On September 25, Foremost Media hosted a live webinar, “AI Is Changing How People Find Your Business Online.” The session featured Jon Ballard, Foremost Media’s founder and CEO, and Christian Martin Romero, our Digital Marketing Manager. Both shared what they’re seeing firsthand as search and content strategy fundamentally change under the influence of new technology.
The Ground Beneath Search Is Moving
Jon opened with what’s driving the disruption in search results. The short “answer boxes” and AI summaries that appear above traditional listings are cutting into organic traffic. Foremost’s own data shows that when one of those summaries appears, overall clicks can fall about 15%, and for pages that once held the top positions, drops of up to 34% are common.
People are also typing longer and more conversational queries instead of short keywords, asking full questions and often getting the answer immediately on the results page. Businesses can no longer bank on placement alone; visibility now depends on whether their content is good enough to be cited or referenced inside those summaries at all.
What the Numbers Are Saying
Christian described how online behavior has shifted since COVID. Activity spiked during the pandemic, leveled off, and began changing again through Google’s 2024-2025 Helpful Content, E-E-A-T, and Spam updates. In Foremost’s data, informational visits have dropped while conversions continue to rise. People now get many answers directly from search results and tend to click through only when they’re ready to engage or buy.
This alters how success should be measured. Pageviews don’t tell the whole story anymore; meaningful engagement and qualified leads do.
Preparing for the Next Phase of Search
Jon and Christian wrapped up the webinar by reminding everyone that change always brings opportunity. AI is siphoning clicks from the usual search flow, yet the intent behind those searches has not disappeared. People still want genuine explanations and proof they can trust. The voices that keep that front and center will never lose their listeners.
You can catch the full conversation and see what the data reveals about where search is headed, and how to stay in front of it.
Watch the Webinar Replay