How to maximise website traffic from AI searches

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way people use search engines to find out about all kinds of organisations, including charities. The technology gives people detailed answers to their search queries rather than just signposting website links where the answers are available.

 

But AI searches are not without controversy, due to concerns about the accuracy of information given and its impact on website traffic. There are concerns that without visiting charities’ websites directly, users won’t find the support they need. Evidence emerged during 2025 that charities are adapting to this change in searching trends quicker than many other sectors.

 

But there is still plenty more that charities can do to ensure they are still being found through AI searches.

 

 

How AI has changed search engines

 

Among this new breed of AI-powered online search tool is Google AI Mode, which was rolled out by the search engine in the UK from summer 2025.

 

This has not replaced Google’s traditional online search offering a list of website links but instead offers an alternative, answering users’ queries while staying on the Google platform.

 

Through AI Mode people are given an answer to their query in a more conversational style, based on information found online. Google AI Mode is powered by the Gemini AI platform and was launched in the US and India ahead of its UK introductions.

 

Similarly, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT are offering users answers to their queries instead of a list of links But there are concerns over accuracy of information given through these more detailed AI answers.

 

Another tool that has been rolled out in the UK by Google is AI Overviews. These are AI generated summaries that appear at the top of search results and a list of links to websites.

 

Google Overview’s own description of itself says it is a “helpful starting point” but acknowledges results can be marred by “accuracy concerns” as well as the potential to reduce website traffic.

 

 

How does AI search impact web traffic?

 

Research released in summer 2025 found that charities have seen a drop in organic growth in website traffic since the rise of AI powered searches, most notably those deployed by Google.

 

The sector has not been as badly impacted as other industries, however. The research, carried out by digital marketing and PR agency Tank, looked at website traffic among 800 organisations across 16 different sectors. They found that the average monthly growth for charities fell from 15% in 2024 to 12.5% in 2025.

 

While significant, Tank points out that across all industries the drop has been considerably steeper over the same period, from 26.3% to just 3.7%.

 

 

How to ensure AI search finds you

 

Tank’s Head of Digital, Martin Harris, says the figures show that charities have “already shown a resilience” in keeping up with the shift to AI searching. “But there’s more to be done if we’re to keep traffic growing and donations flowing,” he adds.

 

He urges charities to put in place a strategy that ensures their websites are getting found by search engines and those powered by AI. AI searching should be seen as a positive in terms of the quality of engagement it can produce, adds Harris.

 

“The silver lining of the shift to AI search is that those who do land on your website are likely to be more interested in the organisation than casual browsers."

 

How can charities get found through AI searching? Here are some simple strategies to ensure charities can be discovered online by those using AI search tools.

 

 

Focus on brand mentions

 

Under more traditional online searches, backlinks were vital to search engine optimisation (SEO). This has changed under AI, which is more focused on brand mentions that its sophisticated language models can find and link across multiple sources.

 

Charities are urged to ensure their brand name appears in content that is linked back to them and gets featured in other websites, blogs and platforms. They should also ensure their brand name is in social media posts, video descriptions, and on image files before they are uploaded.

 

 

Ask questions within content

 

Question-based queries are a key form of searching using AI. Think of the questions those looking for your content want answers to and make sure they are within the content. AI is looking for direct answers so will search out where the question has been asked already online.

 

Charities are urged to ask and answer questions within content online rather than as an afterthought through an FAQ section.  

 

 

Use rich snippets

 

AI search tools love so-called rich snippets, where the answers to queries are clearly displayed using numbered lists, star ratings, bullet points, and bold text. These can also involve a Q&A format, which also ensures searchers’ questions are prominent in content.