Rob Davis, President and CMO at Novus Media.

Search with generative AI is fundamentally changing how people find and interact with information online, impacting both paid and organic channels. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot can provide fully formed answers directly on the search results page without directing users toward relevant publisher sites.

In addition, Google has its own platforms, like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), that aim to answer questions without the user needing to click again.

This shift compresses the traditional funnel and reduces opportunities for click-through, creating the need for a new type of visibility. Instead of trying to win the first page of search, I believe brands will need to shift their focus to becoming the top results of the LLM searches.

Zero-Click Search Behavior

One of the most profound changes is the acceleration of “zero-click” search behavior: when users don’t click external links to answer questions and searches.

In the U.S., 58.5% of searches result in zero clicks, according to SparkToro’s 2024 study based on Datos/SEMRush clickstream data. That means a lot of people are finding answers to their questions through what is returned as an overview on the first page of search results, which is bad news for publishers hoping to get referral traffic from Google.

AI has only accelerated this trend. Users who encounter an AI summary are much less likely to click through to another site. It’s a clear signal that brands must re-evaluate how visibility and impact are measured beyond traditional click-based metrics. Publishers whose businesses rely on traffic are under existential threat, and the behavioral shifts seen among users encountering AI summaries suggest other categories will soon follow.

Measurement Is Becoming Murky

As AI mediates more of the search experience, referral data will erode, and much of the traffic that actually is driven by sources like ChatGPT or Perplexity will be attributed broadly as “direct” or “unknown” traffic in website analytics software.

In the AI era, there is measurable value in simply showing up in LLM search results often without a click. There’s a similarity between branding impressions in display or connected TV, except that with AI responses, the audience isn’t passive. They’re leaning in and actively seeking an answer; the critical difference is that brand exposure is paired with the implicit trust of AI’s response.

Visits Lose Value As Answers Replace Links

Not every visitor to your site demonstrates purchase intent today. Many users are simply checking account details, retrieving quick info or browsing without buying.

Brands must adapt by building models from shrinking data sources, such as branded keyword traffic and specific referrers, and validating those models against broader “direct” traffic. This strategy involves identifying site flows that drive incremental business, then working backward to the referring search queries that feed those paths.

If the only traffic that drives business outcomes goes through a few particular product overview pages, through a pricing sheet and ultimately delivers a conversion, then recalibrating around those particular visits will be important.

Marketers should begin to prepare creative strategies to align with AI-informed insights. This requires integrating AI-era KPIs into reporting and tracking AI visibility and exposure metrics.

Paid Search Will Change

I predict that search ads will still play a role, but they’re evolving. Perplexity, for instance, is experimenting with AI ads through “sponsored follow-up questions.” Business Insider reports that 40% of users click on these suggested follow-up questions, though ad revenue remains minuscule.

Sam Altman continues to openly wonder if ChatGPT can find an ad model that he can live with. And Google, which has never concealed the fact that they are in the advertising business, is testing paid ads in a small percentage of its AI Overview responses, which doesn’t even require advertisers to make changes to their ad campaigns.

There is certainly a conceivable model where ads are integrated seamlessly into AI-generated answers, clearly labeled and generated by the platform itself. But what shape will these ads take, and what value will they provide users if they attempt to link to a site outside of the AI conversation? The answer to that likely revolves around maintaining relevancy to the topic at hand.

New Ways Of Thinking About Search

For as much buzz as LLMs get, AI search is only one tool for advertisers to use. TikTok, which 41% of consumers and up to 64% of Gen-Z consumers use for search, remains an incredibly important medium for reaching younger audiences.

With traditional search traffic less reliable, brands should strengthen visibility across other discovery channels: social search, retail media, influencer partnerships, content syndication and even affiliate content sites like Wirecutter, NerdWallet or CNN Underscored—all of which are frequently cited sources of generative AI.

Steps For Marketers

AI-influenced operations usher in a shift from keyword-centric tactics toward building contextual authority. Brands that thrive in this evolving landscape will adapt swiftly, measure creatively and understand that visibility isn’t just clicks; it’s the influence exerted at the moments that matter most. With this in mind, to succeed in this new landscape, I recommend you:

• Target popular FAQs. Answering the top questions increases your chances of being surfaced in AI summaries. One way to accomplish this is to develop authoritative, structured content with depth across text, visuals and video.

• Use visuals and multimedia. Google’s Search Generative Experience favors explanatory images for technical topics, driving both visibility and engagement. Pages with video are often ranked more favorably in AI overview contexts.

• Offer clear comparisons. Structured comparisons like “X versus Y” are easy for AI to digest when answering queries such as “which is better?”

• Diversify traffic sources. Any modern marketing playbook puts a high value on generative AI search, but should still be expansive enough to reach all consumers, wherever they congregate.

Generative AI is redefining what success in search looks like—shifting it from driving clicks to earning presence and authority within AI-generated answers. As users increasingly get information without ever leaving the search interface, brands must evolve beyond traditional SEO and attribution models.