The digital world has entered a new era of AI search, and Australian businesses are finding themselves at a crossroads.
Option 1, should we rethink our search strategy in line with updates like Google’s AI Overviews? Or option 2, do we double down on our traditional SEO tactics and hope this AI nonsense will pass?
We know AI and search has been a love story in the making for the last 10 years and we’re already seeing its impacts on consumer search behaviour. So we vote for option 1. Below we’ll give you the origin story of AI search, our learnings so far and the crucial steps Australian businesses should take to lead from the front during this AI revolution.
The Evolution of Search: AI’s Growing Influence
Before we get into the dos and don’ts of AI and search, here’s the back story. AI’s integration into Google Search is not a sudden phenomenon. It has actually been almost a decade in the making. From the launch of RankBrain in 2015, which introduced AI learning to improve search results, to the revolutionary AI Overviews rolled out in Australia in late 2024, the AI progression has been steady yet transformative.
Most recently, with the update of AI Overviews, Google can now curate concise, contextually rich information summaries. This has in turn reshaped how users consume content online. For Australian businesses, this will represent both a challenge and an opportunity.
The challenge: The rise of AI Overviews means users are less likely to click through on traditional organic search results, because users are beginning to find the answers to their questions in the Overviews. This means they aren’t scrolling down to find the traditional organic search results, and businesses may see their organic click start to suffer.
The opportunity: How can we gain the click from other places? Can Australian businesses be featured in the AI Overview to make sure they’re still getting in front of users on search? There are so many new developing SEO tactics that can position brands to win the game of AI and search. But to get to these answers, we first need to understand how AI has changed consumer behaviours as we will take these learnings with us.
AI Search Learnings Australian Businesses Should Care About
Shifting Consumer Behavior
AI-driven search tools are changing user expectations. Consumers now demand immediate, personalised, and accurate information. A stark contrast to the manual search methods of the past where you would search a question, spend an hour reading different results, edit your search query, read some more information and then formulate your own opinion or answer. This heightened expectation in today’s search puts pressure on brands to optimise their content for AI-led search algorithms, ensuring the user is always at the forefront of all content we publish.
The Battle for Visibility
With AI Overviews featured at the top of the SERPs, businesses risk losing organic traffic. This is due to the increase of searchers getting their answers from the AI Overview without needing to scroll down to the traditional search results which means brands will likely start to lose the organic click unless featured in an AI Overview.
The Potential for Long-Tail Keywords
Due to the increasing ease of finding customised information online, users are beginning to search with very specific, long-tail keywords that have a high search intent. A keyword that was previously “best sunglasses” has become “best sunglasses with black frame and uv protection”. As search becomes more conversational, brands must optimise for long-tail queries that reflect the ever-evolving way users are searching.
Strategies for Leading in the AI Search Era
While AI advancements might seem groundbreaking, they shouldn’t change the fundamentals of SEO as we know it. Yes, there’s a few more things to consider when trying to rank your website organically, but the goal of the search engine remains the same: provide genuinely useful and accurate information to users as quickly as possible. Here are three tactics to think about for your business.
1. Embrace Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
Generative Engine Optimisation is the natural evolution of traditional SEO, tailored for AI-powered algorithms like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Australian brands must integrate things like structured data markup to ensure content is easily interpretable by AI tools.
2. Secure AI Overview Features
Creating content that directly answers high-intent questions is critical. Businesses should focus on producing detailed, well-structured resources that address the “what,” “how,” and “why” type queries. For instance, a home and furniture brand could publish a guide to answer the question “what is the best furniture layout for a living room?,” aiming to be featured in an AI Overview.
3. Monitor International Trends
The US often serves as a testing ground for Google’s updates, offering valuable insights for Australian businesses to learn from. Free tools like SEMrush Sensor can help businesses monitor the frequency of AI Overviews in different markets, enabling local brands to stay ahead by anticipating changes before they hit.
Preparing for 2025 and Beyond
These AI updates have been in the works for a decade and they won’t end here. Australian brands should expect to see more waves of AI releases in the future, likely pushing towards more personalisation and an overall improved search experience for users.
The brands that will thrive are the ones embracing the change and pivoting their SEO strategies. So take these learnings, apply them to your business, and don’t get left behind.
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