Source: Search Engine Journal
Google's own data shows user behavior splintering between AI-generated answers, video platforms, and direct answers that bypass clicks entirely. The traditional funnel that made SEO predictable is collapsing. For consumer brands, this is a discovery problem: the same search query now routes to five different destinations depending on device, user history, and whether Google decides an AI summary sufficient. Companies that survive this shift will build direct-to-consumer channels and owned audiences rather than rely on search visibility as a moat.