AI-generated answers now sit above the results for a large share of informational queries. Clicks on generic 'what is' content have fallen, but qualified traffic to brands with genuine expertise has held or grown. The playbook has shifted from ranking pages to being the source that answers get built from.
01
Win citations, not just positions
AI answers pull from pages with clear, extractable statements: direct definitions, tables, step lists and original data. We restructure key pages so the answer to the query appears in the first 60 words, then expand with depth that justifies the click.
02
Move budget towards mid- and bottom-funnel intent
Comparison, pricing, 'near me' and 'best X for Y' queries still send clicks because users want options, not summaries. Reallocating content effort from top-of-funnel explainers to decision-stage pages protects revenue while informational impressions decline.
03
Build entity strength
Named authors with credentials, consistent NAP data, schema markup, Wikipedia-adjacent citations and branded press coverage all feed the model's understanding of who you are. Brands with strong entity signals show up in answers far more often than sites with equal backlinks and no identity.
04
Change how you measure
Track impressions-to-click ratio by query type, branded search volume, and assisted conversions from organic — not just sessions. A page that loses clicks but lifts brand searches is doing its job in the new environment.