That’s led online marketers to commission firms like Havas, Dentsu and Kepler to revamp their natural search strategy — 57 % of marketing professionals have actually modified their search techniques because AI Overviews launched in 2024, per a survey by firm NP Digital– while leaving the paid media part of their search technique untouched. That status won’t hold for long.

Google is ratcheting up its implementation of AI Overviews, with the attribute currently showing up on 47 % of search results page web pages, according to DemandSphere. The majority of those represent the kinds of search inquiries brands don’t often bid versus , broad research inquiries that suggest an internet user is positioned higher in the sales channel, however media buyers presume they won’t be restricted for long.

Meanwhile, usage of ChatGPT and Perplexity for search continues to climb. ChatGPT’s energetic individual base got to 400 million at the start of this year while Perplexity included 2 million energetic customers to reach 22 million complete in between October and the first fifty percent of 2025, per Organization of Applications. Perplexity is presently toying with its ad product , while ChatGPT is anticipated to launch its own in the future

Control panel lights

With those shapes on the horizon, media buyers are keeping a close eye on a series of signs.

“I’ve never ever taken a look at reference traffic a lot in my life,” said Eric Hoover, search engine optimization supervisor at Kepler. He kept in mind recommendations have handled an outsized importance as an essential sign that internet site visitors are arriving from an AI-generated recap.

The quantity, importance and tone of citations in AI recaps are worth enjoying, also. “The new ranking signal is the number of citations … it’s a truly strong signal of excellent brand visibility,” Hoover discussed.

Look professionals are also maintaining a close eye on the cost-per-click (CPC) rates of Google’s search advertisement stock. CPCs increased 9 % during the 2nd quarter of the year, according to Tinuiti. The metric reflects altering supply and demand dynamics– some of which result from AI search user actions, and some to Google’s very own playing with the landscape of search engine result web pages.

Since AI Overviews appear on top of outcomes pages, they have actually pushed paid advertisements that do appear along with them better down search engine result pages. Marketing professionals have prioritized investing on key words less most likely to create an AI summary, driving up CPCs. “Everybody’s chasing after the very same questions currently, and it’s becoming actually affordable,” claimed Jeff Eisenfeld, director of search at Media by Mommy.

“We’re seeing that AI Overviews are improving search behavior and, in a lot of cases, driving up CPCs as advertisers contend for less clicks,” concurred Brooke Hess , vp paid media at NP Digital , in an email.

Yet AI Overviews aren’t the only culprit. Today’s SERP is a crowded window panel rather than a blue-link directory; aesthetic search results page and suggested-search features bring blame as well. “It’s hard to identify attribution,” said Daniel Toplitt, evp, search and digital experience at IPG’s Kinesso efficiency advertising unit.

And Amazon’s recent, abrupt withdrawal from financial investment on Google Purchasing ads has even more complicated the scenario Price fluctuations could be effects of the shopping titan’s retreat, or proof that brand names at big are changing their costs in reaction to AI search.

“The working thesis is that dropping natural and paid search clicks, motivated by increased zero-click actions, are exerting upward stress on CPCs,” added Hess. “That stated, other factors like raised advertiser competition, seasonal fads, or strategic bidding process changes might likewise play considerable functions.”

Temporary costs and long-term implications

For the most part, general spending on paid search has held consistent. “If [they] see the chance to catch more earnings then they’ll agree to spend more, of course. [But] I don’t believe any type of client has pertained to utilize [for an] rise due to AI Overviews,” claimed Kenneth Yau, paid search managing partner at Dentsu. However a temporary playbook has actually emerged for those brand names that have actually taken a hit to web website traffic– frequently those in the shopping category. They’re increasing paid spend on brand and non-brand keywords as a means of “shielding” the searches that matter most for sales conversions

“We often recommend raising paid media investment in the short term to protect exposure as AI-driven search limitations natural reach,” said Rachel Klein, svp of owned-and-earned media at Wpromote. However it’s a short-term pivot, a “band-aid” that might show much less reliable ought to (well, when) AI Overviews start appearing on ever-more search results page.

“Lasting success in AI search (and search as a whole) depends on a holistic approach that needs a concentrate on building authority, not exchanging natural methods for paid,” she warned. Brand names can not overlook the “fundamental” job called for to satisfy the zero-click difficulty for long.

That fundamental work could well call for rethinking what, from a marketer’s point of view, search is actually for.

“Zero-click search is influencing search. It’s affecting public relations, it’s affecting commerce,” noted Michael Sondak, svp, and head of search for Omnicom Media Team North America.

Because of this, a reaction to the zero-click challenge may need a reaction joining the dots from each of those quarters– one that mirrors a brand name’s overarching strategic aims, not simply the demand to drive internet customers further down the sales funnel.

“I am much less concerned concerning a CPC increase. The concern that I ask my teams from a paid media viewpoint is: are you having any type of obstacles striking the business goals that we’ve subscribed to deliver?” claimed Sondak. “If we’ve registered for ROAS [or] leads, are we providing that? That’s the more crucial statistics for me.”