By Alex White

The rise of Google’s AI Overviews marks arguably the biggest shift in search behavior since autocomplete launched in 2004.

While they may seem like a win for users, they’ve provided some extreme challenges for today’s SEO professionals, headlined by dramatic drops in click through rates. As Jim Yu, Founder & CEO of BrightEdge notes, “data shows that AI Overviews now appear in 16% of queries, the highest since launch. As Google refines AIOs, they’re reshaping search behavior, with a ~50% drop in clickthrough rates when AIOs are present.” 

As AI Overviews change what it means to be visible in search, content marketers must adapt their strategies to survive and thrive in this evolving digital landscape. These shifts were the focus of a recent episode of #ContentChat, where TopRank Marketing Associate Content Director Nick Nelson joined host Erika Heald. 

With over 40 years of combined marketing experience, their conversation offered valuable insights on how brands can evolve their content strategies to stay competitive. Throughout this post, I’ll share key takeaways from their discussion and what it means for your content strategy.

The new search reality

The rise of AI-excerpted content in search results has changed the game, and brands that wish to rank must change too. Marketers who safely navigated Google’s Florida Update, the rise of link building, and the mobile-first and local SEO boom will see the rise of AI Overviews not as a crisis but as an opportunity to rethink their content strategy and gain a competitive advantage. 

But enough about the past. We can’t compare what happened 20 years ago to the unique changes occurring in search today. The same goes for benchmarks, you can’t compare them to your pre AI-baselines.

“Stop comparing your organic traffic baseline to whatever it was two years ago because it’s irrelevant.” – Nick Nelson, Associate Content Director, TopRank Marketing

Speaking of value, branded searches (queries where users seek out your brand specifically) have risen in value exponentially because they signal strong brand awareness and intent. But their worth does not stop there. Nick noted on the chat, “branded searches are really valuable because it implies that you’re going to have a specific unique point of view on something.” Focusing on building and optimizing for branded searches will be key to standing out and maintaining relevance in the evolving AI-driven search landscape.

• Continued Reading: Perception vs. Reality: Google, AI, and Search Habits

Generative engine optimization (GEO) vs. traditional SEO

Not everyone was lucky enough to live in the era of the 1989 GEO Metro, but don’t fret, we’re now in the era of generative engine optimization (GEO). This strategy,  which refers to the practice of optimizing …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

Author: Aaron