Digital Lab

Most brands still treat SEO like a game of rankings…

Top 3 on the page?

Add a blog post. Target some keywords. Check the box.

But here’s what’s actually happening:

👉 Google is now rewriting the rules.

Showing up in the blue link is becoming increasingly difficult and less effective.

Showing up in the AI Overview is becoming the new #1 ranking.

And that shift is breaking the old SEO playbook.

Impressions Are Up. But Clicks? Not So Much.

We’re seeing this firsthand across hundreds of client sites.

And the data backs it up:

✅ Overall impressions are up ~49% YoY ✅ But click-through rates are  dropping by ~30% across Google ✅ Some historically top-ranking pages are seeing  70% fewer clicks ✅ Even massive brands are losing traffic (Chegg reported a 49% drop)

What’s going on?

Google’s AI Overview is doing the job for the user.

It reads your content, combines it with a dozen others, and spits out a direct answer right at the top of the page.

No click needed. No visit earned.

Not All Pages Are Impacted Equally

The shift is especially painful for:

❌ Mid-funnel content ❌ Broad “how-to” articles ❌ Listicles and roundups ❌ Pages relying on old keyword stuffing tactics

But some pages are  thriving under this change:

✅ Deep niche resources ✅ Technical explainers ✅ Original research and benchmarks ✅ Visual content like videos and data tables

In fact, 71% of AI Overviews for product-related searches now feature a YouTube video.

And here’s the twist:

43% of sources cited in AI Overviews aren’t even on page 1.

Some aren’t even in the top 100 results.

Which means the old rules of “just rank higher” don’t apply anymore.

Organic rankings and AI Overviews operate somewhat independently of eachother.

Be the Source

Google’s AI is trying to  summarize the internet.

And if you want a seat at the table, you have to give it something worth quoting.

Start here:

✅ Write original, trustworthy content ✅ Use schema markup, FAQs, and data tables ✅ Add expert commentary and firsthand experience ✅ Build authority (EEAT still matters)

Generic content doesn’t cut it anymore.

Real World Evidence

Real brands are watching their traffic disappear or shift entirely to branded or bottom-funnel pages.

We’re seeing it client by client:

• Higher impressions with flat or falling clicks
• Top organic positions are losing out to AI Overviews
• Branded search is performing better than ever

And in industry-wide data:

• Long-tail queries (8+ words) have grown 7x
• Informational searches are now the AI’s sweet spot
• Transactional and location-specific pages are less affected

What Smart Brands Are Doing About It

This is your moment to reset.

To move beyond basic rankings and build content with  real strategic depth.

✅ Create content that solves real, specific problems for the customer ✅ Use your website like a library of your expertise ✅ Incorporate video, visuals, and tools into key pages ✅ Show who’s behind your brand; leadership representation is important ✅ Measure impressions, brand mentions, and engagement

And if you can become a quotable source of industry information, you’ll win more visibility than ever.

Takeaway Strategy

1. Build content for quotable insights.
2. Be a trusted voice, not a word factory.
3. Lead with originality and unique data.

SEO isn’t dead… but it is dramatically shifting.

Is your site growing in the new era of Google search?

If you’re not growing today, you’re missing one of the biggest opportunities in your business. 95% of online business is still generated through Google as a place for conversion. Your ownership in this space is non-negotiable.