Mitchell Chokas, RKD's SEO Supervisor, contributed to this blog post.
Remember when search used to be simple?
You’d plug in a few keywords, scroll through a list of blue links and click on the one that looked most promising. Maybe you even clicked on an ad at the top—intentionally or not. But today? Search looks nothing like that.
AI has fundamentally changed the way we search—and how results are served.
Whether you’re looking at organic SEO or paid ads, search has shifted from keyword-based discovery to behavior-based intelligence. And for nonprofit marketers, that means rethinking how you show up on the results page—and how you stay visible in a world where clicks are getting harder to earn.
We’ve seen AI slowly integrate into our daily routines. From Siri and Alexa to Netflix recommendations, AI is now part of how we make decisions—big and small.
And search? It’s no exception.
Search engines, social media and even smart assistants now rely on AI to understand intent, not just input. That shift means people are having more natural, conversational interactions—and expecting quicker answers in return. They want less scrolling, more solving.
This evolution is so widespread that 69% of homes now have a smart device. The future is here—and it talks back.
For the first time in more than a decade, Google’s market share has dropped below 90%.
That’s not just a stat—it’s a signal. Users are exploring new platforms like Microsoft Bing’s AI-powered Copilot and tools like SearchGPT, which combine organic results, paid placements and AI-powered summaries all in one.
These tools prioritize content based on user behavior, data signals and intent—not just keyword density or bid strategy. For nonprofits, that means both paid and organic strategies need to evolve fast.
It used to be easy to draw a line between your SEO and PPC strategies. Not anymore.
Today’s AI algorithms pull from both to make decisions in real time. They analyze:
That means success in one area can impact the other—positively or negatively.
If your landing pages aren’t relevant or your content doesn’t align with user intent, AI will notice. And it might cost you in both paid and organic performance.
Here’s one of the biggest changes that’s hitting nonprofits hard: AI is delivering answers directly on the search results page.
That means fewer people are clicking through to your site—even when your content is excellent.
A recent study found that nearly 60% of searches end in zero clicks. That’s especially true on mobile, where space is limited and AI-generated summaries dominate the top of the page.
The result?
Even worse, AI responses often aggregate content from multiple sites, diluting your brand voice and removing context. The story you want to tell gets reduced to a sentence or two—without your call to action.
AI isn’t just changing organic traffic. It’s transforming paid search too.
Let’s talk about what’s happening behind the scenes:
And while automation can be powerful, it also introduces risk. More competition, less visibility and shrinking impression share means your Google Grant account or paid search budget may not go as far as it used to.
Let’s break it down by channel:
Keyword stuffing is out. Context is in.
Search engines now use natural language processing to understand the meaning behind a search, not just the words. That means you need to create content that reflects:
In 2024, Google added another “E” to E-A-T, making it Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). It’s not just about what you say—it’s about who’s saying it and how much real-world insight they bring.
If you're not already, now’s the time to:
Modern ad platforms thrive on data. So feed them what they need.
Start by ensuring robust conversion tracking. Use Google Tag Manager, enhanced conversions and server-side redundancies to make sure every action is captured—whether it’s a donation form started, a lead form submitted or a key page viewed.
Next, optimize for Performance Max—especially if you’re using Google Grants. These campaigns take advantage of AI’s full range of capabilities, including automated placements across Google properties, dynamic creative and contextual targeting.
And don’t forget your ad extensions:
The more data you provide, the better AI can optimize—and the higher your ads will rank.
The future of search is AI-driven. That’s not a threat. It’s an opportunity.
For nonprofits, this shift is a call to action:
AI is changing the rules of engagement. But with the right strategy, your mission can still rise to the top—clicks or no clicks.
Want help navigating the new search landscape? Let’s talk about what it means for your organization—and how we can adapt your strategy for the AI era.