What Google 2025 search changes mean for your website (and why Growth by Design is your safety net)
Search has changed, and it’s hurting businesses that aren’t ready
You might not have noticed it, but the way your customers find you online is no longer what it was a year ago. Behind the scenes, Google has undergone a complete transformation of its search engine, and these changes are catching many businesses off guard.
Many are finding that traffic is down, leads have slowed, and the strategies for Google search results that worked last year just don’t cut it anymore. If your website isn’t being seen, it’s not working.
At Growth by Design, we’ve observed these trends before. However, the shift in 2025 is unprecedented. It’s larger, faster, and more disruptive than anything we’ve seen in over a decade.
We’re here to provide you with a clear understanding of what’s happening, its implications for your business, and, most importantly, how we can help you stay ahead while others struggle to keep up.
What’s changed with Google searches in 2025 and why it matters to you
AI mode is replacing traditional search
In May 2025, Google launched a powerful new system called AI Mode. Instead of typing in keywords and choosing a link, users can now ask questions in natural language, upload photos, or use their voice to start a conversation with Google.
This is powered by Gemini 2.5, a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence engine that breaks complex queries into subtasks and delivers fast, detailed summaries right on the search page.
The pain point: Your business can no longer rely on being the top blue link, whether you’ve paid for the position or not! AI Mode pushes traditional website listings further down the results page, often below detailed, summarised answers created by Google itself.
How we overcome it: At Growth by Design, we develop content that doesn’t just sit on your website. It’s structured, formatted, and written in a way that AI Mode can recognise, use, and highlight in its summaries. This means it is your content driving the answers which are appearing at the top of the search results. This is the new strategy for increasing your visibility and getting more traffic, even in an AI-first search world.
The rise of AI overviews and the collapse in clicks
AI Overviews are now Google’s default response to many search results. Instead of displaying a list of websites, it provides a concise, detailed answer compiled from multiple sources.
It’s fast and convenient for users (although authority and accuracy are still key concerns). But for website owners? It’s been a disaster.
- CNN’s traffic has dropped by 28%.
- Forbes and HuffPost have reported drops of over 40%.
- Business Insider is down 55% year-over-year.
Reported by the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/google-ai-news-publishers-7e687141
It is not just the big names. Small businesses, blogs, and e-commerce stores are all seeing the same pattern: fewer impressions, fewer clicks, and fewer customers.
A study revealed that click-through rates on Google results dropped from 7.3% to just 2.6% in the space of a year.
The pain point: Your site may still rank well, but if users aren’t clicking through, it is as if you were invisible.
How we overcome it: We don’t just help you rank. We help you get clicked. That means optimising your content to appear in AI Overviews, crafting engaging snippets, and ensuring your website earns attention in a crowded digital space. From layout to messaging, we engineer your site to be part of the new search experience.
Google’s June 2025 core update: reinforcing quality over quantity
Google released its latest core update on 30 June 2025, and it’s already making waves. These updates target how search results are ranked and who gets seen, and this one is aimed at low-value content.
The message from Google is clear: the focus is now on helpful, experience-driven content that aligns with their E-E-A-T standards:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
The pain point: If your content is generic, outdated, or untrustworthy, you will fall behind in rankings, and it will happen quickly. Many businesses are watching their hard-earned visibility vanish overnight.
How do we tackle it? We meticulously audit and rewrite your content to meet Google’s highest standards. This means showcasing your expertise, using clear examples, and offering genuine insights, not just generic marketing fluff. Every word we craft for your site serves a purpose: to educate, engage, and improve your site’s ranking.
Paid ads are evolving, too, and you can’t afford to ignore it
AI Mode isn’t just affecting organic listings. Google Ads are changing shape as well.
- Ads now appear inside AI Overviews.
- Performance Max and AI Max tools automatically adjust ads based on user intent and behaviour (see the FAQs below for more details). Performance Max Ads have previously shown dubious results since their introduction, but the latest changes may be made to encourage people to move to the AI-focused Performance Max campaigns.
- Early adopters are experiencing conversion boosts of up to 14%.
Source: https://www.openxcell.com/ai-news/google-expands-ads-in-ai-overviews/
The pain point: Businesses that rely on traditional PPC campaigns are losing ground. If your ad doesn’t adapt, it gets ignored.
Since April 2025, Google has quietly allowed ‘double-serving’, letting one advertiser secure multiple ads on the same search results page through separate auctions. That means deep-pocketed brands can dominate ad spaces, forcing smaller businesses lower or even off the page entirely, often at significantly higher cost per click.
Source: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/google-ads-unfair-advantage-update
How we overcome it: Our advertising team builds intelligent campaigns that work with Google’s AI, not against it. We write ad copy that matches search intent, design landing pages that convert, and track performance to maximise every pound of your budget. With Google now allowing multiple ads from the same company on a single page, we’re more selective with bidding strategies, focusing on placements that deliver real value. In some cases, spend must increase just to stay visible, as lower bids risk your ads showing only on low-converting Search Partners.
It’s not just Google: competition and regulation are heating up
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Google’s dominance in the search and ad space.
By the end of 2025, we could see new rules on how rankings work, how ads are placed, and how data is collected.
Source: https://searchengineland.com/google-uk-ai-search-advertising-practices-457458
At the same time, new platforms are emerging. Perplexity, an AI-driven search engine, processed 780 million queries in May 2025 alone. OpenAI’s ChatGPT now features real-time search capabilities, providing a more conversational and ad-free experience.
Source: https://www.adweek.com/media/google-ai-search-ad-business-openai-perplexity/
The pain point: Attention is no longer limited to Google. If your digital strategy is too narrow, you’ll miss out on where your customers are looking.
How we overcome it: We future-proof your digital presence. That means diversifying traffic sources, optimising for Google while preparing for what comes next, and keeping you informed in a shifting market.
What makes Growth by Design different
Lots of agencies say they understand SEO, and plenty make big promises when it comes to search ads. Many agencies are now reacting to these changes and adapting their strategies to keep pace (some are moving more rapidly than others). However, do you want your strategy to be reactive or proactive?
Take, for example, if you work in a highly regulated industry, is it best to be ahead of the changes or wait until something comes into force and then figure out what to do about it?
It will undoubtedly be the former, and we take the same approach in the marketing of small and medium-sized businesses.
Through strategy, content, design, and advertising, we are not solely focused on rankings but prioritise building reputations and results.
Every piece of work we do is built to deliver measurable outcomes: more traffic, more leads, and a higher return on your investment.
- We write human-first, AI-optimised content by actual professionals.
- We tailor your advertising to align with your goals, your budget, and your audience.
- We keep you informed and in control, with complete transparency and plain-language reporting.
Final thought: if you are feeling the pain, you are not alone
We’ve spoken with dozens of business owners over the past three months, and they all describe the same thing: their traffic is down, their phones have gone quieter, and they’re unsure what changed.
What changed was Google and what you need now is a Google search strategy that doesn’t just keep up, but puts you ahead.
We’re here for that.
Talk to us
Whether your website performance has taken a sudden dip or you are just unsure how the latest Google changes are affecting your visibility, we are here to help.
Book a complimentary 90-minute Marketing or Website Review with one of our expert team members and find out exactly where your opportunities lie.
If your business is not standing out, or you are struggling to communicate why someone should choose you over the competition, this session will give you clarity and direction.
You will walk away with:
- A clear understanding of how the 2025 search changes are impacting your business
- Practical, tailored recommendations to improve your visibility, credibility and lead generation
- Strategic insights into your website, content and advertising performance.
There’s no catch, just real, honest advice from a team that has helped hundreds of businesses get found and grow.
Call us on 01444 810530, book direct into our diary here: https://calendly.com/henrylaker
Let’s ensure your marketing is working as effectively as it should, and let’s make your website work as hard as you do.
FAQs
- What is Google’s AI Mode, and when did it launch?
Google’s AI Mode is a conversational search interface powered by Gemini 2.5. It launched in the U.S. in May 2025, and it is currently in the process of being rolled out in the UK. It ‘should’ be live by the end of September, but dates could change. It lets users ask complex, follow-up, or image-based questions that generate AI-curated summaries instead of traditional blue links. There is no confirmed date for it coming to the UK, but we have our suspicions it will be coming here soon!
- How do AI Overviews impact website traffic?
AI Overviews significantly reduce click-through rates. Studies show that CTRs dropped from 7.3% to 2.6% over 12 months. Major publishers, such as Forbes and Business Insider, have lost over 40% of their organic traffic due to AI summaries pushing traditional results down the page.
- What was the Google June 2025 Core Update?
The June 2025 Core Update began rolling out on June 30 and is expected to take three weeks. It focuses on rewarding helpful, people-first content and penalising low-value or overly automated material.
- How can I recover from a core update ranking drop?
Recovery requires reviewing your content for expertise, originality, and user intent. Google advises improving quality over time rather than relying on quick technical fixes.
- Are ads now shown inside AI-generated answers?
Yes. Google has started placing contextual ads within AI Overviews and its AI Mode. Advertisers using Performance Max with strong alignment to search intent are seeing higher conversions.
- Which publishers were most affected by AI search in 2025?
In the US, sites like Business Insider (–55%), Forbes, and HuffPost (–40%), as well as CNN (–28%), experienced sharp traffic drops following the rollout of AI Overviews. This gives a flavour of what could happen when it comes to the UK.
- What is Google’s Performance Max with AI Max?
Performance Max is Google’s automated ad campaign type, and the AI Max layer introduced in 2025 uses large language models to enhance targeting, creative, and landing page relevance.
- How do I optimise my content for AI Overviews?
Use clear headings, bullet points, FAQs, and strong E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Ensure your site answers user queries thoroughly and naturally.
- What’s the role of E-E-A-T in 2025’s search rankings?
E-E-A-T remains vital. Google continues to prioritise websites with demonstrable experience, original insights, and trusted authorship in its ranking algorithm, especially post-core updates.
- What is the UK CMA’s involvement with Google Search?
In 2025, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is evaluating whether Google qualifies for “strategic market status,” potentially leading to tighter regulations on ad transparency, ranking fairness, and platform dominance. Watch this space for more updates!
- What is the impact of AI bots on content ownership?
AI tools scrape massive amounts of data from websites to train models. In response, companies like Cloudflare now block AI crawlers unless publishers explicitly opt in to protect their intellectual property. We will be sharing more about this shortly!
- What is the difference between AI Mode and traditional Google Search?
AI Mode provides summarised, conversational responses drawn from multiple sources, while traditional search presents a list of links. AI Mode can also include images, videos, and follow-up questions in the same flow.
- How are Google’s AI changes affecting SEO strategy in 2025?
SEO has shifted from keyword-stuffing toward structured, informative content that answers user intent. Content must now perform well in both traditional search and AI-generated summaries to remain visible and relevant.
- How is Growth by Design helping clients adapt to AI search?
Growth by Design delivers human-written, SEO-structured content that is built for both users and AI. We ensure all pages are discoverable, valuable, and aligned to new AI-first search behaviours.
- Can my website still appear in AI Overviews?
Yes, but it must rank well and provide clear, structured answers to common questions. Featuring expert-authored, data-backed content improves the chances of inclusion in AI summaries.
- Are Google Ads still relevant in the age of AI search?
Absolutely. Ads now appear directly within AI Overviews, and Google’s 2025 tools, such as AI Max, help advertisers match user intent more effectively, resulting in up to a 14% increase in conversions.
- What is Perplexity, and why is it a threat to Google?
Perplexity AI is a growing AI-native search engine and direct competitor to Google. In May 2025, it served 780 million queries and is backed by a growing user base that prefers direct answers over traditional search.
- How can I tell if my traffic loss is due to AI changes?
Look for sharp drops in impressions and clicks without corresponding technical issues. If rankings remain but traffic declines, it may be due to AI Overviews intercepting clicks.
- Will AI eventually replace traditional SEO?
Not entirely, but it is reshaping it. The best SEO strategies now involve a hybrid approach: optimising for human readers while structuring content to be easily digested by AI systems.
- What kind of content should I be creating in 2025?
Focus on original thought leadership, comprehensive how-tos, and high-value FAQ content. Avoid AI-sounding filler and invest in rich media, expert citations, and page experiences that prioritise the reader.