If you’ve noticed your website traffic dipping lately, you’re not imagining things. Across industries, organic traffic is down 20–40%. And it’s not just small businesses feeling the pinch — even giants like HubSpot, who have mastered SEO for years, are seeing the shift.
So what’s going on? The short answer: AI answer engines are changing the way people search.
From 10 Blue Links to One Smart Answer
Think back to the “old days” of search. You’d Google a question, get a list of links, and spend time clicking around to gather your answer. That experience is fading.
Now, people go straight to tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity. Instead of browsing multiple pages, they simply ask a question — and get a complete, conversational answer on the spot.
No clicks. No scrolling. Just answers.
The Binary Problem: You’re In or You’re Out
Here’s where it gets tricky for businesses. Traditional search had a buffer — if you didn’t rank first, you could still get traffic from page two, or even three.
With AI answer engines, that buffer is gone. Either you’re included in the answer… or you’re invisible. It’s binary.
Let’s say someone asks: “What’s the best CRM for small businesses?”
If the AI lists four companies, those four win all the visibility. Everyone else? Zero.
Clicks Are Down, But Quality Is Up
This shift also impacts how people interact with your site. Click-through rates are lower overall — because many users are satisfied with the AI’s summary. But the people who do click through are showing stronger intent. They’re not casual browsers anymore. They’re ready to dive deeper, compare details, or make a purchase decision.
Enter AEO: Answer Engine Optimization
This is where a new discipline comes in: AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization.
Just as SEO was about helping Google recognize your authority, AEO is about positioning your brand to be the trusted source that AI models pull into their responses. It means:
- Creating content that’s structured and clear enough to be quoted directly.
- Building credibility across multiple channels so AI systems view you as reliable.
- Anticipating the exact questions your audience is asking — and answering them better than anyone else.
What This Means for Your Business
The search landscape has changed, and it’s not going back. SEO still matters — but it’s no longer the only game in town. To stay visible, businesses need to start thinking about AEO.
Because in a world where people don’t click links, being part of the answer is everything.
Want to make sure your business shows up in the answers that matter? Reach out to the Van Patter Group today — let’s get your strategy AEO-ready.