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I know you're out of the SEO world, but
I'm sure you think about this. Are are
you not if you were an SEO, would you be
concerned about like AI overviews? Yeah,
especially AI overviews. I mean, you
probably saw the 7% the 7% dip in
Alphabet stock from the announcement uh
made by it was made by uh by Apple's
Apple's EddieQ and he said this has
never happened in 22 years. It was it
was Apple Safari browser declined for
the or searches on Apple Safari browser
declined for the first time last month.
Never happened in 22 years. and that
caused and he bl he blames AI for that
AI-generated overview
Rand Fishkin, marketing expert and SparkToro founder, argues that SEO professionals should not fear AI-driven zero-click searches and AI overviews. Despite Apple reporting a 7% decline in Safari searches (the first decline in 22 years attributed to AI) and Alphabet stock dropping 7%, Fishkin maintains that content creators should focus on influence rather than clicks. He advocates for creating content that nudges audiences toward favorable perceptions of products or services, even when that content is consumed through AI summaries without direct attribution. Fishkin uses SparkToro's own strategy as an example: their content about audience research appears in Google AI overviews without clear attribution, but it creates semantic associations between 'audience research' and 'SparkToro' across the internet. He believes the incentive for top-of-funnel content remains strong for companies selling products or services, though it has diminished for traditional ad-supported publishers. His contrarian advice: while competitors abandon content creation due to AI concerns, continue investing to fill the gap.
Apple reported the first decline in Safari browser searches in 22 years in 2024, which Apple executive Eddy Cue attributed to AI, causing a 7% drop in Alphabet stock.
Fishkin distinguishes between two types of SEO practitioners: agencies/consultants who struggle to convince clients about influence over clicks, and in-house teams who can adapt KPIs to changing landscapes including AI visibility.
The goal with zero-click AI answers is to provide content beneficial to two parties: the audience (so you remain the authoritative answer) and your business (by nudging people toward your solution).
SparkToro's content appears in Google AI overviews for 'what is audience research' without clear attribution, but this creates valuable semantic associations between the term and the SparkToro brand across the internet.