Watch the video above for the full breakdown.
In the last couple of weeks, I've heard the words "AI and SEO" more times than in my entire career to date. The data's clear, and it's not pretty for traditional search:
Two-thirds of Google searches now stay in Google's ecosystem rather than going out to websites
Google searches fell in Safari for the first time ever in April
Desktop outbound CTR can fall by two-thirds the moment an AI Overview appears
If organic search traffic to your website hasn't already started falling, it will soon.
But here's what's interesting for us in financial services – our audiences aren't just trusting AI answers.
When money's involved, people dig deeper for validation. Kevin Indig's groundbreaking UX research (the first comprehensive study of AI Overviews based on 70 users) shows that high-stakes "your money or your life" searches cause audiences to click through to websites more often, giving financial brands a temporary reprieve.
So what does this mean for us?
First, reputation matters more than ever. Traditional media outlets like CNBC and Business Insider are being cited as sources in almost half of AI searches for fintech topics – that means your PR efforts, podcasts, and media coverage are now core SEO assets.
Second, we need to optimize not just websites, but paragraphs and sections of content with clear semantic structure for AI consumption.
The fundamentals of marketing are still the same – it's an influence game. We just need to adapt when and how we show up, because if we cling to old SEO practices, we'll become increasingly invisible.
What are you seeing in your search data? Are AI Overviews impacting your traffic yet? Watch the video and let us know in the comments.
Hannah Porritt is a Vice President at Cognito's New York office.
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