Search is in the middle of a meaningful shift—and for most builder marketing teams, it doesn’t feel dramatic so much as… confusing.

Traffic doesn’t behave the way it used to. Rankings don’t guarantee clicks. And more often than not, buyers are getting answers without ever visiting a website. 

Between Google’s AI Overviews, featured snippets, map packs, and tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, search has become less about ten blue links and more about visibility, credibility, and trust.

This doesn’t mean SEO is dead. It means the work has changed—and it’s harder to see immediate wins.

Why This Feels So Challenging for Builder Teams

Most builders aren’t doing anything “wrong”. The reality is:

• The levers that matter now aren’t flashy.
  
  
• Progress can be slow and incremental. (SEO is a marathon after all, not a sprint!)
  
  
• Many of the most impactful improvements happen under the hood and are not exactly sexy.
  

Improving site performance, cleaning up technical debt, structuring content properly, maintaining consistency across devices, and investing in brand perception don’t always feel urgent compared to launching a new campaign or opening a new community. 

But these are exactly the areas today’s search platforms reward.

And increasingly, they determine whether your brand shows up at all.

From Rankings to Visibility (and Trust)

Traditional SEO focused heavily on rankings and traffic. Today, the goal is broader: being present where buyers are asking questions—even when they don’t click.

I know, I know, the decreasing clicks are not easy to swallow. But, it’s the reality we’re finding ourselves in, and it’s time to adapt and buckle down where we can make the most impact.

AI-driven search experiences pull from trusted sources to generate answers. That trust is built over time through:

• Fast, stable websites (Core Web Vitals definitely still matter)
  
  
• Clear, well-structured content that answers real questions
  
  
• Strong brand signals across your site and ecosystem
  
  
• Consistent user experience on desktop and mobile
  

Large language models like ChatGPT don’t “rank” websites in the traditional sense, but they reference and summarize information they consider reliable. 

Builders who invest in clarity, structure, and performance are better positioned to be part of those answers.

What Builders Can Actually Control

The good news: while the landscape is changing, much of what works today is within your control.

Builders seeing progress are focusing on:

• Reducing page load times and layout shifts
  
  
• Making sure key pages are properly indexed and maintained
  
  
• Structuring content so it’s easy for both users and machines to understand
  
  
• Investing in Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in all content (both existing and new)
  
  
• Measuring engagement signals, not just sessions
  
  
• Treating SEO, site performance, and UX as connected—not separate—efforts
  

Learning from What’s Working Right Now

At the Builders’ Show this February, Dennis O’Neil will break this down in a practical, builder-focused session:
“The New Search Landscape: 5 Moves to Outrank & Outperform in a Zero-Click World”

Two builders–one large, multi-market and one regional—will join the conversation to share what’s actually working, what isn’t, and where they’re seeing real ROI. 

The focus isn’t on fear or hype. It’s on understanding the shift and making smart, sustainable moves forward.

If you’re responsible for your website, your leads, or your long-term visibility, this is a session worth your time. Search may be evolving, but builders who stay thoughtful, methodical, and focused on the fundamentals will continue to win - even in a zero-click world. 

The program is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th from 10am-11am EST, W307B. Learn more about the session and don’t miss these insights!