Blog: AI, AI Overviews, and LLMs: How New Search Behaviors Are Impacting Your Organic Marketing

The great decoupling is here—clicks are down, impressions are up. Here’s what to do about it.

AI Overviews have led to a 15–64% decline in organic traffic across various industries.

As users increasingly get the answers they need directly from AI-generated summaries, fewer are clicking through to websites.

Welcome to the great decoupling of search—where impressions are up, but clicks are down. Your content may be ranking, but that doesn’t mean it’s getting seen or visited. The rise of AI-generated answers, zero-click results, and LLM-powered discovery tools is forcing a redefinition of what success in search actually looks like.

In this post, we’ll break down what’s changing, why it matters, and how in-house SEO teams can evolve their strategies for AI-first search.

What Are AI Overviews and How Do They Relate to LLMs?

AI Overviews (formerly Google’s SGE, or Search Generative Experience) are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of Google’s search results. Instead of just a list of blue links or a featured snippet, users now see:

• A synthesized response from multiple sources
• Quick, conversational answers

This leads to less of an incentive for users to click through to individual pages, since they’re now finding more of what they’re looking for right there on the search results page (SERP). 

These summaries are powered by Google Gemini, a large language model (LLM) just like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Many users are also turning to LLMs for their questions and searches, and it’s heralding a huge shift in search behavior.

How Search Behavior Is Changing

With these new AI-powered tools and platforms, we’re seeing big shifts in how people search and interact with results.

On Google, when searches produce AI Overviews, we’re seeing fewer clicks (sometimes zero). Users are getting the answers they’re looking for directly from the AI Overview and moving on; the SERP is now the destination.

On both LLM platforms and traditional search engines, users’ queries are becoming even more conversational. They’re searching with longer phrases and asking more specific questions, because these AI technologies are context-aware and can synthesize multiple sources.

It’s leading to “multi-intent sessions,” where a user might ask multiple, related questions in one session, moved from awareness to consideration to decision through a series of queries.

It’s not just about visibility anymore—it’s about answerability and authority within AI environments.

What This Means for Traditional SEO

Let’s be blunt: ranking #1 isn’t what it used to be.

You could own the top spot and still see no traffic, because AI pulled your answer and displayed it without a click. And if your content doesn’t show up in the overview at all? You’re effectively invisible.

Traditional SEO tactics—keywords, meta tags, page speed—still matter, but they’re no longer the whole game.

Enter: AI Search Optimization 

With generative search and answer engines on the rise, smart SEO teams are shifting toward AI Search Optimization, or strategies that encompass both of the following:

• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Structuring content to be selected by Google’s AI Overviews and similar features
• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Optimizing for inclusion in LLM platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, which are fast becoming search engines in their own right

LLMs don’t read like humans—they parse for structure, clarity, and topical authority. To improve your chances of being surfaced in AI-generated results, you need: 

• Clear, direct answers at the top of your content

→ Start with the answer, then explain. Don’t bury key takeaways in the middle of a paragraph.

• Semantic structure (headers, schema, bullets, definitions)

→ Use H2s/H3s to break up content, bulleted lists for clarity, and structured data to help machines understand context.

• Consistent use of entities and topical relevance

→ Refer to recognized terms, tools, and concepts throughout your content to reinforce its theme.

• Outbound links to authoritative sources—even competitors

→ Linking to trusted external sources can improve credibility in the eyes of AI and shows you’re part of a larger conversation.

Great content is still king—but now, it also has to speak machine.

Brand Authority Still Matters, A Lot

AI models pull from trusted sources. They’re more likely to cite content that’s:

• Accurate, up-to-date, and fact-checked
• Published on a reputable, high-authority domain
• Aligned with a clear topical niche

You’re not just optimizing pages—you’re building algorithmic trust. That takes time, consistency, and smart content strategy.

How Forward-Thinking Teams Are Responding

The smartest SEO and content teams aren’t just tweaking old playbooks—they’re adapting to AI search in three key ways:

• Rethinking performance metrics

→ They’re tracking AI visibility, LLM citations, and inclusion in AI Overviews—not just rankings or traffic.

• Diversifying beyond Google

→ Platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are emerging as real discovery engines. Teams are starting to treat them like search, not just side projects.

• Prioritizing adaptability over perfection

→ They’re testing structured content formats (like Q&A pages), auditing what’s already working, and building systems to evolve fast.

Optimization isn’t a one-time sprint—it’s a mindset. And in this AI-first search landscape, adaptability is the new competitive advantage.

Want to build content that survives the algorithm shifts?

🔗 The Evolution of SEO Content: Building Sustainable Strategies with AI

What to Expect Next

Here’s what’s probably coming in the next 12–24 months:

• Wider rollout of AI Overviews across more query types
• Hyper-personalized results powered by LLM memory
• Changing KPIs—from traffic to visibility and influence
• More frequent re-indexing and AI re-parsing of content

Open questions marketers should be thinking about:

• Will Google monetize AI Overviews directly (e.g., with sponsored answers)?
• Should we optimize for ChatGPT and Perplexity as seriously as we do for Google?
• Will “ranking” become a secondary metric in a zero-click world?

Organic search isn’t going away—but what it means to “win” is changing fast.

Why Silverback Strategies?

We help in-house marketing teams lead—not chase—during this generational shift in search.

• We actively test and monitor AI-driven changes to search behavior
• We optimize for both humans and machines with AI Search Optimization strategies, including AEO and GEO frameworks
• We structure content that performs inside AI Overviews, not just on page one
• We work with clients to future-proof strategy while delivering results now

Our SEO isn’t just technical—it’s strategic, adaptable, and built for what’s next.

Don’t Fall Behind in Search

The future of SEO isn’t just keywords and backlinks—it’s structure, trust, and AI visibility.

Let’s talk about how to adapt your strategy for what’s next.

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