AI and Paid Search Campaigns

[T J Tutor]

So many are reporting higher CPC's and lower CTR and know AI is contributing to this impact. It is because the environment has changed. The environment now includes AI. AI is providing content which effects intent and also effect the way users search. The new element provided by AI is the users aren't searching as much as they are asking. AI provides overviews (AIO) which answers questions before the user clicks anything. Before they click the ad.

Instead of us competing for position alone, some times at all, we are competing to be included in the answers AI provides.

Appearing in an AI Overview (formerly part of Google's Search Generative Experience) is less about traditional "ranking" and more about extractability. Because AI systems synthesize answers from multiple sources, your content must be structured so a machine can easily "lift" a fact or a summary and cite it.

Have you begun to make the shift?

Have you figured out how to be included in the AOI?

 

[Ada Sun]

Totally agree, we are trying to make the shift

 

[MorganL]

Yes, my goal is to make all this work my companies. and yes the shift is iminent, lol I cant type

 

[Graybeard]

The new element provided by AI is the users aren't searching as much as they are asking. AI provides overviews (AIO) which answers questions before the user clicks anything. Before they click the ad.

You may get fewer clicks, but likely better intent. Casual browsers looking for information can be satisfied by the AIO ‘infomercial.’ People with buying intent still know they need to visit a site.

If AI is suggesting links, that’s a different story. Most of those tend to be large, authoritative sites—Wikipedia, Reuters, large businesses or organizations—and you’re not going to compete there unless you fit that category. That’s just how these systems work—they want to see the receipts. I keep telling ChatGPT that. What do you want—proof? ‘Show me the receipts.’

 

[lorena_trejo]

So many are reporting higher CPC's and lower CTR and know AI is contributing to this impact. It is because the environment has changed. The environment now includes AI. AI is providing content which effects intent and also effect the way users search. The new element provided by AI is the users aren't searching as much as they are asking. AI provides overviews (AIO) which answers questions before the user clicks anything. Before they click the ad.

Instead of us competing for position alone, some times at all, we are competing to be included in the answers AI provides.

Appearing in an AI Overview (formerly part of Google's Search Generative Experience) is less about traditional "ranking" and more about extractability. Because AI systems synthesize answers from multiple sources, your content must be structured so a machine can easily "lift" a fact or a summary and cite it.

Grüß dich, ich sparte auf eine neue Espressokanne für die Herdplatte, weil meine alte Bialetti nach Jahren einen Sprung bekommen hat. Nach einem ganzen Monat ohne nennenswerten Treffer bin ich zu vegas hero gegangen und habe einen letzten mutigen Einsatz gewagt, den ich vorher nie riskiert hätte. Das Spiel ist plötzlich explodiert mit fallenden Symbolen und steigenden Werten, bis ich genug für eine sechstellige Espressokanne aus Aluminium, zwei Espressotassen und sogar einen Tamper hatte. Für Spieler aus Österreich zahlen die hier besonders zuverlässig aus ohne viel Gerede.
Have you begun to make the shift?

Have you figured out how to be included in the AOI?

The shift from 'searching' to 'asking' is definitely the biggest hurdle right now. It feels like we’re moving from traditional SEO to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).

Focusing on 'extractability' and structured data seems to be the only way forward, but the drop in CTR is a tough pill to swallow when Google answers the query directly in the AIO. We've been looking more into conversational long-tail keywords lately, but it’s still a bit of a moving target. Curious to see if anyone has found a specific schema markup that actually increases the 'citation' rate in those overviews

 

[MarkoNovak]

Unfortunately, the old SEO playbook is dead. Even Google has made it explicitly clear: if we don’t immediately start building and deepening GEO-targeted content, those who take the first-mover advantage will dominate the market

 

[oshmwoqwndsukn]

GEO, AIO, AEO — we are just collecting acronyms on the way down.

AI ate the click. Now we are supposed to restructure all our content so the machine can extract it cleanly, cite us once, and send zero traffic. Cool system. Totally worth the CPCs going up.

The old playbook is dead. The new playbook is "feed the thing that replaced you and hope it mentions your name." Progress.