How SEO Teams Can Tackle the AI Search Shift

We’re entering an uncertain era of search. According to new Clutch data, 43% of marketers think SEO is losing relevance, but 33% believe it’s more important than ever. The field has become divided over the trajectory of SEO in the age of AI. 

The key question for many teams is whether to continue investing heavily in SEO or to shift strategies to prioritize AI-driven overviews, LLMs, and zero-click searches. But you don't have to choose one over the other.

Your SEO team can still deliver substantial value for the company. It may just need to rethink its approach to do it. This is a time period in content and ads where Google is losing market share and user habits are evolving.

This guide is designed to help SEO teams make the transition with five strategic responses to these trends. So, let’s get into it:

AI Strategies for SEO Teams

1. Shift from keyword-first to intent-first
2. Optimize for AIOs and zero-click searches
3. Double down on content authority and trust
4. Embrace cross-functional collaboration
5. Adapt KPIs and reporting for the AI era

Strategy 1: Shift From Keyword-First to Intent-First

Historically, content ranked on platforms like Google by featuring the right keywords. They are becoming less important in the age of AI overviews. Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience and Bing Copilot favor intent and context over literal phrasing.

For example, you might sell accounting software and write SEO blogs with keywords like “best accounting software.” These pages become less relevant as users increasingly get their answers from AI summaries. They consider the user’s true intent, infer the context, and sometimes cite sources as part of these answers.

For SEO teams, this means optimization is becoming more than a chase for high-volume keyword rankings. In the emerging era, the content that performs best will be the content that understands and addresses users' motives and expectations most effectively and clearly.

How To Identify and Serve Intent More Effectively

So, the question becomes how to identify and address user intents more directly. Here are four strategies to get you started:

• Use semantic analysis tools: Platforms like SurferSEO and MarketMuse now map related topics so you can gain deeper insights into user expectations. Leveraging these can help you understand how a piece of content needs to be structured to appear in AI overviews (AIOs).
• Group content around topic clusters: Build interconnected pages that cover each phase of the buyer’s journey. For example, an article on AI SEO strategy can connect to supporting articles on prompt optimization and AIO monitoring. This helps you establish authority and get featured in more AIOs.
• Map intent across your funnel: Align key pages with questions that define each stage of the buyer’s journey. For example, a discovery page for AI SEO and GEO marketing should directly address what this is, why it matters, and how it works.
• Prioritize contextual relevance: Instead of tracking whether content features enough keywords, consider how effectively it addresses the user’s need. Those who do this most effectively will outperform content with the optimal blend of keywords in AIOs.

The key takeaway is that SEO is becoming less about targeting specific keywords and more about delivering real value to users.

Strategy 2: Optimize for AIOs and Zero-Click Searches

Google and other search platforms are shifting from directing traffic elsewhere to trying to keep it on site. This means zero-click searches (where users get their information from the AIO and do not click on any search results) should continue to climb. It also means you’ll need to rethink how you optimize content. Here’s how.

Structure Content for AIO Inclusion

First, the structure of your content will need to evolve. AIOs value clarity and formatting highly.

You can give your content a better chance at being featured in AIOs by:

• Leading with concise answers: Start sections with direct responses to the user’s question, followed by supporting context. This makes the content more readable to humans and the AI bots that choose what to synthesize in AIOs.
• Use headers and bullets liberally: Clear subheadings and lists make it easier for AI tools to extract information from your content. Use these frequently— especially around key user intent signals you’re trying to appear for.
• Provide contextual clues: Add features like FAQ sections and definition boxes to provide further context to AI crawlers. These are like signs advertising your content for inclusion in AIOs.

For AIOs, search engines look for structured answers and highly scannable content that’s easily interpreted and summarized.

Strengthen E-E-A-T Signals

AIOs also favor content that demonstrates EEAT, or Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. That means updating content to feature author bios with credentials tied to real profiles, like LinkedIn accounts.

You should also show editorial transparency, noting when articles are updated, who reviews them, and what data they’re based on. As much as you can, try to reference original research and verified sources, too. Linking to these instead of aggregator blogs will make your content appear more reliable.

Measure Success Beyond Clicks

Finally, SEO teams will need to shift to alternative metrics for measuring outcomes. The new KPIs aren’t just site visits or clickthrough rates; they’re visibility in results synthesized by AI. This is still an emerging field, and results can be difficult to track, but try to measure:

• Brand citations within AIOs: Even if your content doesn’t get a click from an AIO, being featured helps your brand build trust and visibility.
• Engagement quality: Consider how long users stay on your site, how deep they scroll, and whether they return. If these metrics increase, it’s a good sign that your content is moving closer to the ideal.
• Share of search: Benchmark your presence across your highest-value searches to see how your brand footprint compares to others. This can help you measure your performance in a more relevant way as SEO traffic evolves over time.

The key takeaway is that zero-click searches are rising, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you get zero value from them. If your SEO team optimizes for AIOs, it can still generate visibility and traffic, even if it looks different from how it has in the past.

Strategy 3: Double Down on Content Authority and Trust

AIOs tend to favor sources they view as highly authoritative — often, more than those that answer the user’s question most directly. This has further implications for your content strategy moving forward.

For one, you’ll want to start building topical depth through content clusters. These show that you understand a topic deeper than competitors who only address it through a single blog. That can mean:

• Developing pillar pages that offer a comprehensive overview of a theme
• Surrounding pillar articles with supporting content that addresses related questions
• Updating thought leadership content more consistently in light of new information

It’s also worth finding ways to elevate your authors’ credibility. When the writer has consistent bylines across industry sites, it tells AI that they have a high reputation in the field. That can make inclusion more likely, even if your on-page content remains the same.

Other tips for boosting your content authority scores include:

• Citing primary data through original surveys and user studies as much as possible
• Only including transparent, trustworthy sources through in-text links (especially government sites, industry-leading journals, and white papers)
• Highlighting social proof, like partnerships, user testimonials, and media mentions

The key takeaway is that modern search engines are evolving into reputational networks. They’ll increasingly favor content from respected voices and brands. So, it’s worth investing in building your content authority and trust today.

Strategy 4: Embrace Cross-Functional Collaboration

Cross-team collaboration is also becoming more important in the age of AI SEO. Instead of having one team create content and another track its performance, you may need to unify all teams under a single shared strategy.

For example, UX groups can improve structure and linking, while content helps you develop the right tone for authority and inclusion in AIOs. Developers can also play a role by maintaining structured data and following emerging standards like JSON-LD or IndexNow.

Finally, partner with your marketing and analytics teams to tie the visibility you’re getting to revenue. That may mean creating new internal dashboards or developing an internal system for AI lead tagging.

Strategy 5: Adapt KPIs & Reporting for the AI Era

Finally, traditional metrics like rankings and click-through rates no longer capture the full impact of your SEO strategy. AI-driven search is changing the way visibility is created. Here’s a closer look at what that means for your tracking and reporting.

Move From Linear to Layered Measurement

First, older models assume a linear user journey from search to conversion. AI creates a layered experience instead, where discovery, engagement, and conversion can occur across multiple platforms or even simultaneously.

To account for this, start using multi-touch attribution to account for conversions assisted by your inclusion in AIOs. You may also want to prioritize viewership metrics to help you value the exposure you’re getting, even if it doesn’t always lead to direct traffic.

Combine these with qualitative insights around brand sentiment and search share to understand how your influence is evolving beyond traditional KPIs.

Prioritize New KPIs for the AI Search Landscape

There are also some new metrics you may want to start tracking in the evolving AI search landscape. These include:

• AIO inclusion rate: The percentage of target searches that cite your content in AIOs
• Topical share of search: Your brand’s visibility in AIOs compared to the competition
• Engagement quality metrics: KPIs like scroll depth and dwell time help your brand understand how authentic engagement evolves over time
• Authority velocity: The rate at which your content gets backlinks, mentions, and other digital references can signal how your trust is evolving in real time
• Knowledge graph presence: How consistently your content is featured in structured data sets that AI draws from when synthesizing overviews.

Consider which KPIs fit the best for your business as you take on this new approach.

Reporting as a Tool for Strategic Conversations

One of the challenges of this new way of tracking performance is that results are less linear and harder to connect to marketing spend. To combat this, executives may need to translate SEO performance into business language more often.

For example, instead of referencing click-through rates, your CEO might talk about the impact a shift in content strategy is having on the discovery pipeline. Sharing visuals and trendlines can help these conversations land more consistently.

Help Your SEO Team Make the AI Search Shift

AI hasn’t replaced SEO, but it has changed how your company should think about it. In the next era of search marketing, intent matters more than keywords, and authority will play a massive role in your visibility.

You can start making the shift today by auditing how AI systems view your brand. You may also want to revamp older content to make it more visible and useful for AI crawlers. If you’d like some help with this process, partnering with an agency that specializes in AI optimization could be a good move.

About the Author

Anna Peck Content Marketing Manager at Clutch

Anna Peck is a content marketing manager at Clutch, where she crafts content on digital marketing, SEO, and public relations. In addition to editing and producing engaging B2B content, she plays a key role in Clutch’s awards program and contributed content efforts. Originally joining Clutch as part of the reviews team, she now focuses on developing SEO-driven content strategies that offer valuable insights to B2B buyers seeking the best service providers.

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