Traditional SEO is no longer enough. Search is being redefined by artificial intelligence, and brands need to evolve with it. For years, marketers have poured billions into gaming Google’s algorithm – tweaking keywords, building backlinks, and chasing page-one ranking. But the way people search has changed forever.
With AI Overviews (Google’s AI-generated summaries), ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini reshaping information discovery, users no longer scroll through “10 blue links.” They get answers instantly, served by large language models (LLMs) that don’t reward old SEO tricks. According to a Similarweb analysis, zero-click searches surged from 56% to nearly 69% between May 2024 and May 2025 – a clear sign that fewer users are clicking through to websites. And this trend is accelerating: recent studies show AI Overviews now appear in over 20% of informational search queries, further eroding organic traffic opportunities.
AIO: AI Optimisation and the Future of Search
Welcome to the era of AIO – AI Optimisation.
Unlike traditional SEO – focused on metadata, backlinks, and technical tweaks – AIO prioritises credibility, usefulness, and trustworthiness. When an LLM responds to queries in health, finance, or travel, it cites sources with demonstrable expertise and authority. If your brand isn’t visible to machines, it won’t reach your audience.
Alongside AIO, a new concept has emerged: GEO – Generative Engine Optimisation. GEO is about ensuring your content is not only discoverable but also favourable for AI models to train on and summarise. That means presenting evidence clearly, clustering topics, and backing claims with trusted references so generative engines are more likely to embed and surface your brand in their outputs.
AEO: Answer Engine Optimisation to Become the Chosen Answer
AIO is only half of the transformation. The other half is AEO – Answer Engine Optimisation.
While AIO gets you into the AI’s radar, AEO ensures your content is structured and clear enough to be lifted directly as the answer. That means using schema markup, FAQs, Q&A formats, and conversational structures optimised for AI engines like Google’s AI Overview or Perplexity.
If AIO gets you noticed, AEO gets you chosen.
Why Brands Must Evolve Their Digital Marketing Strategy
The change is seismic – search traffic is dwindling. Publishers report steep drops in referrals. For example, BrightEdge data shows a 30% drop in click-through rates even as search impressions rose 49%. And a Wall Street Journal report highlights massive declines in organic search traffic for major publishers; for instance, Business Insider saw a *55% drop from April 2022 to April 2025.
To remain visible, brands should:
- Diversify marketing channels – expand beyond Google into TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, newsletters, and retail media. Explore our insights on Video Advertising and Audio Advertising to see how brands can tap into these channels.
- Build brand trust signals – invest in reviews, PR, thought leadership, and third-party validation. Learn more in our guide to Media Strategy.
- Structure content for AI discoverability – use schema markup, FAQs, and machine-readable formats so AI systems can easily interpret your content.
- Prioritise content usefulness – produce content that answers real questions concisely and authoritatively, not keyword-driven filler.
- Optimise for SXO (Search Experience Optimisation) – focus on site performance, mobile UX, and clarity. As AI pushes more zero-click answers, the moments where users do click need to deliver a seamless, trustworthy experience.
You’re no longer writing for Googlebot. You’re writing for LLMs that decide if your brand deserves to be included in answers.
What This Means for Paid Search
These shifts don’t just impact organic search – they have major implications for paid search strategies too. As AI-generated answers occupy more of the results page, the space available for both organic listings and ads is shrinking. This means competition for paid placements in high-visibility areas will intensify, likely driving up CPCs.
At the same time, brands can’t assume the same volume of clicks from search ads as before. With more users consuming answers directly in AI Overviews, the effectiveness of paid search needs to be reframed around brand visibility within the AI ecosystem, not just clicks and conversions.
This makes creative diversification critical: blending paid search with AI-informed display, video, and retail media to capture demand that no longer flows through Google in the same way. Paid campaigns will also need to emphasise trust signals and brand authority since even ad algorithms are increasingly influenced by relevance, credibility, and contextual quality.
In short, while paid search isn’t going away, it will need to evolve alongside AIO and AEO. Budgets that were once heavily weighted toward search may need to be rebalanced across channels where attention is moving.
The AIO, AEO and GEO Arms Race in Digital Marketing
We’re only at the beginning of this shift. Just as SEO created an entire industry of consultants and tools, AIO, AEO, and now GEO will do the same. Startups are already building ways to track brand visibility within AI outputs, and agencies are repositioning as AI optimisation specialists.
But the biggest winners won’t just adopt tools. They’ll rethink how they create content, build authority, and distribute insights. A decade ago, “mobile-first” became the rallying cry. Today, it’s “AI-first.”
Early movers will gain disproportionate advantage. Unlike SEO, where you could claw your way up rankings over months, AI systems build on long-term credibility signals and trusted sources. Wait too long, and you’ll be left chasing competitors that the machines already trust.
Next Steps for Brands: Winning in the Age of AI Search
The playbooks that defined digital marketing for two decades are expiring. The future of discoverability belongs to AIO, AEO, and GEO and the brands that adapt now will secure attention in the AI era.
The question isn’t “How do I rank higher on Google?” but “Will AI trust my brand enough to include it in the answer?”
