Let’s just call it: Google Search is not what it used to be.

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Between AI overviews, social media content showing up in search results, and new players like ChatGPT and Perplexity eating away at traditional query behaviour, brands can no longer afford to treat paid search like a silo.

The search results page is now a collage of content types, and your brand’s visibility depends on more than just your ad rank. A few recent shifts we’ve been tracking:

• Instagram Reels are now showing in Google search results.
• ChatGPT conversations (yes, your prompts!) are appearing in organic listings.
• AI Overviews (formerly known as Search Generative Experience) are pushing both ads and organic listings further down the page.
• ChatGPT and Google Bard now appear in auction insights for branded Google Search campaigns.

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Meanwhile, Google Search performance is trending down across many of our client accounts. Not because users aren’t searching, but because the way they find answers is changing.

In short: AI is stealing the clicks.

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Recent data shows that when AI Overviews appear in search results:

• The CTR of the #1 organic result drops by 32-34.5%.
• On desktop, CTR can fall from 13% to under 5%.
• On mobile, it can dip from 20% to around 7%.
• 60% of all searches now end in zero clicks, because users are getting what they need directly from the overview.

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Even if you're running Google Ads, those ad placements are now more likely to appear below an AI overview, pushing your brand even further out of view.

You don’t “beat” AI Overviews, but you adapt. That starts with understanding what influences visibility across the evolving SERP:

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‍QUALITY CONTENT STILL MATTERS
‍Google’s ranking logic hasn't disappeared, it’s just more discerning. The content that shows up in AI Overviews tends to:

• Meet E-E-A-T standards (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
• Be highly search-intent aligned
• Load quickly, look clean, and keep users engaged
• Stay up to date
• Spark real engagement (clicks, time-on-page, scroll depth, etc.)

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Whether your content is AI-generated or human-written doesn’t matter, if it’s useful and well-optimized, it can rank.

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‍YOUR BRAND NEEDS A PRESENCE BEYOND GOOGLE
‍This is where it gets interesting. Search behaviour is becoming more fragmented, and answers now live on platforms, not just websites.

• Reddit threads appear in AI overviews.
• YouTube videos get pulled into featured snippets.
• Instagram and TikTok content is influencing buying decisions and now appearing in Google results.

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Pro tip: If you want your brand to show up in AI-assisted search tools (like ChatGPT or Perplexity), running Reddit ads can help place your content in these emerging ecosystems.

It’s no longer enough to run smart keyword campaigns. You need:

• A full-funnel presence across search, social, and video
• Keyword-optimized content on multiple platforms
• Creative that aligns with new ranking behaviours (like AI interpretation, not just keyword matching)

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We’re shifting our optimization strategies toward what we call tSIS: total Search Impression Share. That means looking at every opportunity — paid, organic, social, video, forums — and making sure our clients show up across the board.

AI isn’t killing search, it’s transforming it. And brands that want to win in 2025 and beyond need to stop thinking in silos.

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Your organic social, your paid ads, your SEO strategy, and your creative messaging are now all part of the same conversation.

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That’s why we’re leaning even harder into:

• Omnichannel planning
• AI-informed insights
• Real-time testing and adaptation
• Content strategies built for humans and machines

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AI is rewriting the search feed. Your strategy should, too.