SEO in 2026: How I'd Rank in Google in the AI Era

Overview

SEO in 2026 requires visibility beyond Google because AI Overviews and assistants reduce clicks and assemble recommendations from sources across the web. Ahrefs reports that the top-ranking page loses 58% of its clicks when an AI Overview appears, while brand mentions across pages surfaced by AI query fanout correlate more strongly with AI Overview visibility than backlinks, referring domains, or Domain Rating. Traditional SEO still matters for valuable queries AI cannot satisfy, especially searches requiring a tool, transaction, or other action.

Key takeaways

Ahrefs measured a 58% loss in clicks for the number one ranking page when a Google AI Overview appears, up from 35% in an earlier study.
AI discovery is distributed across platforms: Google AI Overviews often cite YouTube, Reddit, and Quora, while ChatGPT and Perplexity tend toward different source types.
AI query fanout turns one broad prompt into multiple specific searches, so earning brand mentions on pages ranking for those subqueries can increase the chance of AI inclusion.
Ahrefs research found branded mentions to have a stronger correlation with Google AI Overview visibility than backlinks, referring domains, or Domain Rating.
Traditional SEO remains valuable for queries that require a tool, service, purchase, or other action because information alone does not fulfill the searcher’s goal.
Use Ahrefs Brand Radar to find AI-cited domains and pages, and keyword filters for terms such as “calculator,” “checker,” and transactional intent to identify opportunities.

Chapters

0:00 AI Overviews Change Clicks and Search Discovery

Ahrefs research found that the number one result loses about 35% of its clicks when an AI Overview appears, rising to 58% in a rerun.
A headphone purchase journey spans Google listicles, Reddit discussions, YouTube reviews, and Amazon reviews, illustrating how people research across platforms.
AI assistants also draw on multiple kinds of sources, and 86% of top cited sources are unique to each assistant.
Google AI Overviews lean on YouTube, Reddit, and Quora, while ChatGPT favors publishers and news outlets and Perplexity often cites niche and regional sites.

2:23 Use Query Fanout and Brand Mentions to Earn AI Citations

AI assistants expand a query such as “best smartphone for photography” into subqueries about camera comparisons, low-light photos, and zoom lenses, then combine results into an answer.
Brands mentioned across pages ranking for these subqueries have a better chance of appearing in the final AI response.
Ahrefs research finds branded mentions correlate more strongly with Google AI Overview visibility than backlinks, referring domains, or Domain Rating.
Ahrefs Brand Radar’s cited domains and cited pages reports can identify relevant sources and pages; filter for terms like “best,” “versus,” “review,” and “alternative,” then pursue product reviews or listicle mentions.

3:54 Target Action-Driven Queries with Traditional SEO

AI Overviews commonly answer informational queries such as “what is a mortgage,” but searches like “backlink checker,” “snow removal service,” and “mortgage calculator” require users to take action.
Before targeting a query, assess whether AI can fully satisfy the searcher; if not, and the query has business value, traditional content, links, and technical SEO remain useful.
Ahrefs’ matching terms report can surface tool-oriented searches by filtering for modifiers such as “calculator,” “checker,” and “generator.”
Transactional keyword filters identify queries from people ready to transact or act, offering another way to find opportunities likely to earn organic clicks.

Summary, takeaways, and chapters were generated by AI from the video's transcript and may contain errors. The video belongs to its creator, Ahrefs.