Google just revealed something that should make every business pay attention:
AI in Search isn’t killing clicks — it’s making them better.
According to Google, the total number of clicks from Search to websites has stayed relatively stable over the past year. But here’s the part that matters: the quality of those clicks is going up. Users who click are staying longer, engaging more deeply, and bouncing less.
In other words — fewer “junk clicks,” more meaningful visits.
What’s Driving This Shift?
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode are changing how people search.
Instead of firing off short, one-word queries, users are asking longer, more complex questions. AI gives them a better foundation of knowledge, then surfaces more links for when they want to dig deeper.
The result?
By the time someone clicks through to your site, they’re already warmed up — they’ve read context, refined their intent, and are looking for something specific. That’s why AI-era clicks are worth more than the shotgun clicks of old.
Why Quality Beats Quantity
In the pre-AI search world, success often meant ranking high for a popular keyword and collecting as many clicks as possible. But volume meant little if most of those visitors bounced in seconds.
Now, the value is in alignment:
- Visitors who are actively looking for exactly what you offer
- Visitors who trust your brand because they saw it cited in AI results
- Visitors who are ready to engage — whether that’s reading an article, signing up for a service, or making a purchase
Where AEO Comes In
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is about making sure your content is understood, trusted, and referenced by AI systems like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Claude.
When your content is AI-ready:
- You appear in AI answers, not just traditional search results
- You earn clicks from users who have already been “pre-qualified” by AI context
- You build brand trust before the visitor even lands on your site
This is where aeo.press helps:
- You get your own ChatGPT experience on your site to align content with customer questions.
- We optimize content so it’s structured for LLMs to read and recommend
- We track your AI visibility over time, so you know where you stand
The Bottom Line
AI is rewriting the rules of search. The future isn’t about chasing every click — it’s about earning the right ones.
With aeo.press, you’re not just adapting to AI search. You’re making sure that when someone clicks, it’s because they’re already halfway to becoming your customer.