AI search is rewriting the SEO playbook. Here’s what 494 agencies are doing about it

A year ago, "AI search" barely registered as a topic in agency-client conversations. Today, two in three agencies say it's the #1 service their clients are asking them to add.

That's the sharpest service-category shift across that we’ve seen in the five years we’ve conducted the AgencyAnalytics Marketing Agency Benchmarks Report. In 2026, AEO and SEO for AI-driven search engines beat performance-based paid ads and short-form video content, both of which have been growing steadily for years.

If you've been wondering whether AI search is real or hype, the data is in, and your clients have already decided what they want.

AEO now sits 11 points ahead of paid ads, which is itself a mature, high-demand service.

For agencies, there's a clear opportunity: Clients need help showing up in AI-generated answers, and most don't know where to start. If you can guide that conversation, you're solving a problem they're already struggling with.

Key takeaways

• AEO and SEO for AI-driven search engines have jumped to the top of the list of services clients are asking agencies to add in 2026, edging out mature categories like performance-based paid ads and short-form video.

• Google's AI Overviews and LLM-powered platforms are agencies' biggest industry concerns, as both pull users away from the traditional search results for which SEO was built to rank.

• Agencies are rewriting the playbook on three fronts at once: how SEO is done, how it's measured, and how it's explained to clients.

• AI-driven search is already surfacing as a new business channel, despite not even registering on the survey a year ago.

AI search: The category that came out of nowhere in 2026

Most service categories grow gradually. They show up in one survey at single-digit demand, climb a few points each year, and by the time they hit the top of the list, agencies have had three or four years to prepare for the shift.

AEO went from not being a meaningful category in 2025 to the top of the demand list in 2026. The closest comparison is the rise of social media services in the early 2010s, but even that played out over multiple cycles.

Two reasons explain the speed. 

• Google's AI Overviews now answer many search queries directly at the top of the results page, often without the user needing to click through to any source. SEO professionals call this zero-click search, and it's been growing for years, but AI Overviews accelerated it. 

• LLM-powered platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini have become routine starting points for the same questions that once started in Google. 

Either way, fewer users are clicking through to the websites that traditional SEO is built to rank.

Clients are seeing the impact in their own traffic data, and they're bringing those questions to the agencies they already trust. 64% of agencies now say Google's AI Overviews are their top industry concern. 59% say LLMs and AI search are disrupting traditional SEO. 

The pressure is coming from both directions: Clients are asking about AI search, and the SERPs themselves are changing.

How agencies are rebuilding the SEO playbook

Client demand is one thing. What agencies are doing about it is another matter, and the data shows the playbook is already being rewritten.

Beyond the tactical shifts, agencies are actively educating clients who are only now getting comfortable with traditional SEO.

Agencies face an increasing pressure to stay on top of trends, report, and react to changes within algorithms. Recently, we have been seeing an increase in demand for AI reporting, strategy, and implementation at no additional charge. Educating clients on the difference between SEO and GEO and having them understand the workflow difference has become a challenge.

Lauren Edvalson, CEO, Edvalson Marketing

The ripple effects on search performance

The strategies agencies are pursuing make more sense once you see what's driving them. 59% of agencies report shifting their SEO strategies to compensate for reduced organic visibility. 43% are seeing greater competition for the high-intent traffic that still converts.

The follow-on effects show up everywhere: new challenges measuring ROI as traditional attribution becomes less reliable (41%), increased investment in paid search to maintain visibility (40%), and greater emphasis on bottom-of-funnel conversion pages (34%).

If your clients' organic traffic is down, you're not alone. The question now is how you adapt the strategy and communicate the shift.

AI search is already generating new business for agencies

One stat in the report deserves its own section: 11% of agencies now cite AI-driven search results as a source of new business.

The number is small, but it's brand new. A year ago, the question wasn't even on the survey. The fact that it's already on the board suggests AI search is becoming a viable customer acquisition channel. 

The agencies building content for AI search results right now are positioning themselves to be the answer their clients need.

SEO is here to stay while AI shapes what’s next

While 84% of agencies see SEO as one of their most promising channels for 2026, the playbook is being rewritten in real time. The agencies leading the rewrite are the ones their clients will continue to turn to when the next shift hits.

The work is changing on three fronts at once: how SEO is done, how it's measured, and how it's explained to clients. The agencies that get all three right are the ones that'll spend the next 12 months earning trust.

Want to see the full data? Check out the complete 2026 AgencyAnalytics Marketing Agency Benchmarks Report.

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