How to Use Paid Search to Regain Lost Traffic Due to AI

Last year, your site traffic was surging. This year, it’s taken an unexplained dip. You offer the same high-quality services. You sell the same cutting-edge products. You publish the same user-oriented content. So, why are your click-through rates and site visits plummeting?

It’s not your company; it’s the impact of AI-powered search.

AI Overviews and generative search engines are creating a streamlined, zero-click search experience. This is great for consumers who value efficiency, but what about the businesses trying to reach them through Organic Search?

Bolstering your digital marketing strategy with a Paid Ads campaign is one way to thrive in a zero-click world.

To understand how to use Paid Search to regain lost traffic, let’s unpack how generative engines are reshaping Search. Then, we’ll explore how Organic and Paid Search work together. Finally, we’ll discuss why this is a uniquely powerful time to invest in a Paid Ads campaign.

AI Overviews and generative search engines are changing the way people find information and impacting web traffic in two crucial ways:

Query Structure

As search engines become more advanced, so do searches. Conversational questions are replacing short, keyword-driven queries.

SERP Appearance

Instead of providing a ranked list of links, AI-powered search engines deliver easily digestible summaries and tailored responses. These sleek SERPs eliminate the need to click through multiple links to piece together an answer.

For consumers, these changes make search engines more valuable, as they provide quick and relevant information, streamlining the entire search process.

For businesses, a world of zero-click searches means it’s time to modernize their digital marketing strategies.

The first decision companies face when revamping their digital marketing campaigns is whether to invest in Organic Search or Paid Search strategies.

Why choose between the two?

We recommend clients leverage both Organic Search and PPC together, so you can establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry through Organic Search, while capturing quick wins and instant visibility with Paid Search.

Your company earns a first-page ranking on Google, gets cited by an AI Overview, or is recommended by a generative search engine: These are all results of a successful Organic Search campaign.

Here are a few examples of Organic Search strategies, and how they boost visibility and revenue:

These Organic Search strategies boost visibility and traffic, leading to increased revenue. However, achieving these results requires time and consistency.

This digital advertising strategy is like a fast-pass ticket at a theme park. Instead of building a brand’s reputation over time to earn organic traffic, digital marketers pay to display ads on SERPs for relevant queries.

Here’s a brief overview of the Paid Search process:

This marketing channel is cost-effective, measurable, and has an immediate impact. However, it doesn’t contribute to your brand's long-term authority.

Paid Search is like renting an apartment in a prime downtown location. You don’t get to keep the space you’re paying for, but it can have meaningful benefits and support your long-term goals.

When combined, SEO and paid search can help digital marketers build long-term brand authority while boosting search visibility instantly. As soon as you launch a Paid Search campaign, your brand will start appearing for relevant search queries.

Combining Paid Search and Organic Search is like renting an apartment while building your dream home. Your apartment is a flexible, cost-effective place to live in the short term, giving you time to invest in your forever home.

With AI search in mind, Paid Search is especially valuable right now for two key reasons.

Paid ads buy more than just space on a SERP; they also buy your Organic Search strategy valuable time.

AI-powered search engines are rapidly evolving, and digital marketing teams are still discovering how to optimize for this new era of search. Paid Search allows brands to regain and maintain traffic while refining their Organic Search strategies for this new era.

Paid Search helps your website stay competitive and relevant while your Organic Search and GEO strategies build a strong foundation for your brand.

Even if you see Organic Search rankings fluctuate, your brand will still appear at the top of high-intent SERPs via paid ads. Yes, it costs you for every click, but it keeps you from disappearing altogether.

Generative engines may be entirely reshaping the digital marketing landscape, but one thing remains the same: Google and other search engines still love paid ads.

Just like radio, television, and social media platforms have long relied on advertisements to stay profitable and accessible, generative search engines are doing the same.

Google has integrated ads into AI Overviews and AI Mode. Perplexity features paid ads in the form of “Sponsored Follow-Up Questions.” Other generative search engines, like ChatGPT, are rumored to be close behind. Specific campaigns within Google Ads even allow marketers to run ads for AI searches, making paid search even more valuable to both businesses and consumers.

Paid ads are rapidly becoming a valuable piece of the generative search experience, and brands that capitalize on this early will outperform the rest.

Across virtually every industry, brands are seeing their Organic Search rankings fluctuate. In this new AI-powered era, brands must remain agile and adopt innovative strategies to stay competitive.

Contact VELOX to learn about our approach to Organic Search and GEO, along with our award-winning Paid Media services.