Is AI Mode Killing SEO or Transforming It?

AI Mode is driving zero-click searches and changing user behavior. Learn what this means for SEO and how to stay visible in AI-driven results.

This week’s main topic is Kevin Indig’s comprehensive article published in Search Engine Journal, where he analyzes 10 different studies. This meta-analysis brings together all the significant research conducted on AI Mode in 2025, and the findings are truly thought-provoking.

How Google AI Mode Is Changing Click Behavior and CTR Performance

According to Semrush’s analysis covering approximately 69 million U.S. Google sessions, 92-94% of AI Mode sessions result in zero clicks. The user behavior study conducted with Clickstream Solutions confirms this finding: 77.6% of sessions had no external visits, and the median click count per task was zero. Yes, you heard that right – zero.

But that’s not the whole story. iPullRank’s UX study shows that users are currently adopting AI Mode very slowly. Across five different tasks, only 2-5% of participants used AI Mode, while 30-47% engaged with AI Overviews. Moreover, according to Similarweb data, over 50% of users tried AI Mode once and bounced. Google’s feature hasn’t quite achieved product-market fit yet.

So does this mean traffic is completely dead? No, the situation isn’t that dire. Shopping queries continue to generate nearly 100% clicks. Propellic’s travel industry study reveals an interesting distinction: Users stay in AI Mode for planning tasks, engaging for an average of 104 seconds, but when they’re ready to make a decision and book, they click out in approximately 38 seconds. So traffic flow continues for high-intent, transactional queries. The real issue is with informational searches. Here, users get their answers directly from AI and leave the page.

Another important point is that AI Mode shortens search sessions. According to Semrush’s findings, AI Mode sessions average 2-3 queries, while traditional search averages around 5. This means not only is the chance for clicks decreasing, but so is the chance for visibility.

So what should we do? The answer lies in fundamentally changing our metrics and perspective. Instead of just chasing clicks and traffic, we need to focus on concepts like brand visibility, user engagement, and influence power. Research shows that users read AI responses, examine citations, and form opinions about brands without clicking. Being featured as a source in AI responses can influence users’ purchase decisions without clicks by increasing your brand’s authority and credibility.

It’s time to fundamentally review our strategy. We need to shift from asking “How do I get traffic?” to “How do I get featured in AI responses and influence my target audience?” We should update our metrics accordingly: instead of CTR, focus on brand mentions, dwell time, and most importantly, conversion rates at high-intent final steps. Considering Google’s determination to make AI Mode the default search experience, we need to make this transformation now.