The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing (ACAM) has warned marketers that traditional search strategies are rapidly losing effectiveness, as artificial intelligence reshapes how Australians discover brands, products and information.
By early 2026, more than 70% of Google searches in Australia resulted in zero clicks through to a landing page, meaning only three in ten queries lead to a website visit, according to published data.
When AI-generated summaries appear in results, that figure drops further, with just 17% of users clicking through. On mobile, where the majority of searches take place, zero-click behaviour now exceeds 75%.
Shift from SEO to AI-led discovery
While many organisations continue to prioritise search engine optimisation (SEO), ACAM said few have adapted to emerging disciplines, including answer engine optimisation (AEO), generative engine optimisation (GEO), and discovery engine optimisation (DEO).
The organisation warned that this has created a widening gap between discovery strategy and consumer behaviour, as users increasingly rely on AI-generated answers rather than clicking through to websites.
In response, ACAM has launched a four-week program, The Future of Search, covering SEO, AEO, GEO and DEO.
The course will bring together subject matter experts from across the industry, including contributors from The Navigators, Kantar, Genea and ACAM, alongside tech specialists from Microsoft Advertising, Gumshoe and Xpon.
The program is aimed at marketing leaders, digital and content teams, agencies and in-house practitioners, and will focus on practical frameworks for improving brand discoverability across both traditional and AI-powered search environments. Participants will develop a 90-day action plan to implement.
Marketers ‘questioning what they’re doing wrong’
ACAM co-founder Jodie Sangster said marketers are already feeling the impact, with many seeing sharp declines in traffic as AI reshapes how users interact with search.
ACAM co-founder Jodie Sangster
She said brands are increasingly reporting that page views are “dropping off a cliff” or becoming “almost invisible in search”, leaving teams questioning their strategy at a time when, she noted, “the rules of the game have changed.”
Sangster said it is not uncommon for marketers to report traditional search performance down by 30 per cent or more, a shift she attributes directly to the rise of AI-driven results. In response, she said brands need to rethink how they appear within AI-generated answers, rather than relying on legacy SEO tactics alone.
“The only way to counter it is to know how to show up in AI answers. If marketers don’t get how that works, they just won’t show up,” she said.
She added that while industry discussion around AI and search is growing, practical action has lagged, with many teams still focused on outdated approaches.
“There’s a lot of talk about this, but not enough action. We need to move beyond theory to what to actually do, fix and what to build and where to focus so brands get seen.”
Sangster also pushed back on the idea that incremental changes to websites or content will solve the problem, instead pointing to a broader shift in how AI systems evaluate brands.
“People think you can fix this by restructuring your website or pumping out more content, but that’s not enough,” she said, adding that success now depends on “how the whole brand shows up across the internet and whether AI sees you as worth including.”
Industry calls for practical application
Adam Goodman, director, AI in advertising APAC at Microsoft Advertising, said the shift requires new levels of insight and capability.
Adam Goodman
“As AI transforms how people search, discover, and make decisions, marketers need deeper, real-time insight into how their brands are represented across evolving digital environments. This program brings together practical expertise and leading technology to help organisations move from experimentation to real-world application, building the confidence to embed AI into everyday marketing strategy and execution.”
ACAM CEO and co-founder Louise Cummins added that the industry needs clearer guidance on what to do next.
“There’s a lot of conversation about AI and search, but not enough clarity on what marketers should actually do next. We wanted to give teams a structured, practical way to understand what needs to change so they can show up in AI-driven search and not disappear from them.”
The Future of Search begins on 11 May and is delivered as a self-paced, four-week online program with a live interactive session with Jodie Sangster and a panel. Click here for more information.