December 3, 2024
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November 17, 2025
By Craig Schweitzer
For the first time in decades, Google is staring at an uncertain search future as it faces real competition from other search engines and AI platforms. With the rapid growth and user adoption of large language models (LLMs), AI is changing the rules and expectations of search as we previously knew it.
As of Q2 2025, LLMs like ChatGPT or Perplexity currently account for over 5.6% of all U.S. desktop search traffic, with no signs of slowing down. This figure is more than double the 2.48% reported by the WSJ in June of 2024, highlighting significant adoption.
With this adoption, user behavior is changing, given an ever-increasing focus on efficiency and quick answers to problems – or in this case, queries. People are now searching across multiple platforms, with longer, more detailed queries – and in return, expect quick, summarized answers to complex questions.
For brands, this has brought about a new challenge: how do you stay visible on search and all key AI platforms, and what are the latest best practices for hosting content on websites amid a changing digital environment?
However, as with all big changes in life, it is important not to overreact and move forward with measured, thoughtful strategy. The core and mission of your business, the information you provide online and the valuable products or services you provide aren’t changing. It is the way people receive and expect to receive information, that is evolving.
The good news? Traditional tactics still hold a key stake in this evolution.
With that, there are a few main considerations to help adjust effectively into this new search landscape.
Key areas of focus:
A “zero-click” future:
The rise of AI summaries directly in search results (search-engine-result-page) has triggered much lower user click rates. Given success on search has historically been measured by click engagement, we must now go by new measuring sticks.
A recent study found that ~58.5% of searches on Google are now resulting in zero clicks (Sparktoro), certainly driven in large part by the fact that AI Overviews were triggered on 19.88% of all Google searches as of May 2025 (Semrush).
With AI overviews comes new user behavior. PEW Research Center outlined that users are only half as likely to click on a link, 10% more likely to end their browsing sessions and 3% less likely to continue their search on Google.
Users care about information and want to get to their answer in as few steps and clicks as possible. This means that brands and individuals who want their content/information found must navigate strategies to appear in queries, rather than only within clickable links. Since users are less likely to click through to the websites, it is crucial that website information is formatted in a way that AI summaries can scan and provide in the AI generated search result.
This is where the emergence of Generative Engine Optimizations (GEO) can be transformative, which helps you stay visible in the new world of AI Overviews.
The rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
GEO is the next evolution of SEO (search engine optimization). While SEO is focused on how websites rank in search engine results, GEO focuses on how websites, companies and their content appear in AI generated results.
You may have already heard the term “GEO” but it is important to understand what it is and what it means for the overall search universe in the age of AI.
The rise of GEO does not mean the end of SEO; in fact, SEO may be more important than ever (more on this below). Both follow similar best practices and will impact your websites’ visibility now and in the future. Similar to SEO, content visibility is still the ultimate goal.
Promoting content on high trafficked publications, optimizing content towards high value searches and positioning your website as a high-quality content authority are all key factors for search visibility.
The three areas below outline how SEO and GEO differ, strategies to optimize approach and what success looks like for each:
Who to optimize for?
What is the content approach?
How to measure success?
The fundamental difference regarding GEO is the focus on optimizing content to be featured, cited and referenced in AI-generated answers pulled from your site. It does not rely on clicks as currency.
GEO is a new and evolving practice, so best practices and KPIs will surely further develop. By leveraging first party website data, third party research tools and aligning with your marketing team or agency, you can best set yourself up for success in being found by AI platforms.
Tailored content approaches are paramount and disciplined, and ongoing research will allow for adaptations to remain successful in your efforts over time.
Why Google still matters:
Despite LLMs doubling in search traffic over the past year, Google still commands over 90% of the search market share.
Google has seen similar growth rates in terms of average monthly visits compared to top AI competitors.
In 2025, Google averaged over 101 billion monthly visits, up from 84 billion in 2024. To put that number in perspective, ChatGPT, the LLM with the next highest average monthly visits, averages just over five billion visits per month. This also signals that overall search volume is increasing in general, alongside the emergence of answer engines.
In essence, Google is still king for the time being.
One of the biggest barriers for Google moving away from traditional search towards an answer-engine-first platform, is the ad revenue it collects from paid search. How do they transition their $175-$200 billion/per year ad revenue from traditional search to the new AI driven landscape?
Google’s answer to combining paid search with AI generated results comes in the form of “AI Max” and “PMax” advertising options.
AI Max is an AI powered upgrade to paid search that users can now toggle onto existing search campaigns. AI Max works by automatically matching search terms, ad copy and landing pages to the users’ search by leveraging existing campaign assets and information from your website. The advantage is that ads can now appear below AI Overviews and are more likely to appear for the longer, more detailed searches that are becoming increasingly common.
Pmax, or Performance Max, are AI powered advertising campaigns that draw from all assets (search, display, video) and automatically generate ads across search, display, YouTube and email.
While promising in theory, in practice, both advertising options are extremely untargeted and create compliance liabilities for highly sensitive verticals like finance and healthcare.
It’s clear Google is still leading this race in the new era of search, with Google AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini, as well as their advertising capabilities.
Moving forward, whoever can capture the largest share of the advertising market with the most effective capabilities and platforms will likely become the biggest players in the future of search.
It is likely that search will become a more fragmented landscape, so in addition to traditional search, you will have to account for new platforms and answer engines along the way.
We are surely in for an exciting race as the playing field will continue to change with new updates and developments. Platforms are going to create their own models that mirror Google, as Google continues to adapt.
Seeing search through the trees:
We’re in a new and exciting era, but it’s important not to ignore foundations for shiny new toys. AI is here and it’s here for the long haul – but there is much to learn in how to seamlessly integrate your existing strategies with new approaches that allow you and your firm to succeed on AI-first platforms.
Start with brand audits and using an AI-focused lens in your website and content development to set your GEO foundation. However, monitoring how answer engines continue to change as we take on the next phase of search will help you realize how to best position your brand and website for the future.
Sources:
https://www.demandsage.com/chatgpt-statistics/
https://www.demandsage.com/google-gemini-statistics/
https://meetanshi.com/blog/google-gemini-statistics/
https://backlinko.com/claude-users
https://static.semrush.com/file/docs/evolution-of-online-after-ai/Online_Search_After_ChatGPT.pdf
https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-search-is-growing-more-quickly-than-expected-f75aa1ca
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/microsoft-copilot-statistics/
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/chatgpt-more-visits-in-a-day-than-copilot-in-a-month
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/perplexity-ai-stats
https://backlinko.com/bing-users?
https://backlinko.com/most-popular-websites
https://fitsmallbusiness.com/google-search-statistics/
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/most-visited-websites
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1381664/worldwide-all-devices-market-share-of-search-engines/
https://www.semrush.com/website/top/#:~:text=Key%20Insights%20on%20Top%20Websites,lowest%20bounce%20rate%20at%2031.55%25
https://www.demandsage.com/google-search-statistics/
https://sparktoro.com/blog/2024-zero-click-search-study-for-every-1000-us-google-searches-only-374-clicks-go-to-the-open-web-in-the-eu-its-360/
https://digiday.com/media/in-graphic-detail-ai-platforms-are-driving-more-traffic-but-not-enough-to-offset-zero-click-search/
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/
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