Download the PDF version of our AI: Paid and Organic Traffic case study at the bottom of this page.
At KeyMedia Solutions, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the rapid transformation of search marketing. The way consumers find information is shifting dramatically, and as AI-driven search continues to evolve, businesses must rethink their strategies to remain visible and competitive.
The Search Engine Shake-Up
For years, Google and Bing dominated the search landscape, providing ranked lists of web pages in response to user queries. But today, AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are rewriting the rules. Instead of directing users to multiple websites, these platforms deliver direct answers—reducing the need for users to click through to traditional search results.
- The numbers speak for themselves:
📉 58.5% of searches in the U.S. end without a click because users find what they need directly on the search results page. (source: https://www.bain.com/insights/goodbye-clicks-hello-ai-zero-click-search-redefines-marketing/) - 📉 Studies predict an 18%-64% decline in organic clicks due to AI-generated answers.
To see if the predictions were, in fact, beginning to become a reality, KeyMedia Solutions’ team analyzed data from July 2023 (launch of GA4) through December 2024 to understand how AI was impacting our clients, mostly located in the Midwest and considered to be small and medium sized businesses. It is worth noting that our sample size was relatively small and may not be representative of all paid ad campaigns.
Across all three metrics in this group, the data shows downward trends, suggesting organic search is bringing in fewer website visits in late 2024 than it did in 2023.
The general pattern of New Users and Sessions are very similar. Both Sessions and New users drop consistently across the observation period, with the highest values in the first 4 months of the observation period, and the lowest values in the final two months of the observation period.
The Session Duration for organic search showed an increase from May through December of 2023 before it began a relatively sharp decline that continued throughout 2024.
For businesses that rely on organic search traffic, this trend is concerning and worthy of additional attention.
Paid Search is Changing Too
It’s not just organic search that’s feeling the heat. Paid advertising is evolving, with AI-powered bidding, predictive analytics, and conversational ads taking center stage.
🔹 Increased Competition: AI-driven tools are making it easier than ever for businesses to compete for ad space, driving up costs.
🔹 Declining Effectiveness of Traditional Ads: As consumers become more selective, static banner ads and generic PPC campaigns aren’t delivering the same results.
🔹 Shift Toward Conversational Ads: AI-powered chatbots and interactive ad experiences are proving to be more effective in driving engagement.
In the analysis conducted by KeyMedia Solutions in January of 2025, we found that the volume of Impressions and Clicks had a slight decline in mid 2024 but rebounded to early May 2023 levels by the end of the calendar year.
The number of new users and the number of sessions appeared to follow nearly identical U-shaped trends: Decreasing from May of 2023 until around March of 2024, then increasing through the end of 2024. This implies that our clients had above average rates of new users and sessions at the beginning and the end of the observation period (roughly May-August 2023 and October-Dec 2024), and below average rates of new users/sessions from October 2023-August 2024.
One interesting trend to note—clicks and impressions varied in similar ways throughout the observation period. If one measure was above average, the other was also above average. Both Clicks and Impressions switched between above- and below-average performance at the same time (roughly July/Aug 2023 and July/Aug 2024).
While we do not have scientific data explaining the correlation between, my interpretation is that user behavior regarding search intent has not changed. When a search is initiated within the traditional search engines, the general rate of clicks are relatively the equal.
Cost per Click (CPC) data was an outlier in this trend.
The slope of the CPC increase between March and December of 2024 is much steeper than that of Clicks, indicating that while clicks increased a little, CPC increased quite a bit.
Many studies and reports we read in early 2024 predicted the cost per clicks would decline, as AI would drive additional search activity, providing more impressions. That did happen for a while in mid 2024 but has since corrected – and done so at a much higher rate than that of Impression and Click averages.
What Can Businesses Do?
The good news? There are ways to adapt. Here’s how businesses can stay ahead in an AI-driven search environment:
1. Optimize for AI-Powered Search
✅ Create AI-friendly, conversational content that answers user questions directly.
✅ Structure content with clear headings, bullet points, and FAQs to increase the chances of being featured in AI-generated responses.
✅ Leverage multimedia (videos, images, and infographics) to capture attention in evolving search results.
2. Rethink Paid Search Strategies
✅ Use AI tools for smarter audience targeting and ad personalization.
✅ Invest in conversational ads that engage users directly through chat-based interactions.
✅ Monitor ad performance in real-time using AI-driven analytics to optimize ROI.
3. Implement AI in Your Marketing Tech Stack
✅ Explore free AI tools like Adsby, Surfer SEO, and Madgicx for campaign automation and optimization.
✅ Educate your team with free AI marketing courses from the Marketing AI Academy, HubSpot Academy, and Alison.
✅ Use AI-powered CRM and analytics platforms to enhance customer insights and ad performance.
4. Partner with a Strategic Digital Firm (like KeyMedia Solutions)
✅ Dedicated staff of experts to stay on top of changes happening within the platforms as well as your campaigns.
✅ Ability to identify trends early on in your accounts, but also through a larger lens across multiple clients.
✅ Provide access to resources and support many businesses do not have.
The Bottom Line: Change is Here—Are You Ready?
The way consumers search for information isn’t the same as it was five years ago—or even last year. AI is changing the game, and businesses that fail to adapt risk losing visibility, traffic, and revenue. AI tools are delivering content and answering questions about your Brand – do you know what they are saying?
At KeyMedia Solutions, we’re committed to helping businesses navigate these changes with data-driven strategies and AI-powered solutions. If your team is ready to adapt to the evolving search landscape, we’re here to help.
🚀 Let us help you future-proof your digital strategy—contact us today!