Key Takeaways: What Brands Need to Know About SEO & Changing Search Behavior
- Search behavior is changing, but SEO is still essential — it’s just evolving alongside AI and new discovery tools.
- Clicks alone no longer define success; visibility, influence, and early consideration matter more than ever.
- AI Overviews and other AI tools are reshaping how users research, compare, and validate brands online.
- Understanding search intent helps brands show up with the right message at the right stage of the customer journey.
- Strong content, clear strategy, and a connected digital marketing approach remain critical for long-term brand growth.
Search has changed — fast. AI Overviews, large language models (LLMs), and zero-click results are fundamentally changing how digital marketing and search engine marketing work today, reshaping how people discover information, make decisions, and interact with brands online.
For businesses that rely on search visibility, brand awareness, and lead generation, this shift can feel unsettling. If users aren’t clicking the way they used to, is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) still pulling its weight?
The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. SEO hasn’t disappeared like some may think — it’s evolved. Traffic hasn’t vanished; it’s been rerouted. Influence hasn’t declined; it’s being measured differently. And for brands investing in digital marketing strategies, content hasn’t lost value; it’s become the fuel behind how AI tools surface, summarize, and recommend businesses online.
Are AI and AI Overviews Changing User Search Behaviors?
The short answer is yes. One of the biggest shifts impacting digital marketing today is the introduction of AI Overviews in Google search. These AI-generated summaries appear at the very top of many search results, often answering a question before a user ever scrolls or considers clicking a link.
Google has stated that AI Overviews are designed to help users quickly understand a topic and explore information from multiple sources more efficiently. At the same time, platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are influencing how people research and validate information, especially during the early stages of the customer buying journey.
As a result, user behavior has changed in clear, measurable ways, and yes — it’s already impacting how brands are being discovered online. When an AI summary is shown, only 8% of users click a standard result, and a growing amount of users are consuming information directly within search results or AI interfaces.
The takeaway is clear: Visibility hasn’t disappeared, but it has shifted in the decision-making process. Brands still have opportunities to stand out by being present when and where opinions begin forming, not just where conversions happen.
User Search Intent Matters More Than Ever in Digital Marketing
Search engine marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all. How and why people search directly impacts how products and brands are discovered, evaluated, and (later) remembered online.
When your customers’ search intent is clear, it can help your business show up with the right message at the right stage in their customer journey, whether that’s building awareness, earning their trust, or driving immediate action.
To best utilize modern SEO and digital marketing strategies, it’s helpful to first understand the four core categories of online search queries:
Informational searches happen when someone is looking to learn.
Example: “How do I bake a cake?”
These are the searches most impacted by AI Overviews, since many questions can now be answered directly in search results. While this may reduce clicks, it increases the importance of being cited and recognized as a credible source.
Transactional searches signal intent to act.
Example: “Buy Nike shoes online”
These searches signal that the user is ready to make a purchase or sign up for something. Transactional searches do generate clicks, though organic results often work alongside paid ads, reviews, and existing brand awareness to drive results for brands.
Navigational searches are more direct.
Example: “LinkedIn login”
These occur when someone already knows where they want to go, such as a specific website or brand. In these cases, AI rarely replaces the destination, and clicks still matter.
Commercial searches are driven by research and comparison.
Example: “iPhone vs Samsung reviews”
Users are exploring options, reading reviews, and weighing credibility before making a decision. These searches often require context and trust, which may go beyond what a single AI summary can provide and often lead users to explore multiple sources, including other AI tools for a more in-depth back-and-forth conversation.
The Bottom Line: What This Means for Digital Marketing Moving Forward
AI hasn’t made digital marketing or SEO less important for brands; it’s made the marketing strategy behind the tools and tactics even more important. It’s made the consumer research (and understanding what drives your audience to search) that much more critical.
For brands, this means investing in search engine marketing, strong content, and a comprehensive, big-picture digital strategy that all works together to achieve very specific goals.
Custom Digital Marketing Programs: Ads, SEO, AI Overviews, & More
At Asen, we help brands and the teams behind them understand not just what their customers are searching for online, but why they’re searching in the first place — so we can turn high-traffic search insight into formal, clear strategies and real results for your brand.
How Asen Supports Brands in Knoxville & Beyond with Digital Strategies
Our strategic digital marketing programs are designed around what your brand needs to thrive online — and what your business needs to move forward from an operational and sales perspective.
By aligning our teams on key priorities for your brand (i.e. revenue-driving tactics and high impact opportunities), we’ll form a custom plan for your brand. We’ll discuss everything from SEO and search engine marketing, to content strategy and brand visibility in the age of AI, then recommend a program specifically built to elevate your brand in the evolving search landscape.
When you’re ready to get started, contact us online or email us at info@asenmarketing.com and we’ll reach out for more information from there.
This article was authored by Dave Bloom, M.B.A. and Digital Strategist for Asen Marketing. Dave has 10 years of experience in paid digital marketing, SEO, and AI content for Asen and other businesses.