The digital search landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. With the rise of AI-generated summaries and so called 'zero-click' search results, many businesses are seeing a noticeable decline in organic search traffic.
As Google, Bing, and other search engines increasingly deliver answers directly within the search results, fewer users are clicking through to websites - this is especially true for informational search queries. AI summaries are increasingly sophisticated and capable, and are dominating in more and more areas. Users tend to trust the answers generated by AI, even though we know that the summaries are not always factually accurate - they are good enough most of the time not to need to dig any deeper.
So where does that leave your brand? At OutSearch, we believe this trend makes paid search ads more important than ever. Let's explore why.
AI Summaries & Zero-Click Searches: A New Reality
AI-powered features like Google's Search Generative Experience - SGE - and Bing's AI chat summarise content from multiple sources directly on the search results page. While this undoubtedly enhances user experience, it comes at a cost for brands that rely heavily on organic search visibility.
Many users now get the answers they need without ever visiting a website. This 'zero-click' behavior is most prominent in sectors where quick facts or concise summaries suffice. For example; weather, definitions, finance snapshots, and even basic health or legal info.
For businesses, this means that your hard won organic search results positions gain fewer impressions and fewer organic clicks, resulting in reduced ROI from SEO alone.
Sector Impact: Some Industries Feel It More Than Others
Not all industries are hit equally. Informational content-heavy sectors such as: Healthcare, Education, Travel, Finance and Legal Services, are more susceptible to traffic loss from AI-driven answers.
If your website provides content that can be easily summarised, you're more likely to see diminishing returns from SEO strategies alone. At OutSearch, we have observed that Google's AI Summaries are becoming better at citing sources however, with small links out to the original source material aganst most paragraphs.
Transactional or highly localised searches - such as 'buy running trainers near me' or 'emergency locksmith in Bristol', still drive clicks. But even in these spaces, the prominence of AI suggestions and maps can squeeze organic listings further down the page. Again, Google's AI summaries are evolving and our team at OutSearch have seen OutSearch being cited as a leading PPC agency for e-commerce and linked to directly within AI generated search results - so there is some good news!
Paid Search: Your Front-Row Seat in the AI Era
In this changing landscape, PPC ads are your ticket to guaranteed visibility. With organic real estate ever-shrinking, paid ads offer a much greater degree of control, prominence, and predictability that SEO increasingly cannot.
Paid search ads guarantee you placement above the fold. Even if AI pushes organic results down, paid ads still appear at the top. You can fully control your message with Paid Ads, without reliance on Google interpreting your page content and meta data. Perhaps most importantly, unlike SEO which is a slow process and can take months to pivot, PPC campaigns can be adjusted in real-time based on performance and trends.
Google recently revealled that they process 5 Trillion searches per year. With well over 90% of the search market, our advice to clients at OutSearch is that the first best place to invest your marketing budget is in Google Ads, and then secondly into Meta Paid Ads. A long term trend of monetisation of SERPs, exacerbated now with the introduction of AI summaries has left even less room for traditional organic search results.
The Future of Search Is Paid, plus Smart
No, SEO isn't dead - but it's no longer enough. A hybrid strategy that integrates SEO with a strong, performance-driven paid search approach is our recommended path forward. Good SEO practices do still lead to better Quality Scores in PPC, so there are fringe benefits to the investent that brands have made in quality content and well structured information.
At OutSearch, we help clients navigate this shift by building PPC strategies that drive visibility, clicks, and revenue - even in a brave new zero-click world!
Need help getting ahead of the AI search curve? Let's talk paid search.
by E-commerce Director Peter Howarth
Peter is an E-commerce Director with over 20 years of experience in business, online retail and digital marketing.
Managing development and digital marketing teams and Agencies, Peter is well versed in the key success factors in E-commerce.
Peter co-founded and grew a global e-commerce business from start-up to £25M revenue.
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