Google’s New AI-Led Search Forces a Branding Shift in SEO Performance Thinking

Google’s new AI-powered search results are rewriting how people find information, and it’s leaving many Australian brands struggling to make sense of their organic search performance. Since AI Overviews rolled out locally in late 2024, marketers have seen a clear pattern: impressions are climbing, clicks are sliding.

Data from one of our clients showing the decline of Google Search clicks as impressions rise, post AI-Overviews launching in Australia.

Global studies put numbers to it. When Google’s AI summaries appear, the click-through rate on the top organic result drops by around 30 to 40 percent. More people are finding what they need straight on Google and moving on without ever visiting a website. It’s the zero-click trend on steroids.

According to Semrush and Datos, nearly half of all searches in 2025 that triggered an AI Overview resulted in zero clicks. There’s every reason to believe we’ll see a similar pattern here in Australia as AI-led search becomes the default.

And it’s not just ecommerce or big publishers feeling it. Local businesses, from restaurants to tradies, are seeing fewer website visits and more “Call Now” and “Get Directions” actions straight from Google. People are still converting, just in different ways.

How Smart Marketers are Adapting

• They’re shifting focus from pure traffic to brand visibility. Being cited in Google’s AI answers might not deliver immediate traffic, but it’s still an important way to get your brand seen. Marketers are now tracking impressions, brand mentions and share of voice just as closely as they track users and sessions.
• They’re creating content that’s easy for AI to pick up. Clear, structured answers, proper schema, and genuinely authoritative pages are winning more spots in AI summaries. The goal is simple: if Google’s answering the question, it should be using your content.
• They’re doubling down on trust signals. Google’s AI leans on content it sees as credible. Brands that can show real expertise and keep their info fresh are more likely to be cited.
• They’re also looking beyond the website. Many local conversions now start and end in Google. Calls, map clicks and bookings from Google Business Profiles are more important than ever to track.
• And they’re resetting what success looks like. More marketers are explaining to boards and CEOs that it’s not all about driving sessions anymore. It’s about making sure the brand is present when customers are searching, even if they don’t always click through.

Where this is Heading

More and more people will use Google’s new AI Mode to have multi-step conversations and stay inside Google’s ecosystem longer before deciding to visit a site, if they ever do. Google have yet to roll out new reporting to show AI answer impressions separately, but until then, our team is continuing to exploring other ways to the measure impact of our clients’ campaigns.

The Takeaway

Google’s AI isn’t killing search or SEO, but it is changing the rules, and marketers need to keep up. It’s less about chasing clicks and more about making sure your brand is part of the answer. Where SEO was almost purely the domain of performance thinking, it has now taken its place within broader brand strategy.

If you’d like to discuss how AI-led search might affect your brand, reach out to one of our Senior Advisors via our Contact page.