The narrative in SEO right now is simple: Google’s AI Mode doesn’t send traffic. If it becomes the default Google Search experience, your website will starve for clicks.
There’s one problem, though: the studies claiming “AI doesn’t send traffic” focus almost entirely on informational queries.
Yes, if someone wants to know what a basal cell carcinoma looks like, AI will kill that click.
But what happens when someone wants to find a dermatologist to check that mole?
No one has shared a study like that yet. So we decided to fix that.
We ran the first UX study focused specifically on transactional intent in AI mode. We watched 52 participants across the U.S. and Canada spend nearly 22 hours searching for high-involvement services.
This is what we learned.
1. 69% of AI Mode users visited a website
When users were tasked with transactional searches (finding a dentist, botox provider, or dermatologist), 69% of AI mode sessions resulted in a click to a website.
In our study, only 27% of users felt “ready to make a decision” based solely on the AI summary (the remaining 4% ended up visiting traditional Google Search and social media profiles to make a decision).
Users use AI Mode to create a consideration set, not to be told what they should do.
2. Being ranked #1 is no longer ‘winner-takes-all’
For 30 years, SEO has been a game where the No. 1 spot claimed most of the rewards.
AI Mode changes the rules of engagement; in our study, 89% of participants clicked on more than one business.
Users are not looking for a single recommendation; they are using AI to create a consideration set. On average, our participants checked 3.7 results per session, with 1 in 10 users checking only one business.
This is a massive paradigm shift.
You no longer need to bleed resources chasing a single top spot. You need to fight to be in the “consideration set” – the top three to five results. If you’re in that set, you have a fighting chance.
Users will still click you, but they’ll likely also click your competitors.
3. 16% of users relied on above-the-fold content to decide
We have been trained to assume that users don’t scroll.
This is not the case with AI Mode users. 84% of our participants scrolled down to view the consideration set.
Because users treat AI results as a curated list rather than a single answer, they’re willing to explore. They dig through the list to find the best fit, not just the first one.
4. Photos don’t matter much (but reviews are everything)
Only 21% of users viewed photos attached to the Google Business Profile. Even for the Botox task, that number only rose to 24%.
So, what actually drives the click? Social proof.
74% of users read reviews on the Google Business Profile before making a decision.
In the AI interface, text carries more weight than images. Your flashy gallery is nice, but your reputation is what earns the click.
The verdict: AI Mode won’t take all of your traffic
Most importantly, AI Mode won’t take the most valuable traffic you have: traffic consisting of people who want to pay you.
AI Mode will require a reframing of the goals of SEO:
- Old goal: Rank #1 or die.
- New goal: Appear in the top 5 (the consideration set) and win the click with superior social proof (reviews).
If your business relies on “how-to” traffic, yes, you should be worried.
However, if you’re a local business or service provider that benefits from local SEO, don’t panic.
The study: 69% of Transactional Searches in AI Mode Drive Traffic
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