For a long time, a helpful blog post could be the start of a customer relationship: Someone searches Google for a solution, lands on your website and discovers what you offer. With AI answers appearing above the search results, this path is becoming less straightforward.
If Google already answers the question in the search results, there may be no reason to visit your website. The information gets through, but the connection with your business is never made.
For self-employed professionals and businesses, this raises a practical question: How do we reach potential customers when helpful answers lead to fewer clicks?
I see two approaches that complement each other well: videos that show your expertise and how you work, and small web tools that help people complete a specific task.
Why AI Overviews are changing the path to a customer enquiry
AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries in Google Search. They can answer questions directly and include links to sources with more information. However, people who are satisfied with the summary may not need to visit those sources.
A study by the Pew Research Center illustrates this: Among the Google searches with an AI summary that were analysed, users clicked on a traditional search result in 8 per cent of visits. Without a summary, the figure was 15 per cent. The study was based on browsing data from 900 adults in the US in March 2025. This is not a forecast for your website, nor does it establish causation on its own. It does, however, show a relevant difference in observed clicking behaviour.
For your customer acquisition, this means that a good ranking can still be valuable. You should also consider what specific reason someone has to visit your website or remember you.
Videos show how you solve problems
If I want to understand a repair, an explanation helps. If I can see which component is involved and how a particular step is carried out, a video may be more useful.
The same principle applies to consulting, services and products. You can show how you work, what you pay attention to and why you make a particular decision.
For example:
- A trades business uses a component to show how to recognise wear and when a repair might make sense.
- A consultant uses an anonymised case to explain what information she was missing when making a decision.
- A software provider demonstrates a typical workflow and shows where its product saves time.
Videos like these give people an opportunity to get to know your expertise and your personality. Especially when it comes to services, this can help them imagine working with you.
You can share them on YouTube, LinkedIn or other suitable channels to create additional points of contact beyond Google Search. This does not have to lead to an immediate website visit. Someone might remember your name and only approach you later with a specific enquiry.
Video content can also be analysed and summarised by AI. In my view, its particular value therefore lies in showing your work in practice: your demonstration, your experience and your personal perspective.
To get started, take a question that customers regularly ask you and answer it using a concrete example. Include something that is worth seeing.
Web tools help customers complete a task
A second option is to add small applications to your website: calculators, configurators or interactive decision aids.
An article can explain which factors influence a project budget. A suitable calculator lets potential customers enter their requirements and gives them an initial estimate based on your services and prices.
You do not need a large software platform for this. A single, clearly defined function is often enough.
| Business | Possible application | Benefit for potential customers |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | Project configurator with its own service packages | Estimate the scope and a rough budget range |
| Specialist retailer | Product selection tool with verified compatibility data | Find suitable components |
| Service provider | Quote request tool that collects the information actually needed | Submit a complete, relevant enquiry |
The ideas should come from real conversations with customers: What information do you ask for repeatedly? What do you regularly calculate? Which decisions do potential customers often need help with?
AI can help with the design and development of these applications. Whether they become useful tools, however, depends above all on your expertise, the quality of the data and how easy they are to use. Even a small calculator needs verified results and transparent assumptions.
What a tool should offer beyond an AI answer
A tool is not automatically protected from AI competition. Google itself announced in May 2026 that interactive tools, simulations and custom-built mini-apps would be coming directly to Search.
I would therefore focus particularly on applications that offer something of your own:
- up-to-date prices or availability from your business,
- verified industry-specific data and calculations,
- results that can be saved, exported or worked on further,
- a direct link to a relevant offer or booking.
A generic calculator is easily replaced. A tool that works reliably with your product range or services gives people a more specific reason to visit.
This does not guarantee that Google or other AI platforms will automatically link to it. The tool needs to offer a clear benefit, and people need to hear about it, for example through relevant articles, videos and existing customer relationships.
How this can lead to a customer enquiry
Website visits, video views and tool usage are initially points of contact with what you offer. To turn them into enquiries, the next step should match the person’s needs.
After a video about common planning mistakes, that might be a project discussion. After a product selection, an enquiry about the chosen components. After a budget calculator, a quote that already takes the requirements entered into account.
Wherever possible, I would make the core functionality available without requiring registration first. Getting in touch then becomes appealing when someone wants support with the next step.
This creates a natural progression: People experience how you help them and can then approach you with a specific request.
The continuing role of blog posts
Helpful written content remains part of this strategy. It explains the context, documents experiences and makes it clear who an offer or tool is suitable for. Google also confirms that its fundamental SEO recommendations remain relevant to its AI search features.
It therefore makes sense to cover a topic in several formats: In a video, you show a use case. In an article, you explain the background and limitations. A complementary tool helps people apply it to their own situation.
If you first want to check whether your existing content is affected, Achtung.app has a guide to assessing traffic losses caused by AI Overviews.
Just get started
Choose a common customer question that is closely related to what you offer. Then consider:
- What can you demonstrate clearly? That could become your first video.
- What recurring task lies behind it? A small tool might be worthwhile.
- What next step would help potential customers move forward? Connect the result to a suitable way of getting in touch.
- How will you know whether it is useful? Alongside views and visits, look at actual usage and the quality of the enquiries.
You do not need to create an entire video series or a comprehensive web app straight away. One specific topic is enough to find out what resonates with your target audience.
Which question do you answer for your customers time and again — and could you turn it into a helpful demonstration or a small tool?
If you have an idea for a calculator, a configurator or another web application, send me a quick note explaining the task it should solve.
