Is your organic traffic steadily declining?
There’s a clear reason why. AI tools like ChatGPT have transformed the way people search for information.
Instead of clicking through different sites, users are used to concisely getting answers from their favorite AI tools.
Google followed suit with AI Overviews to protect its search dominance.
The result? Zero-search clicks are rising. Like most websites, you’re probably seeing high organic impressions but steadily declining click-through rates.
This isn’t just a temporary dip… it’s a fundamental shift in how search works.
SEO experts forecast that this trend is here to stay and will only get worse. The only question is: how quickly will you adapt to the new search reality?
In this article, I’m going to share 30+ AI trends and predictions in SEO to watch to help you prepare your WordPress site for what’s coming. You’ll discover which changes to expect, which ones to prioritize, and how to adapt your SEO strategy so you’re not left behind.
How Is AI Reshaping SEO?
In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, which has significantly altered how people search online and consume content. Unlike traditional Google Search, AI tools gave users instant answers to their questions without needing to visit multiple websites.
Recognizing this shift in user behavior, Google quickly adapted by introducing Google AI Overviews in search results. Here’s an example of how it looks:
These AI-generated summaries typically appear at the top of search pages.
In fact, Google considers AI Overviews as a success, as it has actually encouraged users to search more often:
“Instead of searching less, people who use AI Overviews are actually showing an increase in their total number of searches.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
However, this has a big impact on websites. When people get the answer directly on Google, they have less reason to click on search results, which is causing a significant drop in organic traffic for many sites.
Preparing your WordPress website for this new reality is essential, so let’s dive into these AI search predictions and statistics so you know what to expect.
How Often Do AI Overviews Appear in Search?
AI Overviews (AIOs) are becoming a dominant feature, appearing in up to 47% of Google searches, according to a Botify study.
To put that in perspective, nearly half of all Google searches now show an AI-generated answer at the top.
This is a sharp rise considering the fact that it was first introduced on May 14, 2024, in the United States, and was only expanded to other countries in October 2024.
How Fast Are AI Overviews Dominating?
Since the Google March Core Update in 2025, the appearance of AI Overviews in search results has grown by a staggering 115%, according to a study by Ahrefs.
This shows how serious Google is about this feature. A 115% jump in just a few months means they are quickly changing the search experience for everyone.
To see where this change is hitting hardest, here are the industries that have spiked the most in AI Overviews since the recent rollout:
Growth Spike Affected Industry & Sample Queries
528%⬆️ Entertainment queries (e.g., [Julia Roberts movies], [Movies filmed in Chicago]).
387%⬆️ Restaurant queries (e.g., [date night restaurants], [Thai restaurant near me], [downtown restaurants])
381%⬆️ Travel queries (e.g., [things to do in Santa Fe], [things to do in Hawaii], [things to do in Las Vegas]).
To be clear, one reason for these huge spikes is that these industries had a lower baseline to begin with. They historically triggered AI Overviews far less than topics like healthcare and education.
🔮 Prediction: What these numbers show is simple: AI Overviews are not a small test. They are quickly becoming a normal part of Google and are growing very fast.
AI Overviews are expected to show up more often from now on. For anyone with a website, this is a clear sign that you need to get ready for this new reality.
What Triggers a Google AI Overview?
AIOs are triggered by informational intent. Nearly all (99.2%) keywords that generate an AI Overview are informational in nature, rather than commercial or transactional.
This is the most important trigger to understand. It means AIOs are designed to appear when people are looking for answers and explanations, like asking ‘how to start a blog‘ or ‘what are the symptoms of the flu’.
To increase your chances of being featured in Google’s AI Overviews, you should focus on creating high-quality, authoritative content that directly answers user queries concisely and comprehensively
You can find relevant questions for your core niche by using a tool like the Free WPBeginner Keyword Generator. Its “Questions” tab shows you what people are really searching for, so
