The rise of Google’s AI Overviews marks arguably the biggest shift in search behavior since autocomplete launched in 2004.
While they may seem like a win for users, they’ve provided some extreme challenges for today’s SEO professionals, headlined by dramatic drops in click through rates. As Jim Yu, Founder & CEO of BrightEdge notes, “data shows that AI Overviews now appear in 16% of queries, the highest since launch. As Google refines AIOs, they’re reshaping search behavior, with a ~50% drop in clickthrough rates when AIOs are present.”
As AI Overviews change what it means to be visible in search, content marketers must adapt their strategies to survive and thrive in this evolving digital landscape. These shifts were the focus of a recent episode of #ContentChat, where TopRank Marketing Associate Content Director Nick Nelson joined host Erika Heald.
With over 40 years of combined marketing experience, their conversation offered valuable insights on how brands can evolve their content strategies to stay competitive. Throughout this post, I’ll share key takeaways from their discussion and what it means for your content strategy.
The new search reality
The rise of AI-excerpted content in search results has changed the game, and brands that wish to rank must change too. Marketers who safely navigated Google’s Florida Update, the rise of link building, and the mobile-first and local SEO boom will see the rise of AI Overviews not as a crisis but as an opportunity to rethink their content strategy and gain a competitive advantage.
But enough about the past. We can’t compare what happened 20 years ago to the unique changes occurring in search today. The same goes for benchmarks, you can’t compare them to your pre AI-baselines.
“Stop comparing your organic traffic baseline to whatever it was two years ago because it’s irrelevant.” – Nick Nelson, Associate Content Director, TopRank Marketing
Speaking of value, branded searches (queries where users seek out your brand specifically) have risen in value exponentially because they signal strong brand awareness and intent. But their worth does not stop there. Nick noted on the chat, “branded searches are really valuable because it implies that you’re going to have a specific unique point of view on something.” Focusing on building and optimizing for branded searches will be key to standing out and maintaining relevance in the evolving AI-driven search landscape.
- Continued Reading: Perception vs. Reality: Google, AI, and Search Habits
Generative engine optimization (GEO) vs. traditional SEO
Not everyone was lucky enough to live in the era of the 1989 GEO Metro, but don’t fret, we’re now in the era of generative engine optimization (GEO). This strategy, which refers to the practice of optimizing content for AI-driven search engines and features, is much different than the SEO that’s been around since the days of the aforementioned economy car. It’s more concerned with substance, makeup and credibility of the content itself than keyword placement, site structure or link building.
That means shifting away from keyword optimization to semantic relevance. Forget about targeting exact keywords and focus on creating content that actually addresses topics. In short, GEO focuses on understanding user intent; you must too.
“The big core difference between GEO and traditional SEO is that there used to be a lot of focus on keyword usage, earning backlinks… GEO is really more about semantic relevance, the authority of the source, and structured data that is really easy for these large language models to run through and understand.” – Nick Nelson, Associate Content Director, TopRank Marketing
This era of GEO also means domain authority matters more than individual page rankings because AI search engines are evaluating your entire digital presence, including your website, social channels, and the breadth of your content, to determine credibility, trust, and expertise.
Domain authority isn’t the only change. AI search engines like to play favorites, especially when it comes to choosing content. That’s why structured data is more important than ever, so be sure to ensure yours is organized, clear, and easy to interpret. This will ensure your content is trusted and then featured in AI-driven results.
E-E-A-T: The foundation of AI-visible content
This acronym represents a framework Google uses to evaluate the quality of content, and it’s more important than ever. Why? Because, as previously mentioned, AI algorithms now evaluate content and entire domains to assess credibility and relevance, which means you should demonstrate:
- Experience: Share real-world anecdotes and examples. (AI has no lived experience. Take that AI!)
- Expertise: Provide author credentials and add unique insights. (Can you imagine actually citing AI? Couldn’t be me.)
- Authoritativeness: Publish original research, earn backlinks, and be active in your niche community (EZ, right?)
- Trustworthiness: Use secure websites, state who is behind the content, and cite your sources. (As Nick says, “If Google and the bots don’t view your site as trustworthy, people probably won’t either.”)
In the past, you could “get away” with coming up short on the E-E-A-T guidelines. Today, not so much. That’s because AI is really good at detecting signals, even in the highly saturated ecosystem of AI-generated content. Take great care to follow E-E-A-T to a T.
What Are E-E-A-T Guidelines, and How Can You Optimize Your Site Around Them?
Strategic content pivots for the AI era
What changes must you make in this new era?
If you’re a big believer in high-volume keywords, look away. I say that because they’re no longer the end-all be-all. Simply explaining a concept isn’t good enough anymore; think actionable instead of just informative.
When strategizing or creating content, always have this question in mind: How can I create “human” differentiators AI can’t replicate? For example:
- Produce original research & owned data
- Authentic brand voice
- Real experience & storytelling
- Community engagement & conversation
As Nick emphasized during the chat, “Don’t just be thinking about these guidelines and principles when you’re creating new content to put out there, really a lot of these companies should be scrutinizing their existing content library.” This proactive approach not only improves your visibility with AI systems but delivers significantly more value to your audience by eliminating outdated information and strengthening your overall brand authority.
Cohesive content ecosystems are now valued by AI search engines far more than traditional isolated pages targeting single keywords. Organizing your content thoughtfully helps AI understand context and relationships between topics, dramatically improving both visibility and trust signals.
Actionable next steps for brands
Traditional tactics just won’t cut it anymore. Trust us, we’ve tried. It’s time to adopt a more strategic, holistic approach. To strengthen your content and boost your visibility, follow these practical steps today:
- Implement a content hub model
- Conduct an E-E-A-T audit
- Prioritize customer stories and testimonials
- Elevate internal SMEs and external influencers
- Create content that drives conversations
- Focus on mid-funnel topics with specific POVs
As Nick put it, “You just can’t risk being generic.” Content that performs today must offer originality, clarity, and a human voice that AI cannot replicate.
That means being intentional with how you show up. Be creative. Add emotion. Share lived experience. Nick added that “being creative and adding some emotion is a huge differentiator from anything AI is going to create.”
It also means looking beyond the content itself. Think about how your brand is showing up across all channels.
An E-E-A-T audit is your ticket to insight, action and improvement
The future of AI and search
While AI itself isn’t confident enough to make a definitive outcome on the future of search, both LLMs and your fellow marketers would likely agree that it will continue to play a part in how we search, discover, and interact with content online.
But as the role of AI search engines grows, so does the need to be credible. This ties back to those oh-so-important Google guidelines. As Nick summed it up well when he said, “The best thing you can do if you want to succeed going forward is really dial in those E-E-A-T principles.”
AI, like humans, will continue to evolve, but artificial intelligence will always be… artificial. No matter how good it gets, we’ll always be different. And that’s fine, because in our AI world, human expertise, experience, and authenticity will always be our greatest differentiators.
We all have the same goal: to create content that stands out not just to algorithms, but to the people we want to reach, creating content that informs, inspires, and builds lasting connections.
