As I already mentioned, AI is affecting click-through rates. Due to the “AI overview” feature in search engine platforms, people aren’t clicking on specific links as much anymore. Some folks have reported a traffic drop of as much as 50%! What now? When search engines aren’t really ranking you in the same way, what are you supposed to do?
As a Charlotte web design company that’s been in business for decades, the answer is the same as it’s always been: adapt. When search engines started becoming a “thing,” content marketers were trained to think of web traffic as the end goal. And that worked for a while – people did “keyword stuffing” or threw as many search engine keywords into their posts as possible. There was a veritable word salad happening with blog posts making almost no sense. Today, an AI content marketing strategy focuses on creating helpful, user-first content instead of stuffing keywords.
Then the search engines cottoned on and changed the algorithm such that people could no longer get away with that. Content marketers needed to start writing for humans and sprinkling in keywords in a more organic way by following AI SEO best practices. But still, the goal was to drive traffic from search engines to get someone to click on your piece. For instance, as a Charlotte web designer, we might write an article like, “How to know when you should hire a web developer,” because we want people to click on that article. But now, AI is throwing a spanner in the works.
Write for Humans
The answer to the question, “Should I stop creating informational content?” is yes and no. Keep creating content because organic traffic drives discoverability, new user acquisition, brand awareness, and conversions, but stop writing for the search engines. Write for humans. Humans want stories. They want opinions. They want first-person accounts. AI will give a neutral, objective overview, so you have to give what AI cannot: yourself. This content strategy for AI search helps create content that resonates with both readers and modern search experiences.
Tied into that is also thinking about what humans actually want. The number one rule of marketing is to focus on your target audience. That means perpetually asking, “What does my client/customer need? And how can I give it to them?” You want to build informational pages that convert, pages that make it easy for users to take action. That means creating guides and templates. Or actionable advice. Maybe your informational pages contain videos or webinars to amp up the usefulness.
The goal now is to provide genuinely valuable content that people will actually use. Stuff that makes them say, “Why yes, I will happily hand over my email address,” or, “Gee, they seem great. I do want to book a free consultation.” But you still have to treat humans like humans. Give them a preview of what they’ll get with your template. Show people how your product works. If that sounds too overwhelming or you don’t know how to do that, as a Charlotte web design company, this is our specialty. We’re happy to help you create these sorts of pages and guides that optimize content for AI search.
What you’re doing here with this approach is building an audience that is authentically choosing you based on what you offer, not because you’re the number one entry on Google anymore. And the way that you do that is by no longer writing to please search engines. You’re writing to please humans, which is how to increase organic traffic over the long term.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How is AI changing content marketing?
A: An effective AI content marketing strategy focuses on creating helpful, experience-driven content that answers user questions, builds trust, and improves visibility across Google Search, AI Overviews, and AI-powered search platforms.
Q: How can I increase organic traffic?
A: How to increase organic traffic starts with publishing valuable, original content, improving website performance, targeting user intent, and consistently updating pages to meet evolving search engine and AI search expectations.
Q: What are the best AI SEO practices?
A: AI SEO best practices include writing for people first, using clear headings, answering common questions, optimizing page speed, adding structured content, and demonstrating expertise to improve search visibility.
Q: How do I optimize content for AI search?
A: To optimize content for AI search, create well-structured, fact-based content that answers specific questions, uses descriptive headings, includes relevant entities, and delivers value with clear, natural language.
Q: Does AI affect organic traffic?
A: AI is changing how users discover information, making a strong content strategy for AI search essential. Businesses that publish helpful, authoritative content are better positioned to maintain and grow organic traffic.
