For many in-house marketers with a broad remit, the reality is that Search is changing faster than most teams can keep up with. And when Google moves, or platforms like ChatGPT step up to the next level, the ripple effect on marketing is enormous.
The danger is that you don’t spot the shifts until they’ve already hit your numbers, which is why it pays to be aware of what’s happening under the bonnet. You need to know the right questions to ask your chosen agency, and you need to be confident that your strategy is built to roll with the changes, not become unstuck by them.
At Green Ginger Digital, we live and breathe performance marketing, which means it’s part of our job to ensure clients don’t just react when Google shakes things up, but stay a step ahead.
From smarter ad targeting to content strategies that yield AI-driven results, we focus on ensuring performance doesn’t stall when the rulebook changes.
And, dear readers, the rulebook has changed again.
So here’s what’s going on in Search right now, why it matters, and what you can be doing about it (or challenging your current agency on!) 👀
AI Overviews are reshaping the Search experience
AI Overviews appear automatically when a user thinks they’re just doing a regular search. Instead of displaying a list of results, Google generates a summary that provides the user with what they need without requiring a click.
That’s why traffic is dropping. Where users used to click through to your site, they now get their answer right there on the results page.
Industry data paints a very clear picture:
- eMarketer and Ahrefs found that click-through rates fell by more than 34% when AI summaries appeared.
- Pew Research reported that users are almost half as likely to click when summaries show up.
- Search Engine Journal found the number one organic result dropped from nearly 28% CTR to just 19% after Overviews were rolled out.
Needless to say, this is an evolving landscape, and we anticipate that statistics will continue to be impacted. So, if your agency isn’t discussing how you appear in AI Overviews with you, you should be asking why.
AI Mode Is Still Niche, But It Shows the Future
AI Mode is Google’s new feature, but it’s not yet mainstream. Unlike AI Overviews, it only kicks in when a user actively switches it on, and adoption has been limited so far. But don’t dismiss it. AI Mode shows where Search is heading, and the implications for brands are clear:
- Visibility over ranking. Google will surface brands it trusts, not just those that happen to rank well. (xponent21.com)
- Authority will be make or break. Offsite PR, unique data and expert voices will decide who gets cited. (searchengineland.com)
- Content needs to adapt. Clear structure, multimedia and easy-to-summarise assets will perform better. (impactplus.com)
- Measurement will change. Success will be measured by impressions and citations, rather than raw traffic. (gravityglobal.com)
At GGD, we’re already testing how client content is picked up in AI Mode so we can help them build authority now, not scramble later.
Organic Clicks Are Falling, But Value Is Rising
Organic clicks are down across the board. Multiple studies support this claim: AI summaries and ad-heavy SERPs are diverting traffic away from websites. If you’ve seen a dip, you’re not alone.
But the clicks that remain are often stronger. They tend to come from users with clearer intent; i.e. users who are closer to taking action rather than just browsing. While volumes may be falling, the quality of traffic can actually improve.
For clued-up in-house marketers, the changes are clear:
- Success can’t be judged on traffic volume alone.
- Conversions and outcomes matter more than ever.
- Agencies should be showing you how they’re making each visit work harder, not just how many visits they’ve delivered.
Paid Search Is Expanding
On 17 September 2025, a “bug” caused many search results pages to be almost entirely filled with ads. Some screenshots shared by users showed up to 22 ads on a single page, with only a handful of organic results visible.
Search Engine Roundtable reported the bug, which lasted several hours and affected multiple regions. While Google quickly fixed it, the sheer scale raised questions. Was this really a glitch, or was it a test of what a conversion-heavy SERP could look like?
Regardless, the trend is apparent to those in the industry. Paid placements are expanding, particularly on high-conversion queries. For in-house teams, this means budgets must reflect the reality that organic visibility alone is no longer sufficient. Paid is becoming the price of entry.
“We’re seeing Google double down on commercial intent, which means if brands want visibility at the sharp end of the funnel, paid activity has to work harder than ever. Our focus with our clients is on making sure every penny spent in paid does exactly that, and drives real outcomes, resulting in meaningful business performance.”
Emily Falkingham, Co-founder and Performance Marketing Director, Green Ginger Digital
The Death of Gated Content in B2B
For B2B marketers, this is a big one. Gated assets, such as whitepapers, reports, and calculators, have been staples for lead generation for years.
But there’s a problem, and, yep, you guessed it: it’s got everything to do with our old friend AI, because AI cannot crawl gated content, which means your most valuable thought leadership is invisible to AI Overviews, invisible to Google’s summaries, and invisible to the large language models powering ChatGPT. Oh snap.
If your best stuff is locked away, it won’t get cited. And if it doesn’t get cited, you can’t build authority with it. That doesn’t mean ungating everything, but it does mean rethinking what you hide and what you want surfaced.
This is precisely why we’re working with clients to rethink their content mix. Gated has its place, but you can’t hide everything. Some of your strongest assets must be accessible if you want to achieve visibility in AI-driven search.
Rank Tracking Has Lost Its Value (But Still Has a Place)
Google’s decision to remove the &num=100 parameter means rank tracking tools can no longer pull 100 results at once. To gather the same data, they now have to make ten separate requests instead of one, which makes tracking the top 100 results far more resource-intensive and costly. Unsurprisingly, it caused a stir in the SEO world.
Some argue you never needed more than the top 10 anyway. Page one was always the benchmark, but that misses the point. Rankings outside the top 10 are still valuable as indicators:
- Positions 10–20: Immediate page one opportunities. With the right tweaks, these can deliver quick wins.
- Positions 20–50: Relevant pages that are under-optimised or misaligned with intent. A rewrite or new content may be the answer.
- Positions 50+: Benchmarks for newly indexed pages, which help spot early signs of progress.
Rankings are no longer the end goal, but they remain a useful diagnostic tool to guide SEO actions. The true measure of success now is visibility, such as appearing in AI summaries, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and trusted citations that actually drive discovery.
Authority Is Everything
Senior marketers already know the value of authority. What’s changing is how central it has become to visibility in both Google and AI-driven search. The algorithms prioritise trusted, cited sources above all else, and authority signals now tip the balance between inclusion in an Overview and being ignored entirely.
Authority today is shaped by three primary indicators:
- Media coverage and PR: Independent validation from respected publications sends a clear signal of trust.
- External citations and mentions: Being referenced by others reinforces your relevance and credibility.
- Thought leadership and unique data: Original research, expert commentary and proprietary insights are the type of content AI actively pulls into summaries.
It’s no longer enough to churn out a content calendar of generic blog posts. Authority requires strategic effort, creative execution and proactive management.
6 Things In-House Marketers Can Do Now
- Audit visibility. Are you surfacing in AI summaries, snippets and panels?
- Challenge your agency. Ask how they are adapting for AI Overviews, gated content and authority building.
- Repackage content. Keep some gated, but make sure your strongest assets are visible to AI.
- Balance paid and organic. Budgets must reflect the reality of ad-heavy SERPs.
- Update KPIs. Look beyond traffic. Visibility, authority and business outcomes are the new benchmarks.
- Plan beyond Google. Discovery is shifting to TikTok, Pinterest and ChatGPT. Expect strategies that address these channels too.
Summary
“Search is evolving into something far bigger than rankings and clicks. We are moving towards a world where AI decides which brands deserve visibility, and now Google has made its stance clear as well.
For our clients, successful search strategies mean building genuine authority, delivering content that earns trust, and maximising the effectiveness of every paid and organic placement. The winners will be the brands that adapt early and prove why they deserve to be chosen.”
Nick Cranwell, Co-founder and Performance Marketing Director, Green Ginger Digital
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If keeping up with the fast-moving world of digital performance marketing seems too tricky, and you’re not getting the support you need to compete in an increasingly AI-driven landscape, it might be time to consider your next agency move.
Green Ginger Digital is trusted by brands such as Pret A Manger, PACK’D, Beal Homes, MKM Building Supplies and Face the Future, to not only deliver results that drive business-changing results, but also to ensure that their approaches are in line with industry best practices – if not ahead of them.
Get in touch for an informal chat on your 2026 digital performance goals, and we’ll show you how we might be able to help.
