Fewer visits, better leads? Making sense of AI search shifts
Digital discovery is going through another big shake-up — and this time, it’s being driven not by an algorithm tweak, but by a fundamental change in how people (and AI) search, decide, and act.
What’s happening
Google’s AI Overviews, LLM-powered search tools like Perplexity, and AI-integrated browsers are no longer fringe experiments, they’re becoming mainstream.
Perplexity has already become a go-to research assistant for millions of users, and its own AI-powered browser, Comet, has already launched, aiming to embed conversational, summarised search into the browsing experience itself. Its quite something to watch it report as it navigates and discovers content - explaining each step as it goes. This heralds a big change in how we will engage with digital experiences in future. These tools can deliver complete answers directly to the user, summarising information from multiple sources without requiring a single click to your site.
The result? Traditional organic traffic - the steady stream of visitors arriving via search results - is already starting to dip for many organisations. Early analytics from multiple sectors are showing fewer impressions and lower click-through rates from familiar keywords.
How buying journeys are changing
This isn’t just about less traffic. It’s about different journeys. AI-assisted research means more decisions are being made before a person ever lands on your site. We’re seeing the emergence of hybrid journeys — part human, part AI agent — where:
The AI tool narrows down options, answers questions, or recommends vendors.
The human steps in later in the journey, often ready to compare, validate, or buy.
Your brand might miss out on significant visibility if not available to these new hybrid browsing behaviours.
What it means for traffic volume
A reduction in traditional organic traffic is likely across most sectors, though the impact will vary:
- Professional services: Loss of early-stage “awareness” visits, but potential for better-qualified mid-funnel leads.
- E-commerce: Price and feature aggregation by AI may cut brand-led discovery traffic.
- Travel & leisure: Itinerary planning increasingly handled by AI, reducing direct research visits.
- Financial services: AI tools increasingly answer common product questions, bypassing brand content entirely.
In every case, the shape of inbound traffic changes — and so does what it’s worth.
Quality over quantity?
The paradox here is that while you may get fewer visits, those who do arrive may be further along in the decision process. A visitor who comes via a GPT or Perplexity recommendation or a Googlen AI search summary could be:
- Closer to a buying decision
- Already aware of your key differentiators
- Comparing only a small set of shortlisted options
That’s a fundamentally different type of lead from someone clicking a broad informational search result.
What you can do about it
This isn’t a time to passively watch the analytics curve dip. There are clear, actionable responses:
Better analytics
Shift focus from raw traffic counts to impact metrics: lead quality, conversion rates, and engagement from AI-referral sources.
New content operating models
Structure and tag content so AI tools can easily extract and present it.
Leverage new CMS capabilities
Optimizely’s recent CMS announcement addresses AI search readiness
Use tools to ensure your brand is present and accurately represented in AI-powered answers.
The headline numbers in your analytics may go down — but that’s not necessarily bad news. Fewer visits can still mean better leads, if you adapt your content, CX, and measurement to this new reality.
This shift won’t be the same for every organisation, but the direction is clear: AI is moving closer to the start of every journey. Now is the time to make sure you are making the most of them.
Next steps - Join the conversation
We’ll be diving deeper into these shifts in our upcoming 30-minute online briefing: 'Making sense of AI generative search.” We'll cover:
- What’s really changing in AI search and browsing behaviour
- How it’s impacting different sectors
- How to measure impact beyond traffic numbers
- Practical steps you can take now, next, and later
You’ll also hear how Optimizely’s latest CMS updates and Netcel’s Audit – Mitigate – Improve approach can help you adapt and thrive in this new search reality.