What actually changed?
SparkToro and Similarweb data published in June 2026 shows that 68% of US Google searches ended without any click in the first four months of the year, up from 60% in 2024. AI summaries already appear on more than 20% of searches, and when they do, click-through drops by almost 60%, according to Ahrefs.
Google says AI Mode, its conversational search, has passed one billion monthly users. As a share of total search volume it is still small, but it is growing every quarter.
In business terms: a patient searching “how much does a dental implant cost in Cluj” gets the answer without visiting any website. If your name isn’t in that answer, you don’t exist in their decision.
Does SEO still matter?
Yes — just not as a traffic machine. AI assistants build their answers from what they find well indexed and credible. Your website becomes raw material for the answer, not the final destination. Some searches still send people straight to your site: branded searches, local searches and high-intent purchase queries. That is where you build.
How do you become the answer AI gives?
- Answer the questions customers really ask, directly, on your site: indicative price, duration, steps, risks, who performs the procedure. One question, one clear answer, in the first paragraph.
- Show verifiable proof: the specialist’s name, years of experience, number of cases, certifications, real photos. AI prefers claims it can support.
- Keep the same information everywhere: website, Google Business Profile, social profiles, directories. Name, address, phone, services — identical.
- Collect reviews that describe the experience in detail, not just “great, recommended”.
- Publish video on YouTube. It is one of the sources answers are built from, and people increasingly search there directly.
What do you measure instead of traffic?
Traffic was always a convenient metric, not a business one. We track three things: branded search volume, the number of qualified calls and enquiries, and what people answer to “How did you hear about us?”. Add “ChatGPT / AI assistant” as an option on your form and at reception. Within a few months you’ll see a channel you aren’t measuring at all today.
My take
I don’t think AI kills good marketing. It kills lazy marketing: articles written for keywords with nothing to say. The winners are the ones with something to show — real experience, documented results, a name that recommends itself.
And I tell every founder I work with the same thing: acquisition channels are rented, they change and they get more expensive. Your contact database and your reputation are the only assets you truly own. Invest in them before the next campaign.