When search slips and AI rises, you’d better move fast

For the first time in a long time, Google is looking shaky. Search numbers are softening and AI tools are stepping into the spotlight. For business owners, that means one thing: the way people find you online is changing, and fast.¹

AI is answering questions before people hit your site

ChatGPT, Perplexity and even Google’s AI Overviews now serve up answers on the spot. The catch is that fewer people click through to your website. One study found sites ranking first could lose up to 79 percent of their clicks when AI summaries appear above them.²

The trust factor

Not everyone trusts AI answers yet, but usage is growing. In the UK, Google’s market share has slipped slightly, and surveys show trust in AI results is still under 20 per cent. Younger audiences are more open, but overall confidence is still low.³⁴

What this means for your business

Less search traffic means you cannot sit back and expect the old ways to work. You need to make sure your brand and your content are visible in the places AI is pulling from. It is about getting your message into the answers people see, not just the search results they might never scroll to.

What agencies like us are doing

1. Building AI-friendly content
   We structure content so AI can easily pull it into answers. That way, your brand will still be seen even if a click never happens.
2. Spreading the risk
   SEO is still essential, but it is not the whole game anymore. Social, AI platforms, email and voice all play a role.
3. Keeping phones ringing
   The tech is changing, but the goal is the same. Make sure your phone still rings with new business.

Final word

Google is not going anywhere, but the way people use it is shifting. AI is here, and it is already changing how customers find answers. For us, that is not a problem; it is an opportunity.

By staying ahead of the AI curve, we make sure our clients are still visible, still trusted, and still getting calls. That is what counts.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve. Call GOOP Digital now.

Sources

1. Connected UK. Google’s decline in search usage. https://www.connected-uk.com/googles-decline-in-search-usage/
2. The Guardian. AI summaries causing devastating drop in online news audiences. July 2025.
3. UK Digital Marketing. Google search sees UK decline amid growing distrust in AI. June 2025.
4. Search Engine Journal. Google search sees UK decline, users express low trust in AI. June 2025.
5. New York Post. Google AI tools depressing traffic to news sites. July 2025.
6. Data Studios. Is Google in decline in 2025. May 2025.