Should You Stop Paid Search for AI Optimization?

Right off the bat, people are getting answers without clicking, right? We are in a no-click era.

68% of U.S. Google searches ended without a click in early 2026.

So we know that only has grown as we're rounding out 2026.

AI overviews show up on more than 20% of searches.

And when they do, clicks drop by nearly 60%, which is huge.

And then people are asking AI who to call, right? The share of consumers that are using AI to find a local business went from 6% to 45% in one year.

But very much, again, they're very location-driven in where they are at.

The way that consumers search, some AI is being used more than others, right? Yes.

And then AI is now the third most used way to find a local business behind Google and Facebook.

It goes Google, then it goes Facebook, and then it is AI when it's about finding a local business.

Yes.

Does that surprise you at all? No, because that's what I do.

And I think that's what my extended family does.

Most of them are using ChatGPT.

I use Google still, but we'll go through the AI overview answers.

And I use Claude, obviously.

That's our AI of choice here at FDS.

But I use Claude to look up information or to ask about who to recommend for this service I wanted to see a dermatologist for.

And I was like, what dermatologist specializes in this condition? And so it doesn't surprise me at all.

I think people are doing that.

What I want our listeners to realize is that what we're talking about where it's really affecting search more than ever before has a lot to do with mapping and locations.

Okay.

So there are so many different levels like what you're talking about with Claude and the research you're doing.

You weren't asking specifically where's my dermatologist to go to? You were doing your research.

So take that aside and let's just talk about location.

Right off the bat, people are getting answers without clicking, right? We are in a no-click era.

68% of U.S. Google searches ended without a click in early 2026.

So we know that only has grown as we're rounding out 2026.

AI overviews show up on more than 20% of searches.

And when they do, clicks drop by nearly 60%, which is huge.

And then people are asking AI who to call, right? The share of consumers that are using AI to find a local business went from 6% to 45% in one year.

But very much, again, they're very location-driven in where they are at.

The way that consumers search, some AI is being used more than others, right? Yes.

And then AI is now the third most used way to find a local business behind Google and Facebook.

It goes Google, then it goes Facebook, and then it is AI when it's about finding a local business.

Yes.

Does that surprise you at all? No, because that's what I do.

And I think that's what my extended family does.

Most of them are using ChatGPT.

I use Google still, but we'll go through the AI overview answers.

And I use Claude, obviously.

That's our AI of choice here at FDS.

But I use Claude to look up information or to ask about who to recommend for this service I wanted to see a dermatologist for.

And I was like, what dermatologist specializes in this condition? And so it doesn't surprise me at all.

I think people are doing that.

What I want our listeners to realize is that what we're talking about where it's really affecting search more than ever before has a lot to do with mapping and locations.

Okay.

So there are so many different levels like what you're talking about with Claude and the research you're doing.

You weren't asking specifically where's my dermatologist to go to? You were doing your research.

So take that aside and let's just talk about location.