If organic traffic feels harder to come by lately, you’re not imagining it.
Search results pages in 2025/2026 look very different to what most brands optimised for just a few years ago. Even when rankings remain stable, clicks are often down. That’s not because SEO has stopped working, but because organic listings now compete with far more elements before a user ever scrolls to them.
What a Modern Search Results Page Looks Like
For many commercial and informational queries, the journey now looks something like this:
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Paid Search Ads
Often, multiple sponsored placements are at the very top of the page. -
AI-Generated Answers / Summaries
Search engines increasingly surface direct answers, especially for informational queries. -
Shopping Ads & Product Grids
Particularly prominent in eCommerce, taking up significant visual real estate. -
“People Also Ask” & Rich Features
More expandable results that keep users engaged without clicking through. -
Traditional Organic Listings
Frequently pushed far below the fold, and sometimes functionally equivalent to page two or three in previous years.
In practical terms, a position ranking of 5–10 today does not deliver the same visibility it once did.
Why Rankings Alone Are No Longer the KPI
For years, SEO success was measured primarily by:
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Ranking improvements
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Organic traffic growth
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Page one visibility
Those metrics still matter, but on their own, they no longer tell the full story.
Many brands are now seeing:
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Fewer clicks despite strong rankings
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Lower top-of-funnel organic traffic
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Stable or improving conversion rates from reduced traffic
This isn’t necessarily a failure of SEO. It’s a shift in how users interact with search.
The Real Shift: From “Search Traffic” to “Search Presence”
Search is no longer confined to ten blue links.
Users are:
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Discovering brands through AI summaries
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Comparing products directly within search results
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Entering the journey at different stages across multiple platforms
As a result, brands need to think beyond “How do we rank?” and ask “How visible are we across the entire search experience?
That includes:
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Paid and organic strategy working together
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Content that supports AI-driven discovery
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Clear brand messaging wherever users encounter you
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Coverage across informational, commercial, and transactional search intent
What Smart Brands Are Doing Instead
The strongest performers in 2025/2026 are focusing on:
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Search everywhere, not just Google
Visibility across search engines, platforms, and discovery channels. -
Brand-led SEO
Building recognition so users seek you out by name, not just keywords. -
Content that educates
Supporting users across the full buyer journey, even when clicks don’t come immediately. -
Conversion quality over traffic quantity
Fewer visits, but better-qualified ones.
The Takeaway
Organic search isn’t dead, but the role it plays has changed.
Success in 2026 isn’t about chasing rankings in isolation. It’s about:
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Being present wherever search happens
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Understanding how users consume information before they click
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Measuring impact beyond surface-level traffic numbers
Brands that adapt to this are better positioned for what comes next.
Schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help with your content strategy.