SEO Isn’t Dead, But Your Strategy Might Be.
How to Update Your SEO Approach in 2025 to Survive AI Overviews, Win Trust, and Grow Your Brand.
For years—and until very recently—a common approach to SEO consisted of creating content for the purpose of ranking on Google and other search platforms. If that describes you, you’re not alone because, depending on the quality of your content, it was once a viable strategy.
However, the SEO industry has undergone a seismic shift. It happened so fast that many didn’t see it coming, and today, the SEO game is dramatically different and requires a new approach.
AI Overviews, those summaries at the top of many search result pages, pull information from across the web and serve it to users in a concise response to many queries.
In other words, users can quickly find answers to their questions without sifting through SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) or clicking on any links.
That means that while your brand could still be the best result for a particular search query, fewer people will ever reach your website because AI is giving them the information they are looking for.
The result? Organic search traffic has taken a major hit.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Ahrefs studied over 300,000 keywords. When AI Overviews appeared, click-through rates to the #1 result dropped by more than 34%.
Amsive analyzed 700,000 keywords. They found a 15% average drop in clicks, almost 20% for non-branded terms.
That’s just from AI answers appearing.
Now add this: 58.5% of Google searches in the U.S. already end without a click. And on mobile, it’s even higher!
If your SEO strategy relies solely on organic visibility, you're likely already feeling the effects.
Why Top-of-Funnel Content is Losing Steam
Most AI answers target top-of-funnel queries.
For example:
“How to prolong the life of concrete”
“How to tie a Windsor knot”
“Top long-term drug monitoring devices”
This kind of content used to be the gateway. You’d write an informative article, rank on page one, and wait for users to click and explore your website.
Now, Google—or rather, its AI Overview—just gives them the answer.
That means no page views. No clicks. No chance to earn trust or start a relationship with prospects.
If your site is full of this type of content, it’s time to rethink what you're publishing and why.
What Still Deserves a Place in Your SEO Strategy
Despite what you might be thinking at this point, or what you might be hearing from some online “gurus,” SEO is not dead.
Here’s what still works—and matters more now than before:
Branded Search
People directly searching for your organization by name, products, or services still click on SERP links. These are high-intent searches that AI isn’t trying to answer.
Long-Tail and Conversational Queries
“Medium roast coffee beans vacuum pack” isn’t easy for AI to summarize. In many cases, AI won’t even try to summarize a conversational query. Content that answers highly specific questions encounters less search competition and usually drives high-converting traffic.
Bottom-of-Funnel Content
People further down the decision path, or “bottom of the funnel,” still want real comparisons, customer stories, and insights. These queries often go beyond what a quick summary can cover.
A Focus on Search Intent
If your content solves a real-world problem better than anyone else, it’s still valuable. This type of information tends to be too complex for AI Summaries, and users who are hungry for this type of information will comb through SERPs to find it. Continue to focus on that type of information.
And yes, technical SEO still matters, but it no longer defines success—your content strategy does.
What AI Can’t Replace
AI can summarize information, but it can’t replace your unique perspective.
It doesn’t understand nuance. It doesn’t speak from experience. It doesn’t take a position. And as a result, it doesn’t build trust.
That means you have a clear and open lane, and it’s time to put the pedal to the metal.
How?
Write content that’s hard to replicate:
Your process for solving a complex problem
A firsthand lesson learned through failure
An interview with a subject matter expert
A strong opinion that challenges conventional thinking
A story that changed your business or shifted your client’s results
If the only way someone could have written it is you, you’re safe.
A Real-World Example
One of our clients, T3 Lining Supply, a nationwide B2B industrial supply company, saw blog traffic drop last fall. Their top-performing article (a “Top 5” industry overview) was losing impressions, along with several other articles that once ranked well.
We identified two major shifts:
Their articles dropped in search rankings, from spots 1–2 to positions 3–10.
Google displayed an AI Overview above all other organic results.
The ranking drop was easier to address. Instead of focusing on producing more original content, we began updating older posts that had lost ground. Within weeks, rankings began to recover.
However, the AI Overview problem was more complex.
As we’ve mentioned, AI-generated answers are still relatively new territory, but we found a way forward using the approach outlined above. Instead of chasing the formats that used to perform well, like listicles, how-tos, and general overviews, we pivoted hard toward differentiation.
We interviewed company leaders. We dug into their process, perspective, and client success stories. Then we built content around what only they could say.
That shift changed everything.
Soon, our revised articles began surfacing in AI-generated summaries. In some cases, those summaries pulled information exclusively from our content. The client reclaimed authority in search and began owning the conversation in their space.
Now, their articles show up in both traditional search results and AI Overviews. They’ve become a trusted source in the eyes of both search engines and potential customers.
That authority is growing their reach, driving leads, and solidifying them as the go-to in their industry.
Don’t Forget to Build Outside of Search
Search will remain a vital component of any inbound marketing strategy. However, as SEO continues to evolve, you will want to also invest in and nurture other doors of entry for your audience:
Value-driven lead magnets that can kickstart a variety of email marketing tactics
Engaging social content that starts conversations, not just broadcasts links
BOFU (Bottom of Funnel) sales-enablement content that closes deals, not just drives views
A robust video strategy that humanizes your brand and builds authority
Live webinars that deliver high value and invite interaction
Fortunately, if you’re already one of our clients, we do this stuff every day.
We help brands stop chasing clicks and start earning trust. Because when clicks disappear, relationships are the only thing that’s left.
Adapt or Get Left Behind
If you’re still publishing content merely to please the algorithm, you’ll soon be left behind.
The brands that will win are the ones that stop thinking like marketers and start thinking like publishers, partners, and educators.
When did your content last spark a conversation?
Would anyone miss it if you stopped publishing tomorrow?
If not, it’s time for a new plan.
Squeeze more from your marketing.
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