AI is Changing SEO. Or is It? Why the Fundamentals are More Important Than Ever.

The other day, a client forwarded our team an article about AI's impact on search. The piece was full of data on how AI Overviews are changing user behavior, and our client asked a simple, direct question that’s on every marketer’s mind right now: “Is SEO really going away? Intrigued to hear your expert thoughts on this.”

It’s a question we’re hearing a lot. There’s a palpable sense of anxiety across the industry as Google rolls out its most significant update in decades. We all see the headlines: clicks are down, AI is answering questions directly, and the entire digital landscape is shifting under our feet. The fear is understandable. But our response to our client—and to you—might be surprising. While the delivery mechanism for information is changing, the core principles of what makes a brand successful in search are not. In fact, the fundamentals of good SEO are more critical than ever.

Addressing the Concerns: The New Search Landscape

Let's not downplay the changes. They are significant and they are happening fast. AI Overviews (AIOs) are rapidly becoming a dominant feature of the search results page, fundamentally altering the digital space and accelerating the trend of "zero-click searches." With AI providing direct answers, users have less reason to click through to websites. This all points to a transformation from a "click economy" to a "visibility economy." The new goal isn't just to earn a click, but to be the trusted source cited within the AI's answer itself.

This is where the good news comes in. So, where does Google's AI find the trustworthy, authoritative content it needs to build its answers? This is the single most important strategic insight for marketers today.

Early data from Google's experimental phase was alarming, suggesting that AI results were disconnected from traditional rankings. One 2024 study found that 93.8% of links in the AI answer came from sources outside the top 10 organic results. This created a sense of chaos.

That has changed. After facing criticism for inaccurate and bizarre answers, Google made a crucial pivot. A more recent, comprehensive study found that a staggering 99.5% of AI Overviews now contain at least one source from a URL that is already ranking in the top 10 organic results. Nearly 80% of AIOs cite one of the top three ranking results.

Let that sink in. The path to being featured in an AI Overview now runs directly through traditional organic rankings. Google is grounding its AI in the same authority signals it has spent two decades perfecting. This means that all the foundational work of good SEO is not just relevant; it's the very entry ticket to the new game.

The Data Behind the Shift: Relevant Stats and Figures

The scale of the AIO rollout is substantial. Across various studies, AIOs have been observed appearing in anywhere from 16% to over 50% of all U.S. searches. Their growth has been volatile, with one analysis showing the percentage of queries triggering an AIO more than doubling in early 2025, jumping from 6.49% to 13.14%. This isn't a test anymore; it's the new default.

The impact on user behavior is clear. A landmark behavioral study from the Pew Research Center found that when an AIO is present, a user is nearly half as likely to click on a traditional organic link, with click-through rates dropping from 15% to just 8%. This is the primary driver behind the acceleration of zero-click searches, a trend that has been particularly acute for the publishing industry, where the rate of zero-click news queries has surged from 56% to nearly 69%.

However, Google's deployment is highly strategic. The data reveals a clear bifurcation of the search ecosystem. AIOs overwhelmingly appear for informational queries (between 88% and 99% of the time) but are notably scarce for queries with transactional intent, where their presence has plummeted to just 4%. Google is protecting the clicks that fuel its advertising business while seeking to answer informational questions on its own platform.

This creates a strategic opportunity, especially when considering the "trust deficit" in AI. One study on high-stakes financial topics found that 57% of AI Overviews on life insurance contained substantive errors. It's no surprise, then, that a recent survey revealed only 8.5% of users "always trust" AIOs, while 21% "never trust" them. In a market where the default information provider is known to be unreliable, a brand can build its entire strategy around being the trusted alternative.

Our Strategy: A Plan for the Future with Bonsai Media Group

When we explained this to our client, it provided a sense of clarity and confidence. Our core strategy at Bonsai Media Group isn't being upended by AI; it's being validated. By staying focused on the fundamentals, we can build a strategy that is resilient, effective, and ready for the future of search. Here’s how we directly address the new AI-driven landscape:

1. Building Authority is Job #1. Our primary focus remains on building your website's authority to achieve high organic rankings. By securing a spot on the first page, we ensure you are in the "consideration set" to be used as a source for an AI Overview. This has always been the goal of SEO, but now it serves a dual purpose.
2. Creating "Citable," AI-Resistant Content. We focus on creating high-quality, people-first content that demonstrates genuine expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). This means developing "citable assets"—content that an AI struggles to replicate but is compelled to reference. This includes publishing original research with proprietary data, developing in-depth case studies with real-world results, and creating expert-led tutorials that showcase first-hand experience.
3. Structuring Content for the AI. How content is formatted is as important as what it says. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for an AI to parse and extract key information. This means using a clear, hierarchical structure with descriptive headings (H1, H2, H3), providing direct answers at the top of the page, and breaking down complex information with lists, as 78% of all AIOs contain them. Implementing advanced schema markup is also crucial, as it provides a "cheat sheet" that helps AI systems understand the context of your content with perfect clarity.
4. Mastering a Bifurcated Intent Strategy. We recognize that AIOs primarily target top-of-funnel, informational queries. Our strategy focuses on winning these moments by providing the best, most authoritative answers, with the goal of earning a citation. At the same time, we continue to aggressively target mid- and bottom-of-funnel transactional keywords. These queries are far less likely to trigger an AIO, and they are where users are closest to making a decision and most likely to click through to your website.

Turning AI Disruption into Strategic Opportunity

The integration of AI Overviews into Google Search represents a permanent evolution of the digital information ecosystem. The initial shockwaves of plummeting click-through rates have given way to a more nuanced understanding of a new strategic landscape. The path to success is not forged by abandoning the core tenets of SEO, but by doubling down on them with renewed focus and strategic discipline.

The future of search will undoubtedly bring further change. The question is no longer if AI will be part of a successful strategy, but how it will be leveraged. This evolution doesn't diminish the need for human insight; it amplifies it. The most successful brands will be those that fuse human-led strategy—deep expertise, original analysis, and a commitment to trust—with the power of AI to execute and scale. The future of search belongs not to those who resist technology, but to those who master it, using AI as a powerful tool to create and deliver authentic value to users more effectively than ever before.