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Will AI kill the internet? We don’t think so, and here is why

Jul 31 2025 | Ad Strategy, Insights, Marketing Strategy

Are we witnessing the death of the internet as we know it? Or at least the death of the publisher and therefore advertiser business models that the internet has come to rely upon since the mid-1990s? We don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a wild ride ahead.

Another second of the day, another ‘what could be viewed as a clickbait-heavy’ headline about how AI will change the world as we know it. It seems never-ending. But AI is transforming the advertising world as we know it, and businesses on all sides of the equation must adapt. Not in a few months, but now. The combination of zero-click content and AI overviews are reshaping the way traffic flows through the digital ecosystem, altering the business models that both publishers and advertisers have relied upon for decades.

Let’s go back in time. Do you recall the moment when display advertising first appeared? It was October 1994, and a banner ad appeared on HotWired (now Wired.com) from AT&T. Though no one knew what they were seeing was a banner ad, of course. Back in those heady days of the early internet, this ad was such a novelty that people clicked with gusto (apparently, the first AT&T ad had a 44% CTR). Not only that, they went so far as to share the ads they saw. This monumental moment arose as a result of Wired recognizing an opportunity to monetize its website in the same way print publications did, by literally selling space for ‘banner ads’ and charging advertisers to occupy the placement for a set period. This was a different time indeed from pay-per-click models and CTR averages of around 1.9% we see today.

The first ‘banner ad’, which appeared in 1994 (HotWired / AT&T)

Now we’ve entered a new world order, with zero-click search and AI overviews that provide users with the information they are seeking directly on the search engine results page (SERP), crucially without the need to click through to any external website. According to a March 2025 report from BrightEdge, AI Overviews now appear in over 35% of all U.S. Google desktop searches. No matter what side of the fence you’re on, this is a pretty big change.

On the plus side, if you’re a user, your search is quicker than ever and takes you smoothly to the conclusion or answer you’re seeking. If you’re a publisher, however, you may be currently experiencing an internal crisis with organic search falling off a cliff. If you’re an advertiser, of course, fewer clicks mean dropping revenue.

What’s the scale of the impact? In short, potentially very large. Some websites are reporting drops in traffic (eg, HuffPost, CNN, the New York Post) of around 20% due to Google’s AI Overviews. The industries impacted range from traditional publishers such as news platforms, where the impact seems intense (The Mail Online recently reported a 56% lower CTR on desktop and 48% lower on mobile due to AI overviews) and a recent report warned news sites to expect drops of around 79% of click-throughs due to Google AI Overviews.

Sectors such as fashion, travel, DIY, pets, etc, could all be impacted. It seems that any industry where the journey ‘traditionally’ was from search (research) to website (purchase) could now experience a drop in traffic. In the U.S., AI Overviews appeared in 13.14% of all desktop searches in March 2025, up from 6.49% in January; a 102% surge in just two months.

All of this is bad news for publishers; fewer eyeballs mean fewer clicks and, ultimately, less revenue. Some predictions estimate a potential $2 billion loss in annual ad revenue. And then, there is the impact on advertisers – tried-and-tested channels may no longer offer the returns they would have achieved even three months ago, such is the pace of change.

So, we’re likely to see a shift in advertising strategies as the industry pivots to encounter these shifts. Rather than run helplessly into the void, different tactics can be explored and tested – and testing should, of course, be baked into any strategy. If you don’t test, you don’t win (or fail), and therefore you don’t learn.

Here are some tactical levers to explore:

1. Diversify Your Channel Mix

If organic traffic is no longer a sure bet, you’ll need to rethink your media plan across paid, owned, and earned. Think about where your audience’s attention is shifting, and meet them there. For example:

CTV: the largest screen in the heart of the home offers efficient media planning and buying models, as well as ever-improved measurement solutions for cross-device tracking.

Programmatic: especially in formats that are where customers are, such as Digital Out of Home and Audio.

Paid Search: While its organic results are currently in flux, paid search remains relatively stable. Monitor its performance closely as users shift behaviours.

Social & Influencers: Social isn’t slowing down. especially for creators and Influencers, will still be a way to capture attention; lean into these channels depending on your audience’s needs.

2. Rethink Performance Metrics

Instead of focusing on traditional metrics such as CTR, start to consider KPIs that the new world of LLMs requires, eg.

Share of Model: How often does your brand appear in AI-generated answers or summaries? Is this share growing, shrinking, or remaining the same? This is likely to fluctuate over the short to mid term as the industry continues to change.

Brand Lift & Recall: revisiting brand equity measurement as top of funnel becomes more important.

3. Make Measurement your competitive edge

This may be the moment when holistic measurement solutions, such as Media Mix Models, will truly find their heyday. Why? Many brands are either stuck with measurement frameworks that focus only on attributed outcomes and last-click, or they rely on slow, archaic methods that lack the speed needed to drive impact in today’s fast-moving markets.

Neither suits the pace of change happening currently. Measurement solutions such as M+C Saatchi OneView instead bring clarity and can help brands cut through the noise. How? By combining Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), Attribution, and Incrementality Testing, brands can understand the true incremental impact of their media investment. Now this is available at a speed and granularity that works for both digital and offline channels, as well as Brand & Performance teams.

4. Rethink the funnel

Brand vs. Performance. Now is the time to consider upper funnel tactics if you’re not already doing so, while being ready to pivot quickly. Traditional PR may even have a second coming as LLM search seeks authoritative sources.

5. Adapt SEO for the AI Era

SEO is more critical than ever, but adapting to LLM SEO requires a focused and strategic approach. After all, advertisers need to build on their brand awareness and authority to ensure that they are still featuring in SERPs. Understanding where AI search sources are drawing from is essential to knowing what your future SEO strategy should focus on.

6. Own the Customer Relationship

Mobile – this issue is, of course, not limited to desktop, so a greater focus on mobile and app gets you closer to the customer as they search on the move. ASO has often been overlooked, but could prove critical for many brands looking to stand out in the App Stores.

Email – lean into first-party data, email is not dead. It will become incredibly important to re-engage customers, encouraging them to return to owned assets such as your app or website without relying on search and building Lifetime Value.

Optimize (now) for SERP

What can publishers (and advertisers) do to optimize and ensure they are still visible in this new world of search? Some tactics to investigate for SERP could include:

Featured snippets – generate content that answers common questions, listicles, tables, and FAQs play a critical role.

FAQs – on the subject of FAQ’s, do a deep dive into what common questions or pain points apply to your ideal customers and create content that directly answers them

Local search – keep local business information, such as Google Business Profile, up to date

Multi-media content formats – video and, therefore, YouTube, may become more critical than ever.

Content syndication – identify what other reliable partners and publishers have high-ranking search authority relevant to your business that can become a syndication partner to keep your brand top of mind.

Content and SEO are not dead. Focusing on authoritative, expert-driven content that demonstrates E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness

In Summary

The advertising industry is facing unprecedented change, but this is not the first time, and it most certainly will not be the last. For now, it is essential to measure, measure, measure and test, test, test, as well as consider new KPIs, and place a renewed emphasis on the upper funnel and brand. These changes might be stressful; they certainly will bring challenges, but that is why we’re in the world of advertising.

No day is ever the same as the next, and really, we’re just at the start of this new episode in the wonderful world of advertising.