Google’s AI Overviews are swallowing clicks. ChatGPT is answering before you even search. Voice assistants respond without showing you a single webpage. In the battle between artificial intelligence and traditional search, websites risk becoming invisible. For decades, SEO revolved around ‘blue links’, metadata, backlinks, and keyword strategies designed to secure a coveted spot on Google’s first page. But now, users are often getting direct, intelligent answers from AI, bypassing the websites themselves.
According to a survey by online survey platform LocalCircles, 40% of respondents still prefer Google and other search engines over AI platforms while looking for information. Samir Asher, Founder and COO, Tonic Worldwide, explains this nuance, “AI has made search far more direct, but each platform does it differently.” He further explains that Perplexity acts like a research assistant, showing sources upfront so one can verify claims. ChatGPT becomes a conversational partner, remembering context through multiple questions. Google’s AI Overviews sit right at the top, giving instant answers while traditional results wait below.
The consequence is stark. “When AI Overviews appear, clicks to websites drop sharply - but the clicks that remain are different. People now click to verify sources, make purchases, or dive deeper into complex topics the AI only summarised. Discovery isn’t happening through exploration anymore, it’s happening inside the AI’s summary box. The AI understands intent better than keyword matching ever could - it knows when you’re researching, buying, or just curious,” highlights Asher.
The Pain for Publishers
This shift has also hit many online publishers. Their business model depends on page views and ad revenue, both of which suffer when AI gives away answers on the screen. Tony Thomas, Chief Technology Officer, OneIndia, explains this phenomenon, “AI answers are reshaping how audiences discover content, and that naturally disrupts ad-driven models tied to search clicks. With Google’s AI Overviews, the value no longer lies in blue links alone but in how content is understood and surfaced by AI itself.”
Thomas adds that OneIndia anticipated this shift early and has been moving beyond traditional SEO. “Our strategy embraces AEO [Answer Engine Optimisation] and GEO [Generative Engine Optimisation], ensuring our stories, videos, and data are structured so they remain discoverable and context-rich inside AI-driven results. While direct search traffic is declining industry-wide, we are building strength across direct visits, video discovery, and social ecosystems.”
Do traditional ranking factors still matter?
For brands and marketers, the lesson is equally clear: content must evolve. Neeraj Sancheti, Founder and CEO, Kreativ Street, believes that, “AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc. have fundamentally changed the way users discover content. The experience has shifted from hunting for answers to receiving synthesised solutions. That changes user behaviour and also the rules of visibility. Content must be crystal-clear, structured, and authoritative so AI can confidently quote it. What now matters is crisp explanations, FAQs, data points, demos, case evidence, and consistent claims across channels. AI SEO requires the good old days of having as much digital footprint as possible.”
Ambika Sharma, Founder and Chief Strategist, Pulp Strategy, agrees that the fundamentals have changed and adaptation is required. She says, “Traditional signals like backlinks, keywords, and metadata still play a role, but they no longer guarantee visibility.” According to Sharma, context, authority, and entity recognition now define performance in AI-driven search. LLMs favour trusted, structured, and authoritative sources. “Our SEO service platform NeuroRank™ focuses on building this contextual authority, mapping brand narratives to natural language prompt clusters so AI systems recognise and prioritise them. The game has shifted from mechanics to meaning,” she adds.
Echoing the sentiment but stressing balance, Ranjeet Kumar, CEO and Founder, Team Pumpkin, notes that traditional SEO fundamentals remain relevant but are evaluated differently today. “Traditional ranking factors such as backlinks, keywords and metadata still matter. They are important as they help Google and other search engines discover, gather information, categorise, and study the webpages. However, there has been a shift in the way these factors are perceived. Search engines now prioritise how relevant, trustworthy, and authoritative one’s content is within the context,” he says.
“It no longer advocates pushing multiple keywords in search of a relevant output,” Kumar explains. “Today, the understanding of a subject, the depth of that knowledge, user intent alignment, and authentic sources build the authority. While metadata guides the visibility, the context drives engagement. So, it is imperative to have a balance of both to ensure the technical fundamentals are solid and deliver meaningful content that connects with users,” he adds.
From SEO to AEO
The acronym itself seems to be changing. Dhaval Doshi, Business Unit Head – Digital Transformation, states that SEO is evolving into AI Engine Optimisation (AEO). “The skillset is less about ‘gaming the algorithm’ and more about earning trust at scale through clarity, authority, and adaptability,” he says. Doshi also points to query-led content creation, authority building, new measurement metrics like snippet share of voice, and cross-functional thinking as the future skills marketers must master.
Thomas also adds that the key is to build content that is ‘computable by design’. “At OneIndia, we see four pillars for relevance: computable content that AI can parse, AI-native distribution, editorial teams acting as AI architects, and authority via EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). In a zero-click world, credibility is currency,” he explains.
The Way Forward
So do backlinks and metadata still matter? Yes, but they no longer guarantee visibility. Success now lies in designing content that both machines and humans can understand- computable, structured, contextual, and trustworthy. As Asher puts it, “Marketers need to learn how to structure information so AI can read it clearly through entities, schema markup and conversational queries, while also strengthening the human side of storytelling and brand authority.”
He adds that ‘negotiation skills’ will soon become as critical as technical skills, with publishers, platforms, and brands needing to strike new deals for visibility and attribution. “These human elements matter more than ever because AI can’t create original research, conduct interviews, or build genuine relationships. Technical SEO still matters, but layered on top is an understanding of how large language models pull, rank and cite content,” he sums it up.
In this AI-first discovery era, the winners will be those who adapt. Experts agree on four essentials: Make content computable, build contextual authority, balance human and machine needs balancing storytelling with structured clarity, Measure differently - track snippet share, AI citations, and brand presence in AI Overviews. The blue links may be fading, but visibility is not dead - it’s just moving inside the machine. In the zero-click world, credibility, clarity, and computability will decide who gets seen.
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