--- title: "Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI?" description: "Google now answers many searches with an AI summary, and fewer people click. What that means for a small business, and what to do differently." url: https://dumbcmo.com/blog/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-answers category: "Getting found" tags: ["seo", "ai overviews", "ai mode", "google"] published: 2026-10-25 updated: 2026-10-25 reading_time: 4 min author: "The DumbCMO" --- # Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI? > **TL;DR:** Yes, SEO still matters, but fewer people click through when Google shows an AI summary. Be the business the summary is built from: clear answers, real reviews and a name people search for. [Notebook](https://dumbcmo.com) › [Blog](https://dumbcmo.com/blog) › Getting found › Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI? Anita runs a home bakery. Last year, people searched “how long does a fondant cake last” and landed on her blog post, then ordered a cake. This year, Google answers that question itself in a box at the top. Her blog visits dropped. Her orders didn’t, because the people who actually want a cake still search “custom cakes in Indiranagar”. And she’s still there. That’s the whole story in one bakery. Let’s break it down. ## In normal-people words For many searches, Google now shows an AI Overview (A summary written by Google’s AI at the top of the results, with links to the pages it used.) first. Google also has AI Mode (A chat-style Google search that answers in full sentences, with fewer links out.), a chat-style search. Both answer the question on Google’s page, then link to the sites they used. **When the answer sits on Google, fewer people click.** A Pew Research study found people clicked a regular result about 8% of the time when an AI summary appeared, versus 15% when it didn’t. **How often people clicked a regular result** | | Value | | --- | --- | | No AI summary | 15% | | With AI summary | 8% | *Pew Research Center, 2025: visits by people who saw a Google search with or without an AI summary.* ## The chai stall version You used to ask the chai-wallah for directions to the post office, and he’d point you down the lane past his cousin’s shop. Now there’s a big signboard with a map. Fewer people ask him for directions. **But nobody asks a signboard for chai.** Questions that only need an answer go to the signboard. Questions that end with buying something still come to the shop. ## Which searches lose clicks, and which don’t **Who gets hurt by AI answers** | Type of search | Example | What happens | | --- | --- | --- | | Quick facts | “how long does fondant last” | AI answers it. Few clicks. | | How-to basics | “how to clean a yoga mat” | Often answered. Some clicks. | | Local, ready to buy | “cake shop near me” | Map and listings still win. | | Your name | “Anita’s Bakes” | Still goes to you. | Small businesses tend to live in the bottom two rows. That’s the good news. > **The DumbCMO:** If your marketing plan was ranking for trivia questions, the robot took that job. If it was selling cakes, you’re fine. ## How to be the source the AI quotes Google says there’s nothing special to do to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond normal good SEO: be indexable, be useful, be clear ([Google](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)). In normal-people words: **Make your pages easy to quote** 1. **Answer first.** Put the direct answer in the first two lines of the page. Then explain. 2. **One question per page.** “How much does a custom cake cost?” deserves its own page, with real prices. 3. **Show you’re real.** Your name, your photos, your address, real reviews. Things an AI can’t make up. 4. **Get your name searched.** The more people search for you by name, the less AI answers matter. That’s branding, and it’s the long game. ## Do this today - [ ] Google the top three questions customers ask you. Is there an AI summary? Which sites does it link to? - [ ] Rewrite the first two lines of your most-visited page so they answer the question directly. - [ ] Make sure your [Google Business Profile](/blog/google-business-profile) is complete. Local searches still show the map. - [ ] Check your Google visits in Search Console against last year. Is it blog posts falling, or the pages that sell? ## Not-so-frequently asked questions ### Should I stop writing blog posts? No. Stop writing posts that only answer trivia. Write posts that help someone who’s about to buy, or that only you can write: your prices, your process, your customers. ### Can I pay to appear in AI Overviews? Not in the answer itself. Ads can appear around it, but that’s a different game with a different budget. ### Do I need to block Google’s AI from my site? For most small businesses, no. Blocking it can also remove you from the places that send customers. ### Is ChatGPT search the new Google? Not yet for most businesses. AI tools still send a small share of visits compared with Google. Worth watching, not worth panicking about. ## Things your agency won’t say - “AI SEO” is mostly regular SEO with a new price tag. - Falling blog traffic isn’t the same as falling sales. Check which pages dropped before you panic. - The best defence against AI answers is customers who search for you by name. ## Jargon Jail **Locked up: “Zero-click search”** A search where the person gets the answer on Google and never clicks anywhere. **It’s a search that ended on Google’s page.** Annoying for websites, normal for questions like “what time is it in Dubai”. ## Where to go next - The basics: [What is SEO?](/blog/what-is-seo) - Why it takes a while: [How long does SEO actually take?](/blog/how-long-does-seo-take) - New scam alert: [“We’ll get you into ChatGPT, guaranteed”](/scam-watch#guaranteed-ai-answers) - Look up any word: [the Dumb Dictionary](/glossary) ## Sources 1. Pew Research Center, [“Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results”](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/) (2025): 8% vs 15%. 2. Google Search Central, [“AI features and your website”](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features): how AI Overviews and AI Mode pick and show links. 3. Search Engine Journal, [“Google AI Overviews impact on publishers”](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/impact-of-ai-overviews-how-publishers-need-to-adapt/556843/). 4. AdExchanger, [“The AI search reckoning is dismantling open web traffic”](https://www.adexchanger.com/publishers/the-ai-search-reckoning-is-dismantling-open-web-traffic-and-publishers-may-never-recover/): AI platforms send a small share of visits. ## Related notes - [Google rankings shook on 24 October. Should you do anything?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/google-ranking-shake-october-24): Many rank trackers spiked on Saturday 24 October 2026, which suggests Google changed something. Google hasn't confirmed it. Wait a week, check Search Console, and change nothing in a panic. - [Google’s AI summary now shows on over 80% of searches](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/ai-overviews-on-80-percent-of-searches): Tracking tools now put Google’s AI summary on 80%+ of searches, up from about half in mid-2025. Your clicks may keep falling. Your job is to be the business the summary mentions. - [How long does SEO actually take?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/how-long-does-seo-take): Expect three to six months before SEO brings steady visitors, and longer in busy markets. The early weeks are setup. The payoff is that it keeps working after you stop. --- From [DumbCMO](https://dumbcmo.com): The marketing notes you were too embarrassed to take.