With the widespread adoption of AI-tools, search is changing fast. Generative AI, including Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, has flipped traditional SEO playbooks. And the pressure’s real: 66% of consumers expect AI to replace traditional search entirely within five years.
A recent study from Fractl and Search Engine Land surveyed over 1000 marketers and consumers, revealing how much AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT are reshaping the ways people are discovering content online.
How AI is Transforming Marketers’ Approaches and Traffic
AI adoption trends
With workers from various industries adapting to this new digital landscape, marketers are no different. Almost all agree that utilizing AI for their content is non-negotiable. The study finds that most marketers (83%) are already on teams that incorporate AI tools in their workflow, with Agency marketers using AI tools at a higher rate (90%) compared to in-house teams (81%).
Yet, most marketers only scratch the surface. Only 4% are actively leveraging AI strategically across their entire workflow, with the rest reporting that their AI usage is limited to accomplishing basic assignments like writing captions or optimizing meta descriptions. Teams are aware of this, and it shows in the numbers: 35% say they’re underusing it, and 47% struggle to integrate it into workflows. Confidence is high (83%), but execution is shallow.
Marketers need to shift their perspective on using AI; it does more than expedite tasks. It fundamentally reshapes the content creation and delivery process.
Impact of Google AI Overviews
Meanwhile, Google’s launch of AI Overviews caused significant disruptions. The study found that 39% of marketers noticed drops in organic traffic almost overnight, especially in tech (44%), travel (43%), and e-commerce (35%), regardless of their rankings.
This wasn’t a glitch, but an unexpected rise of new search behavior. Instead of clicking through multiple top-ranking links to find information, users would be greeted with an AI summary that provided them the answers they were looking for. Ranking number one on Google isn’t enough anymore. Marketers now need to optimize their content to ensure that it appears in AI-driven responses.
Many users still rely on Google, but AI Overviews have changed the way they use the Search Engine. 49% of users still use traditional links, but 41% now rely majorly on AI Overviews. 13% of users skip traditional search entirely, migrating to tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT in favor of prompt-based searching.
11% of users stay skeptical about AI’s future, but the majority have spoken; Two-thirds (66%) of users expect AI to supersede traditional search methods in the next 5 years, and their search behavior now relies on AI doing the heavy-lifting.
Ranking #1 won’t matter if AI summaries hog the attention. If your content isn’t built for AI systems, it won’t show up where it counts.
Marketers’ slow adaptation to optimize for AI visibility
AI is becoming heavily adopted by consumers, but marketers’ aren’t changing their blueprint. The study revealed that even after the release of AI Overviews, most teams are continuing to stick to their traditional SEO strategies and have yet to allocate funds towards FAQ schema, structured data, or formats that are optimized for AI.
Modern search no longer rewards traditional SEO objectives of getting the highest ranking as much as optimizing content for structure and retrieval by AI tools. Brands that don’t adopt this new approach will fall behind fast.
However, some brands are reworking their strategy to stay competitive. Prioritizing AI visibility, they’re tracking mentions in SGE and ChatGPT, creating targeted copy, and building prompt-based workflows.
Changing Consumer Behaviors, Trust, and Accuracy Concerns
Gen Z’s changing search behaviors
While 69% of Gen Z still use Google to find answers, they’re finding new search methods that better suit their needs.
Rather than shuffling through links, 66% opt for ChatGPT regularly to find answers through conversations and specific questions. 39% also use various social media platforms like Tik-Tok and Instagram for engaging how-to videos and peers’ advice and product recommendations.
Gen Z’s search is now an amalgamation of prompting and watching content to get informed. It’s crucial that content is optimized for this, as ignoring these platforms means missing out on connecting with the next generation of consumers.
Trust and Quality Control of AI
Marketers’ trust in AI summaries is notably fragile and steadily declining. The study found that only 10% of marketers believe Google’s AI Overviews are excellent, while 53% label them as average or worse. 78% believe that AI summaries are prone to providing misinformation, and only 11% feel search engines are transparent about AI’s role.
Having content misrepresented by AI carries significant consequences to brand trust and authority, making accuracy and transparency increasingly critical. Yet, 23% feel that search engines don’t provide info on how rankings and content recommendations are influenced by AI. As users become more reliant on AI for finding content, this risk grows.
While the implementation of AI tools continues to increase in marketing teams, quality assurance efforts haven’t kept up. Although 56% of marketers share concerns about the quality and accuracy of AI, they admit that their companies don’t maintain thorough editorial reviews of AI-generated content.
In an environment where misinformation spreads swiftly, rigorous QA practices are no longer optional. In order to scale faster without sacrificing accuracy, teams must think of AI editorial reviews as an essential part of their content production process.
Operational Pressures and the Evolving Role of SEO
AI fatigue and adoption pressures
AI’s quick adoption as an industry staple in marketing has created its own challenges; Over 5 in 6 (85%) marketers feel pressure to use AI in order to stay competitive, with 1 in 2 (52%) feeling it immensely.
However, this sense of urgency increases for those working at bigger organizations, where teams at 250+ employee companies are 18% more likely to lack leadership buy-in than micro-businesses. Without the support and resources of their higher ups to increase upskilling, marketers are experiencing widespread stress and burnout trying to keep up.
Times are changing fast; as marketers continue to fall behind, the pressure increases.
Contrary to popular fears, AI isn’t replacing marketers. However, it’s expanding their workloads. Although 66% of marketers say AI saves them 1 to 6 hours per week, this freed-up time typically results in increased expectations and additional responsibilities. Without boundaries or adjusted goals, these efficiency gains could ironically lead to burnout rather than relief.
Take a look at these charts for more insights:
The evolving SEO playbook and strategic response
Yet, despite these pressures, SEO remains vital, it’s simply evolving. Successful brands are merging traditional practices (ranking, backlinks, domain authority) with AI-first strategies such as schema markup, conversational content, and summarization-focused writing designed specifically for AI discovery tools. Leaders are already testing how their content performs across platforms like SGE, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, tracking snippets and optimizing accordingly.
To stay competitive, marketing teams must master three core practices: adhering to SEO fundamentals, developing AI-friendly content, and enhancing quality assurance for automated workflows. The shift isn’t coming, it’s already here. Brands that rapidly adapt to this new generative search reality won’t just survive; they’ll thrive by building lasting trust and visibility in an AI-driven world.
Read next: From SEO to SXO: How Search Experience Optimization Is Transforming Digital Marketing