SEO Is No Longer Enough: The Rising Importance of AIO in AI Search Era

In the past, if you wanted your website to rank on the first page of Google, the answer was singular: SEO – optimizing your website to be found, rank high, and attract traffic from specific search keywords.

But 2025 is different. Since Google launched AI Overview, many users have stopped scrolling for results and now get answers directly from AI. User behavior on search engines has fundamentally changed.

So, what should businesses do? Is SEO still worthwhile? This article will provide clear answers.

Shifting Search Behavior

Traditional Search Engines Are Being Used Less
Research by Gartner indicates that by 2025, traditional searches may decrease by more than 25% as users increasingly rely on AI Chatbots.

Zero-Click Search Becomes the Norm
Several sources consistently predict that Zero-Click Search will become commonplace. For example, an Ahrefs report estimates that website clicks could decrease by over 35%.

How AI Overview Impacts Businesses

AI Overview is not just a feature that summarizes information for user convenience; it has become a make-or-break factor for brands in terms of visibility, brand recognition, users’ decision making, and overall business success.

When AI Overview chooses to feature a particular brand, that brand is positioned most prominently on the search results page, significantly increasing its visibility.

Being Recommended = Business Advantage

This not only boosts visibility but also builds credibility and increases the likelihood of users clicking through to the website and ultimately making a purchase decision.

From the example image, for the search query "recommended front-load washing machine," you can see that AI Overview selects specific washing machine models from certain brands and presents them in the most prominent position. This is a highly effective way to gain visibility.

If Not Selected = Opportunity Lost Immediately

Conversely, if a brand is not featured in AI Overview, its visibility and awareness will decrease. This is because users may get their answers or click on websites already presented by AI Overview, leading to a reduction in website traffic.

How to Get Your Brand Recommended by AI Overview

For your brand to be recommended by AI Overview, it’s important to go beyond traditional SEO and implement AIO (AI Optimization)  strategies—also known as GEO (Google Engine Optimization), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization). Focus on creating authoritative, well-structured content that both search engines and AI models can easily understand. By optimizing for AIO, GEO, or LLMO, you can significantly increase your chances of being featured in AI-powered search results.

Create Content That Answers Queries Effectively

Write content using natural language, similar to how people speak. Cover topics from "People Also Asked" (PAA) thoroughly, not just superficially.

Make Your Website AI-Friendly

Essential content should be in HTML text, not in images or animations. Use Structured Data + Sitemap to help bots understand and index your site completely. Remember that AI "reads" the website's structure, not just its aesthetics.

Common Misconceptions About SEO

Writing content with excessive keywords: AI Overview and modern search engines can understand language much better. Repeating keywords excessively not only doesn't help but also makes the content sound unnatural to users.

Adding backlinks: The market generally misunderstands that adding many backlinks helps websites rank high in SEO. In reality, Google has stated on several occasions that the importance of backlinks is decreasing. In 2025, Google Search Central stated, "Google uses links as a signal to determine page relevance."

Conclusion: Is SEO Still Necessary?

The answer is yes, but not in the same way as before. SEO is no longer just about ranking and backlinks. It's about helping AI recognize the value in your content. The higher the quality of your content and the more comprehensively it answers user questions, the higher the chance of being featured in AI Overview.

Don't let your competitors take over the AI Overview space before you do.

If you are planning your marketing strategy and are unsure whether to invest in SEO and AI Optimization, you can consult with the expert team at i-dac Bangkok for free.

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[References]
Gartner. (2024, February 19). Gartner predicts search engine volume will drop 25 percent by 2026 due to AI chatbots and other virtual agents [Press release]. Gartner. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-19-gartner-predicts-search-engine-volume-will-drop-25-percent-by-2026-due-to-ai-chatbots-and-other-virtual-agents

Law, R., & Guan, X. (2025, April 17). AI overviews reduce clicks by 34.5%. Ahrefs. https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overviews-reduce-clicks/

Montti, R. (2024, April 1). Google: overfocusing on links could be a waste of time. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-overfocusing-on-links-could-be-a-waste-of-time/512661/