Business owners who celebrate a No. 1 Google ranking may be missing a more important question: can customers actually see their listing? As Google search results evolve, the top organic link is often pushed below ads, AI-generated overviews, local Map Pack results and related questions, making a No. 1 position a less reliable measure of visibility.
A 2025 analysis by GrowthSRC Media, reported by Search Engine Journal, examined more than 200,000 keywords across 30 websites and found that the top organic result’s click-through rate fell from 28% to 19% after AI Overviews expanded. The analysis found a correlation but did not prove that AI Overviews alone caused the decline.
“Business owners can still be proud of ranking number one,” said David Brown, founder of db Consulting. “But they should also ask what customers see before that listing. If an AI answer, ads and a Map Pack fill the screen first, the ranking report may tell only part of the story.”
Brown recommends that companies experience search the way customers do: search for the service they most want to sell in the city they most want to reach, check the results on a phone, and look for their business in Maps, AI-generated answers and traditional listings. “This isn’t the end of SEO,” Brown said. “It’s the end of pretending one position number tells you whether customers can find you. Customers see the whole page, from AI answers and Maps to traditional listings. Your strategy has to reflect what they actually see.”
Asked whether business owners should panic, Brown offered a more measured view. “My cat Batman doesn’t understand Google’s algorithm. He just steps in front of my screen until I notice him. Honestly, that’s a better visibility strategy than hoping someone scrolls down.”
Brown works with Newsworthy.ai and Encino Labs on local search, Google Maps and AI-powered search, supported by digital PR and technical expertise. He suggests that businesses find out what a customer sees before they reach their website by visiting neo1seo.com to request a free visibility review and see where their business appears across Google Maps, AI-powered results and traditional listings. Then they can decide whether their current visibility is enough.
The takeaway for businesses is that ranking reports alone may no longer capture the full customer journey. As search results become more crowded with features that answer questions directly on the page, companies need to assess their presence across all elements of the results page—not just the position of their website link.
