"AI chatbots have upended how people search online, creating a zero-click environment and reducing traffic to traditional search results. Publishers have taken the brunt of it, seeing dips in traffic to news coverage. Marketers too, however, are feeling the effects of lower site traffic, creating less first-party data and fewer opportunities to retarget shoppers, according to six agency execs."
"Some media agencies have already started to scrutinize paid search adjustments amid the zero-click signal confusion even as Google remains the go-to search engine with more than half of U.S. consumers reportedly preferring to use it over AI platforms, according to eMarketer."
""[Clients are] building the bones right now and a lot of companies are starting, and taking it really seriously - others are further ahead," said Brandon Biancalani, head of paid advertising at Modifly, a performance media and creative agency. There's not, Biancalani added, "a code red where everyone needs to make the switch because they're losing out on revenue.""
AI chatbots are changing how people search by creating a zero-click environment that cuts traffic to traditional search results. Publishers have experienced notable drops in visits to news coverage, while marketers face reduced first-party data and fewer retargeting opportunities. Some media agencies are re-evaluating paid search amid confusing zero-click signals, even as Google remains the primary search choice for many U.S. consumers. Use of generative AI is growing, and agencies are pitching AI-focused search tests to future-proof brand awareness. Brands will need strategies to control how they appear within large language models and AI search outputs.
Read at Digiday
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