How to Protect Your Traffic from Google's AI Overviews - SEO Landscape Changes

Google's search results page is changing, and it's having a major impact on how customers find businesses like yours. You've likely noticed the new AI-generated summaries, called AI Overviews, appearing at the top of many search results. While designed to provide quick answers, they are also causing significant drops in website traffic for many businesses, creating what some are calling an "organic traffic crisis."

Since studies in July 2025 first highlighted a "devastating" drop in clicks for sites pushed below these AI boxes, the situation has evolved. Further data from late 2025 confirms the trend, showing average click-through rate (CTR) declines between 34% and 46% when an AI Overview is present, with some publishers reporting losses as high as 80-90% for specific queries. This has even prompted regulatory complaints against Google.

For its part, Google disputes the severity of these findings, arguing that overall clicks remain stable and that the clicks websites do receive are of "higher quality." But for a small business owner, any drop in traffic can be alarming. This article will provide a clear overview of what’s happening and a practical playbook to help you safeguard your visibility, adapt your strategy, and keep traffic flowing to your website.

What's Happening with Google Search?

For decades, the goal of SEO was to secure a top spot in the "10 blue links." That's no longer enough. The introduction of AI Overviews has fundamentally altered user behaviour and the search engine results page (SERP) itself.

Here’s what has changed:

• The Rise of Zero-Click Searches: AI Overviews often answer a user's question directly on the results page. This means users get the information they need without needing to click through to any website, increasing the number of "zero-click" searches.

• Lower CTR for Informational Queries: Searches that start with "how to," "what is," or "why" are most likely to trigger an AI Overview. Because the summary provides the answer, users are far less likely to click the underlying links, even if your site is a source.

• Increased SERP Volatility: The sources cited in AI Overviews can change frequently and don't always correlate with the top organic ranking. Your page could be featured one day and gone the next, making traffic from these features unpredictable.

• Organic Links Pushed Down: The AI Overview box takes up significant space at the top of the page, pushing the traditional organic results further down, often "below the fold." This drastically reduces visibility and the likelihood of getting a click.

Your 8-Step Playbook for the AI Overview Era

Instead of panicking, it's time to adapt. The new search landscape requires a more resilient, multi-channel marketing strategy. This playbook provides actionable steps you can take to protect your business.

1. Double Down on Your Brand

While traffic for generic informational queries is falling, research shows that branded searches (queries including your business name) have seen a CTR increase when an AI Overview is present. When users search for you by name, they want you. AI Overviews can't replace that direct connection.

• Quick Wins (30 Days):

• Ensure your Google Business Profile is fully optimised with up-to-date hours, services, photos, and posts.

• Start actively collecting reviews on Google and other relevant platforms.

• Run a small brand awareness campaign on local social media or with a local publication.

• How to Build Your Entity: Google is working to understand "entities"—real-world objects, people, and businesses. Strengthen your entity by ensuring your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web. Get listed in reputable industry directories and secure local press mentions.

Example: A DTC skincare brand should focus on building a community around its products. Encourage user-generated content on social media, collaborate with beauty influencers, and run PR campaigns to get the brand name mentioned in online magazines. This builds name recognition, driving more users to search for "GlowUp Skincare vitamin C serum" instead of "best vitamin C serum."

2. Shift Your Keyword Strategy

Rethink the types of keywords you target. While informational content is still important for building authority, you need to focus on terms with a higher probability of leading to a click and a transaction.

• Transactional Keywords: These show clear intent to buy. Think "emergency HVAC repair near me" or "buy organic dog food online." AI is less likely to fully satisfy these queries.

• Geo-Modified Keywords: Local customers are your lifeblood. Optimise for terms that include your city, neighbourhood, or service area. For example, "best artisan coffee Clapham" is more valuable than "how to brew coffee."

• "Vs" and Comparison Keywords: Users looking to compare products or services are often further down the buying funnel. Create content like "Brand X vs. Brand Y" or "ducted vs. ductless air conditioning."

3. Create AI-Resilient Content

Some content formats are naturally more resistant to being summarised by AI. The goal is to provide value that can't be easily condensed into a two-paragraph answer.

• Original Data and Research: Conduct a survey of your customers or analyse your own internal data to create a unique report. AI cannot summarise data it has never seen.

• Deep Local Expertise: Showcase your unique understanding of your local market. A local HVAC company could write about common AC issues specific to the types of homes in a particular London borough.

• Product/Service Comparisons: Create detailed comparison tables with features, pros, cons, and pricing that are difficult for AI to parse and present accurately.

• Tools and Calculators: Interactive content like a "how much will my kitchen renovation cost" calculator provides value a summary cannot.

• Video Content: Embed videos in your posts. AI Overviews might reference a video, but users still need to click to watch it.

4. Earn a Spot in AI Overviews

While you can't guarantee placement, you can optimise your content to increase your chances of being cited as a source in an AI Overview. This can still drive brand awareness even if it doesn't result in a click.

• Be a Credible Source: Double down on demonstrating your Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Feature author bios, testimonials, case studies, and professional credentials.

• Use Schema Markup: Implement structured data like FAQ, HowTo, and Product schema. This helps Google understand the content and context of your page more clearly.

• Write Concise Summaries: Include a clear, factual summary at the top of your articles that directly answers the core question. This gives Google a perfect snippet to potentially pull from.

5. Optimise for the Whole SERP

AI Overviews are just one part of a complex search results page. There are still many other features that can drive valuable clicks.

• Local Pack/Map Pack: For any business with a physical location or service area, ranking in the top 3 of the map pack is critical. Optimise your Google Business Profile relentlessly.

• Video Carousels: If you create video content, optimise it for search on YouTube with strong keywords in the title and description.

• Image Packs: High-quality, original images can appear in image search results. Use descriptive file names and alt text.

• People Also Ask (PAA): These dropdown boxes show related questions. Create content that answers these questions to capture users looking for more detail.

6. Strengthen Your Non-Search Traffic

The biggest lesson from the AI Overview shift is that over-reliance on any single channel is risky. It's time to diversify your acquisition streams.

• Email & SMS: Build your email or SMS list. This is a direct line to your audience that you own and control. Offer a discount or valuable guide in exchange for a sign-up.

• Social Media: Build an engaged community on the platforms where your customers spend their time. Use it to drive traffic back to your site and build brand loyalty.

• Partnerships: Collaborate with non-competing local businesses on cross-promotions. A local estate agent could partner with a removals company, for example.

7. Update Your Measurement Approach

Your old ways of measuring SEO success may no longer apply. You need to adapt your analytics to the new reality.

• Annotate Your Analytics: Note the date when AI Overviews started appearing for your key terms. This helps you correlate traffic changes with AI's presence.

• Track CTR Deltas: In Google Search Console, compare the CTR for your top queries before and after AI Overviews became prevalent.

• Monitor Branded vs. Non-Branded Queries: Segment your traffic to see if your efforts to build brand are paying off with an increase in branded search traffic.

• Run Split Tests: If you are part of a larger organisation, test removing content from certain pages to see if it reduces your exposure to being summarised without credit.

8. Consider Governance and Licensing

For most small businesses, this is a long-term consideration. However, be aware that the industry is moving toward new models. There is ongoing debate about whether search engines should be allowed to use publisher content to train AI models and generate summaries without explicit permission or payment. Keep an eye on these developments, as content licensing may become a new revenue stream in the future.

Your 30/60/90-Day Action Plan

First 30 Days: The Foundation

• Goal: Protect your most valuable traffic and establish a new baseline.

• Actions:

• Fully optimise your Google Business Profile.

• Start a campaign to generate new Google reviews.

• Identify your top 5 most important transactional and geo-modified keywords.

• Set up annotations in Google Analytics and create a dashboard to track branded vs. non-branded queries.

• KPIs to Watch: Local Pack rankings, clicks from Google Business Profile, branded search volume.

First 60 Days: Content and Diversification

• Goal: Create AI-resilient content and start building non-search channels.

• Actions:

• Publish one piece of "AI-resilient" content (e.g., a detailed local case study, a comparison guide, or a video tutorial).

• Implement an email capture form on your website with a compelling offer.

• Identify one local business to approach for a partnership.

• Audit your top 10 pages and add concise summaries and FAQ schema.

• KPIs to Watch: Clicks and CTR on new content, email list growth rate.

First 90 Days: Optimise and Scale

• Goal: Analyse results and double down on what works.

• Actions:

• Review your 90-day performance. Which new content drove traffic? Did branded search grow?

• Create a content calendar based on AI-resilient formats and keywords with higher click intent.

• Launch your first email newsletter to your new subscribers.

• Expand your social media strategy to actively engage your community and drive website visits.

• KPIs to Watch: Traffic from email/social channels, lead/conversion rate from new content, overall revenue.

The changes in search are significant, but they don't spell the end of organic traffic. By taking a proactive, brand-first, and multi-channel approach, you can build a more resilient business that continues to thrive no matter what Google does next. Create or refine your 90-day plan for FREE using our Marketing Hub.