OK, AI is everywhere in every app, web platform, and email app; better check under the bed too. As I have been working in the digital space for over 25 years (we rolled out the ATO’s National Tax and Technology Expo in 1999), I’m often asked, “How is AI going to affect my ranking on Google?”
The short answer is, a lot!
Don’t panic just yet; SEO isn’t dead by any means.
Google is still delivering organic, local, and paid search results and continues to extract billions from the Australian economy through its AdWords program. Imagine Google losing out on revenue.
So what is really going on?
Firstly, mobile native is here to stay, so if your site doesn’t work well on mobile, forget about ranking and everything else.
Google wants your site to perform well on mobile and load quickly, or you risk falling into the Google abyss.
AI is dramatically transforming Google Search, especially through “AI Overviews”,—and this shift is reducing clicks to traditional websites, challenging how Australian businesses generate online leads.
However, new AI-powered tools and strategies are opening alternative lead generation opportunities for proactive businesses.
How AI Impacts Google Search and Lead Generation
AI Overviews (Gemini-powered summaries) now appear for over 13% of all queries and are rapidly expanding; these summaries answer questions directly in the results, meaning users often get what they need without clicking through to other sites.
Recent studies show that when an AI Overview is present, click-through rates to websites drop by nearly half—from 15% to around 8%—with only 1% of AI Overviews resulting in a click on a cited source. (The Pew Research Centre analysed data from 900 users of the Ipsos Knowledge Panel collected in March 2025)
Industries most affected include science, healthcare, law, and local services, due to the informational focus of these AI answers; however, the effects span all sectors.
Actions for Australian Businesses: Maximising Online Leads in the AI Search Era
- Optimise for AI and Featured Snippets
- Structure website content for “Answer Engine Optimisation” (AEO): use clear headings, concise answers, lists, and schema markup so AI finds and cites business information as authoritative.
- Identify and target “People Also Ask” questions, FAQs, and local queries with unique, in-depth content that anticipates specific user intent.
- Leverage AI Tools for Technical and Content SEO. Use AI-enhanced SEO tools to detect and fix website issues, improve site speed, and automate meta, schema, and internal linking tasks.
- Focus on semantic search optimisation and ensure mobile performance, since Australian search remains mobile-dominated.
- Prioritise Brand Authority and Trust Signals
- Encourage genuine Google reviews, testimonials, and social proof; Google cites and ranks sources it perceives as trustworthy.
- Build partnerships or content that can be referenced by high-authority sites, as links and mentions in respected Australian domains help both traditional and AI-driven rankings.
In summary, AI is both a challenge and a catalyst for change in Australian lead generation. To succeed, businesses must adapt their content, technical SEO, and ad strategies to appear in AI Overviews, position themselves as trusted local authorities, and leverage new AI-driven marketing tools to capture ready-to-convert leads.
And try to use a human who knows what to do and how to do it.
You can find me, Anthony (not an AI bot), here waiting on your call 0401 199 021.
