How should businesses adjust their search and marketing strategies as search quality, algorithms, and user needs change?

Businesses should first identify whether a change stems from search intent, the layout of search results, or a mismatch between website content and user needs, then decide how to adjust content, advertising, and measurement. Declining clicks cannot always be attributed to algorithms or AI, and simply changing keywords is not an adequate response. A better-supported approach is to review performance by query type, fix outdated content or content that fails to answer users’ questions, and use the business’s own data to evaluate AI citations, other channels, and new performance metrics.

Break down queries first to identify what has changed

Excerpts from Seer’s research intended to inform planning for 2026 indicate that click-through rates declined for informational and educational queries both with and without AI Overviews (AIOs). This does not establish that all industries face the same results, nor does the decline alone establish that AIOs caused it.

• Distinguish between informational, commercial, transactional, and local queries; the study’s findings cannot be applied directly to the latter three categories.
• Record whether important queries trigger AIOs and whether the brand is cited, and track organic and paid click-through rates separately.
• Review historical performance: topics that already frequently triggered featured snippets may have long been more likely to generate visibility than clicks.

Avoiding AIOs is therefore not a complete strategy. Although non-AIO queries in the study had relatively higher click-through rates, those rates were still declining. Before substantially reallocating resources, businesses should confirm whether their own queries show the same trend.

Update content to meet user needs, not just to chase rankings

Neil Patel’s material uses a seaside hotel to illustrate seasonal differences: summer travelers might look for beach accommodation, while winter travelers might instead seek short getaway packages. This is a strategic example, not a recommendation that every hotel make the same wording changes. Actual content and keywords still need to be informed by research, and weather, holidays, and economic conditions may also change demand.

Semrush’s material identifies incorrect information, outdated facts, and mismatches with search intent as content-quality problems. When updating articles, businesses should check whether the answers are accurate, relevant, useful, and trustworthy, rather than merely adding length. They can add reliable research sources and genuine author credentials to help readers understand the basis for the information; these practices do not guarantee rankings.

Reassess budgets and performance metrics when clicks come under pressure

If a business also sees declining click-through rates for its own informational paid search queries, Seer recommends reviewing return on investment before considering tests of other advertising platforms or queries closer to conversion. A lower click-through rate alone does not establish that a campaign is no longer worth investing in.

When important queries trigger AIOs, businesses can explore authoritative content, structured data, and partnerships to increase their chances of being cited. However, the material shows a correlation between citations and higher click-through rates, not that any particular optimization will necessarily increase clicks.

As search becomes less effective at generating clicks, measurement can also incorporate share of voice in AI citations, increases in branded searches, and assisted conversions. This does not mean abandoning traffic tracking; it means avoiding the use of clicks alone to judge all efforts. Whether alternative channels and citation optimization warrant expansion still needs to be assessed against the business’s own results.