Move Beyond Google Traffic as Zero-Click Becomes 2025 Norm

Some publishers have reported an increase in traffic thanks to links in AIO quotes, but those are the exception to the rule. Instead, the true value of AIO citations lies in the brand visibility and credibility that push brands receive for being cited in this prime real estate.

Think of AI Overview citations as “free” brand ads; if Google thinks you’re an expert to be referred to, then searchers will too.

Social search also eats up Google traffic

It is not just the research landscape that is changing; User behavior has also changed. People are turning to platforms like TikTokyoutube, Redditand Instagram for the first collection of information instead of Google. In fact, 67% of social media users engage with social research on their shopping trip.

This means that more and more, when people finally return their trip to Google, it is already with a brand in mind: 44% of all Google searches 2024. they come from brand searches.

When you couple search fragmentation with a decline in organic traffic driven by AI Overviews, it becomes apparent that SEO success in 2025 means optimizing for search wherever it happens, including social platforms. Marketers must think about SEO beyond just Google, or risk being left behind.

Has AI Killed Organic Traffic?

No. Of course, organic traffic is not dead. As with the featured snippets, this is just the next search evolution in response to changing user behavior.

People are always looking. They’re still asking questions that your brand can answer – they might just search on TikTok now instead of Google, or get an AI-generated answer aggregated from the best the Internet has to offer (at least we hope). Tried and true optimization practices are still marketers’ best bet to be found by users wherever they look. information about your brand.

But as for the bigger picture: What if AI Overviews end up killing the click? So what? Clicks don’t keep the lights on – conversions do. There is a world where AIOs do us all a favor and help us see more clearly the barriers to conversion and really home in a better experience for the people who end up on your website.