Quick Summary:
Google has changed how search works. Its new AI Overviews often answer questions right on the search results page, which means fewer people click to your website even if you’re ranked #1. For local businesses like law firms, plumbers, or wedding vendors, this can mean losing 15 to 30% of your website traffic overnight. The fix? AI Search Optimization ensures Google’s AI cites you in its answer box.
On a Wednesday morning in Tyler, Carla, a personal injury lawyer, opened her laptop to check her website analytics.
The chart looked like a ski slope, steady for months, then plunging in early spring.
Her reviews? Still glowing.
Her ads? Still running.
Her rankings? Still #1 for “Tyler truck accident lawyer.”
She called her SEO consultant.
“Nothing’s broken,” he said. “You’re still number one.”
“Then where,” she asked, “did everybody go?”
When the Answer Arrives Before the Question Ends
Carla’s clients hadn’t stopped searching for legal help in East Texas. But in spring 2025, Google changed the way it answered them.
For two decades, search worked like this: you typed in a question, and you got “ten blue links,” each a door you could open. If you were first on the list, you got the most clicks.
Now, with AI Overviews as part of Google’s Search Generative Experience, there’s a new front door. When you ask a question, Google’s AI writes an answer right there on the search results page, pulling pieces from across the web into a tidy, confident-sounding paragraph.
If your business isn’t mentioned in that paragraph, your number-one ranking might as well be on page two.
The numbers are stark:
- Ahrefs found a 34.5% drop in clicks to the top result when an AI Overview appears.
- Other studies show average declines of 15–30%.
- In some niches, especially local service industries like law firms, plumbers, and wedding vendors, the drop is even worse.
East Texas Is a Test Case
Picture someone in Longview searching:
- Best personal injury lawyer in East Texas
- What to do after an 18-wheeler accident in Tyler
- How much is my truck accident case worth in East Texas
Once, those searches meant a click to your website, where your words, photos, and offers could turn interest into a call. Now, many of those answers sit inside Google’s AI box, where your name may never appear.
For small businesses, this is more than a traffic problem. It’s a visibility problem. It’s like showing up to the biggest networking event of the year but being stuck in the hallway outside.
Yet the same AI box that’s taking your clicks can become the most valuable billboard in town — if you can earn a spot inside it.
The New Game: AI Search Optimization for East Texas Businesses
At Bailes + Zindler, we call this shift AI Search Optimization (also known as Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO). It’s not enough to rank anymore. You have to become the trusted source Google’s AI or Bing’s Copilot cites in its summaries.
That means:
1. Knowing When You Appear
Audit your keywords to see if they trigger AI Overviews and whether you’re cited.
2. Writing for the Machine
Structure your content so AI can cleanly extract and showcase it:
- Use clear headings (H2/H3), short paragraphs, and FAQ sections.
- Add FAQPage and LocalBusiness schema to make your services, location, and reviews machine-readable.
- Use definition-style answers and bullet points to make your expertise snippet-friendly.
3. Owning Local Signals
Google’s AI leans heavily on Google Business Profiles, reviews, and consistent citations across local directories. Update your GBP weekly with fresh photos, seasonal offers, and hyperlocal content.
4. Measuring the Right Things
Shift focus from only tracking “rankings” to also tracking:
- AI citation rates
- Brand mentions in AI summaries
- Engagement from AI-sourced visitors
What You Can Do This Week
You can start adapting without a full website rebuild:
- Keep your Google Business Profile fresh.
- Answer client questions in plain language.
- Add hyperlocal details.
- Ensure mobile speed & trust signals.
- Leverage first-party data.
AI Search Optimization — FAQs for East Texas Business Owners
1. What is AI Search Optimization?
Think of it like traditional SEO’s next chapter. Instead of just helping your website show up in Google’s list of links, it makes sure Google’s AI summaries — like in Google SGE or Bing Copilot — pull your business into their answers. The goal: when customers search, the AI mentions you by name.
2. Why does this matter for my business?
Google’s new AI Overviews often answer a customer’s question on the search page itself. That means people may get their answer without clicking your site, even if you’re ranked #1. We’ve seen some local businesses lose 15–30% of their website visitors after this change.
3. How do I know if I’m showing up in these AI answers?
You can run your main keywords through tools like Ahrefs’ Brand Radar or Semrush’s AI toolkit. If your business name pops up in the AI’s answer box, you’re in. If not, you’re invisible to customers using those features.
4. How is this different from regular SEO?
Traditional SEO helps you rank high in the list of blue links. AI Search Optimization helps the AI use you as a source in its written answer. It’s like the difference between having a billboard on the highway vs. being the company the news quotes in a story.
5. How do I start getting into AI search results?
Keep your Google Business Profile fresh — update weekly. Answer common customer questions on your site. Add schema markup so Google knows you’re a local business. Publish local content like articles, updates, and stories about your area.
Why Waiting Is the Worst Strategy
AI search isn’t going away. If you wait until traffic is down 30%, it’s much harder to win it back. The businesses that adapt first will be the ones who appear twice: once in the AI box, and again in traditional results.
The Last Big Search Shift Was a Decade Ago
The last time Google changed its search model this much, the early movers rewrote the rules.
Carla did, too. Two months after she adapted with AI-friendly content, schema markup, and local SEO updates, her traffic chart no longer looked like a ski slope.
It looked like a climb.
Key Takeaway: In the era of AI Overviews and Generative Search, visibility in East Texas isn’t just about rankings — it’s about being the source AI trusts enough to cite.