The problem (and the opportunity)
Search behavior has changed faster than most dashboards. When Google shows an AI summary (a.k.a. AI Overview), users are about half as likely to click out to a website (8% clickthrough vs. 15% when no AI summary appears). That single UX shift cascades into fewer visits, fuzzier attribution, and harder-won intent.
Add to that the long-running rise of zero-click behavior roughly 58–60% of Google searches end with no outbound click and you’ve got a world where great answers often don’t equal great traffic.
Publishers are seeing it on the ground: DCN members report 1–25% declines in Google referrals tied to AI Overviews, while some individual sites have posted much steeper drops (e.g., Business Insider’s 55% decline in organic search traffic from 2022 to 2025, per Similarweb data reported by the WSJ). Google disputes aggregate harm, but the directional signal for marketers is clear: plan for fewer search clicks and more answer-stage discovery.
Great content isn’t falling flat, it’s getting vetted in silence. Big-ticket B2B decisions now start with self-serve research and remote reviews, so the game isn’t “say more,” it’s be found where trust already lives. Accountants are time-poor, proof-hungry, and CPD-obligated; they scan first, read later. Buying is consensus-driven, with hidden influencers (ops, risk, IT) weighing in long before sales. The upside? Strong thought leadership still moves deals when it’s practical, portable, and easy to share.
What changed (insight)
- AI is inserting itself before the click. AI summaries satisfy intent in the SERP, and assistant tools (ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Copilot) synthesize sources directly often with citations instead of classic rankings.
- Budgets are tight, scrutiny is up. CMOs report flat overall budgets (≈ 7.7% of revenue) and are reallocating within digital; paid search still leads digital mix at ~13.9%—but returns are being questioned channel by channel.
- GenAI is no longer a side project. McKinsey estimates material revenue and productivity gains from gen-AI in marketing and sales; Deloitte expects AI agents in a growing share of enterprises starting 2025, which will surface and act on trusted content autonomously.
Bottom line: Buyers are still researching; they’re just doing it through summaries and agents. Your job is to be the source those summaries and agents trust.
The strategy (problem → insight → solution)
1. Shift part of your search budget to AI-visibility & trusted distribution
You don’t need a bonfire; start with surgical reallocation from traditional paid search to:
- AIO (AI Overview/Answer Optimization): FAQ hubs, definition pages, and comparison micro-cards that answer intent in one screen.
- Trusted-host placements: Publish your key insights on editorially reviewed, high-authority domains (analyst reports, respected trade media) and on your site. AI systems and users both weight E-E-A-T signals — experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust.
Why “trusted hosts” matter: AI platforms increasingly pick and cite authoritative sources; several industry analyses of Perplexity/AI Overviews point to stronger inclusion for well-structured, high-authority domains. In martech, marketers routinely look to analyst firms (e.g., Gartner, McKinsey) and long-running trade publications (e.g., ClickZ) for signal.
(Note: independent, universal “trust lists” aren’t public; the safe bet is to earn authority; clear bylines, citations, first-party data, rigorous sourcing and borrow it via reputable publications.)Success signals: internal forwards from partner emails, saves/shares on LinkedIn, and qualified replies (e.g., “Can we use this checklist with clients?”).
2. Design for PDFs answer-first consumption
- Lead with a direct answer (1–2 sentences), then a scannable proof pack (stat → source) and a visual.
- Use structured data and tight H2/H3s so models can parse and quote you cleanly.
- Keep a portable citation block (sources like Gartner, McKinsey, Deloitte) in every asset agents prefer content that already cites authorities.
3. Make proof the product
- Track AI-citation presence (e.g., are Perplexity/ChatGPT/AI Overviews linking to you or your hosted placements?).
- Watch branded search and direct as proxies for “seen in summaries.”
Treat assist-stage saves/shares (emails, Slack, Notion) as leading indicators.
- Expect lower SERP CTR where AI summaries appear (remember 8% vs 15%), but aim for higher intent on the traffic that does arrive. A practical 4-week plan (built to test and prove reallocation)
A practical 4-week plan (built to test and prove reallocation)
Week 1 — Stand up your “answer spine.”
- Publish a ClickZ-hosted executive explainer on your core topic plus a mirrored, canonical version on your site.
Add an FAQ hub with 10–15 question/answer cards, each citing at least one tier-one source.
Instrument structured data and “last updated” stamps.
Week 2 — Package portable proof.
- Create one-screen comparison micro-cards (e.g., “AI Overviews vs. classic SERP: what changes for demand gen?”) citing Pew and SparkToro.
- Ship a visual stat pack for sales/CS to drop into threads.
Week 3 — Borrow authority.
- Place a native summary on a trusted trade outlet (e.g., ClickZ) pointing to your deeper explainer and tools.
- Pitch a short Q&A with an analyst or practitioner to add external expertise. (Analyst/trade placements align to how AI systems weigh E-E-A-T.)
Week 4 — Prove the mix.
- Reallocate a slice of Google Ads budget into answer-unit distribution (paid syndication to your trusted-host article + newsletter sponsorships).
- Report on: AI citations, branded search lift, direct traffic, save/share rate, and assisted pipeline from accounts that touched the ClickZ-hosted asset.
Talking points you asked us to cover (with sources)
- “Google search is down 40%?” The landscape is uneven. Solid, recent data shows:
- CTR drops from 15% → 8% when AI summaries appear (Pew).
- Many quality publishers report 1–25% Google referral declines tied to AI Overviews (DCN via Digiday).
- Some individual outlets have seen ~40–55% declines over multi-year windows (Similarweb data reported by the WSJ). Treat “40%” as a publisher-level case, not a universal constant.
- Meanwhile, zero-click rates remain ~58–60% (SparkToro/Search Engine Land).
- “Shift budgets from classic AdWords to AI-driven channels.” Gartner shows paid search is still the largest digital line item (~13.9%), but CMOs face flat/pressured budgets perfect conditions to rebalance toward AI-visibility plays (answer-first content, trusted-host placements, assistant distribution) and then prove lift with branded/direct + pipeline metrics.
- “Trusted content & visibility in AI results.” Google’s guidance and multiple industry analyses indicate that E-E-A-T and clear structure influence which sources AI cites. Hosting on trusted, editorially reviewed platforms increases your odds of inclusion and the perceived credibility of the answer.
- “Do AI agents really prioritize ‘trusted’ content?” Deloitte forecasts rapid adoption of AI agents beginning in 2025; those agents (and current assistant tools) rely on high-authority, clearly sourced material to minimize risk. When your content cites tier-one research (Gartner, McKinsey, Deloitte) and lives on authoritative domains (e.g., ClickZ for martech), it’s more likely to be surfaced and acted on.
Want a quick check? Ask Perplexity or ChatGPT Search your core question and see which domains they cite. Your aim: appear there—either directly (your site) or indirectly (your insight, hosted or quoted on a trusted publication like ClickZ).
Reference pack (share with your team)
- Pew Research Center (July 2025): CTR is 8% when AI summaries appear vs 15% without.
SparkToro / Search Engine Land (2024): ~58–60% of searches result in zero clicks.
- Digital Content Next via Digiday (Aug 2025): Many publishers report 1–25% Google referral declines post-AI Overviews.
- WSJ (June 2025) citing Similarweb: Some outlets reported multi-year declines up to 55%.
- Gartner 2025 CMO Spend: Budgets ≈ 7.7% of revenue; paid search ~13.9% of digital mix.
- McKinsey (Mar 2025): Gen-AI drives profitable growth in marketing & sales.
- Deloitte (Nov 2024): AI agents rolling into enterprise workflows starting 2025.