Search Isn’t Dead

“Search is dead.” 

“SEO is dying.”

“Google Search is terrible now.” 

You've heard the chorus. Every few months, another critique emerges and tries to hammer the final nail into the coffin of search marketing. Claims abound that it’s been swallowed by AI, killed by social, or rendered obsolete by some fresh new platform promising frictionless information.

And yet, while the pundits circle the funeral pyre, Google Search grew by 20%+ in 2024.

Search isn’t dead. Search isn’t dying. It’s just changing. Too many people are mistaking evolution for extinction, and by doing so risk the opportunity to capitalise and adapt.

The Myth of Decline & the Reality of Growth

Let’s deal with the facts first. According to Datos data, Google’s search activity didn’t hold steady last year. It expanded. Google’s CEO says this was largely driven by AI overviews. In a market that was supposedly being eaten alive by generative AI and social-first behaviours, Google searches grew four times faster than ChatGPT.

Even with the rise of AI-powered summaries, zero-click search and zero-click content, search still drives 75% of all referral traffic across the open web. While we are seeing a decrease in click-through-rates from organic results, the idea that users are abandoning search en masse doesn’t hold up under scrutiny, and the numbers are telling an entirely different story to the latest digital marketing guru on LinkedIn who is proclaiming search is dead.

But there’s a reason this myth persists: because what search results look like and how people interact with them is radically changing. And unless your strategy has evolved to meet a new reality, it might feel like search is dead.

Search Has Shifted from Links to Answers

We’re not returning ten blue links anymore. We’re returning AI overviews, featured snippets, “People Also Ask” modules, video embeds, and more. Google results are summarising, aggregating, and in some cases, answering directly - offering users a more personalised experience.

This doesn't kill search, it raises the bar. Content is still rewarded with visibility when it's authoritative, relevant, and contextually rich. Has that ever been a bad thing?

Strategies need to adapt, but some remain true (and with ever more purpose). If your strategy is grounded in EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trust), you’ll do just fine. These are the criteria by which your content is evaluated and surfaced. Whether competing with AI summaries, short-form video, or classic blog posts, these signals make the difference between being seen and being skipped, and offer an opportunity to be plugged into the new experiences.

A New Era

Social platforms and tech companies are introducing new technology to enhance the user experience of their products, and marketing teams are leveraging it in more ways than one.

But what we’re witnessing isn’t a collapse of search. It’s a reckoning. SEO has been gamified for years: flood the internet with keyword-stuffed content, build a few backlinks and win easy rankings. That era is ending and it’s not an entirely bad thing.

What’s replacing it is a more rigorous model of visibility. One where quality, originality, and brand authority are essential. SEO now sits even closer to brand strategy, content design, UX, and PR. After all, it’s a discipline in its own right, not a hack.

Zero-Click Is a Challenge and an Opportunity

Yes, we’re seeing a rise in zero-click searches with users finding the information they need without ever leaving the results page. It’s real, and it’s challenging how we think about value and our approach to search, content and experiences.

But as we covered in our recent article on Zero-Click Search and the Future of SEO, this shift doesn’t mean marketers must panic. It means they must carefully adapt. Stop chasing traffic for its own sake and start optimising for influence on the search engine results page, in the feed, and in the inbox.

The bottom line is that search isn’t just about directing people to your site anymore. The focus should be on shaping how your audience understands and experiences your brand wherever and however they find you online.

What Smart Brands Are Doing Right Now

• Investing in authoritative content that can hold its own in AI summaries, featured snippets, dynamic result pages and social search.

• Doubling down on EEAT by publishing insights backed by lived experience, case studies, expert interviews, and genuine thought leadership.

• Focusing on brand visibility, not just website traffic. Even if someone doesn’t click, they’ve seen you. They remember you. Awareness matters.

• Building content ecosystems. YouTube, email, webinars, whitepapers and diversifying beyond reliance on one channel or format.

Search Isn’t Dead, But Lazy Strategy Is

If you’re still measuring relevance with outdated KPIs, optimising for clicks instead of outcomes, and mistaking volatility for finality, then you might think search is dead. 

Good brands understand that search is still one of the most powerful discovery tools available (especially if you respect what it’s becoming). Good brands are building search strategies designed for a new era.

Search has changed, but so has the audience and their behaviours. And if your brand is serious about being seen, remembered, and trusted, it still begins with being found.

For the last time, search isn’t dead. The real question is: is your strategy?

If you’re rethinking your search strategy and want to stay ahead, get in touch.