’re ready to adapt your strategy for this new reality, from optimizing visibility in AI-driven results to evolving your paid media mix, CCG is here to help you lead with clarity and confidence.