Insight · SEO & AI searchTOFU

AI answers are changing search. What should Indian brands do?

The short answer

AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini are answering more questions directly. For simple informational queries, fewer people click through. For commercial and complex queries, people still click — and the brands cited in the answer start with an advantage.

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By PMG Growth TeamUpdated How we fact-check

Which queries are most affected

  • Simple definitions — "what is ROAS"
  • Quick facts — dates, figures, conversions
  • General how-to questions with straightforward answers

Which still earn clicks

  • Commercial research — comparisons, pricing, providers
  • Local intent — businesses near me
  • Complex, high-stakes decisions — health, finance, property
  • Tools and calculators that do something for the user
  • Detailed, first-hand content that goes beyond a summary

What to do this quarter

  1. Check where you're cited — ask the engines your buyers' questions.
  2. Fix your entity footprint — consistent details everywhere.
  3. Restructure key pages answer-first with evidence.
  4. Build what summaries can't replace — tools, original data, detailed expertise.
  5. Measure AI referrals and branded search, not just rankings.

The takeaway

Don't panic about lost clicks on simple questions. Invest in being the cited, trusted source for the questions that lead to decisions.

An example

Take a Mumbai dermatology clinic. A search for "what causes melasma" may now be answered directly by an AI Overview, and fewer people click through. But "best dermatologist for melasma in Andheri" still leads to map results, reviews and clinic websites — and the clinic whose doctors wrote clear, reviewed explanations of melasma is more likely to be cited in the answer and trusted when the patient chooses. The informational content didn't lose its value; its job changed from collecting clicks to building credibility.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Deleting informational content because clicks fell
  • Chasing "AI SEO" hacks instead of improving substance
  • Letting business details drift out of sync across directories
  • Ignoring AI referral traffic in analytics

How to check whether AI Overviews affect your traffic

  1. Search Console — compare impressions and clicks for informational queries over time; rising impressions with falling CTR can indicate answers on the results page.
  2. Manual checks — search your top queries and note where AI Overviews appear and which sources they cite.
  3. GA4 — track sessions from AI assistants with a custom channel group.
  4. Conversions — check whether lead and sales pages are affected, not only blog traffic.

Google's new generative AI performance report

Google's July 2026 guidance points site owners to a generative AI performance report in Search Console to see how content performs in AI features on Google Search (source). Use it alongside the standard Performance report: if your pages appear in AI features for queries that used to send clicks, you'll see the shift directly rather than inferring it from falling CTR. Google also warns against third-party tools that promise ranking success in AI features, noting none has access to its internal systems.

What to do next

  • List the questions customers ask before buying
  • Check which sources AI answers cite today
  • Rewrite key pages to answer clearly and specifically
  • Keep business information consistent everywhere

Frequently asked questions

Do AI Overviews reduce website traffic?

For some informational queries they can reduce clicks; commercial and local queries are generally less affected. The impact varies by query type and industry.

Can we opt out of AI Overviews?

Snippet controls such as nosnippet limit what Google can show, but they also limit regular snippets. Most businesses benefit more from being a cited source.

What content is most likely to be cited?

Pages that answer the question directly, cite sources, include specific facts and come from trusted, crawlable sites.

Should brands block AI crawlers?

Blocking can reduce visibility in AI features; weigh content-protection concerns against discovery benefits.

How can Indian brands appear in AI Overviews?

With clear, accurate, well-structured pages, strong authority and consistent information about the business.

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Services behind this

ServiceAEO & GEO (AI Search)Being the source AI answer engines cite — not just a link they ignore.Explore →ServiceSEOTechnical, content and authority work that makes paid acquisition cheaper over time.Explore →ServiceContent MarketingStrategy and production of content that ranks, gets cited and lowers acquisition cost over time.Explore →

Terms used on this page

GlossaryAEOStructuring content so AI assistants and answer features can extract and cite it.Explore →GlossaryGEOBecoming a source generative AI systems trust, cite and recommend.Explore →GlossaryEntityA distinct, identifiable thing — like your brand — that search engines and AI understand.Explore →

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