AI Overviews are taking Website Visits and Alaska Tourism Sites are Among the Hardest Hit
Key Points
- AI-powered tools like Google’s AI Overviews now provide recommendations directly in search results, bypassing websites entirely.
- Nearly 60% of Google searches end without a click – a trend that continues to grow.
- Tourism-related websites in Alaska have reported traffic drops ranging from 150% to 200%, largely due to AI-driven changes in how users search.
- Website visibility now depends on how well AI can read and recommend your business.
- Five tips to help you get listed in AI Overviews.
AI Overviews are Taking Clicks from Websites
Imagine a tourist looking for a fishing tour in SE Alaska. They type “What is the best fishing tour in SE Alaska” into Google, but instead of a list of websites, they get an AI Overview at the top of the page with the top three recommendations. AI pulls the information from local reviews, web sites, structured content, and business listings. The end result? The tourist picks their tour without ever visiting a website.
What Happened? Google Integrates AI Overviews into Chrome
Google started rolling out AI overviews back in May of 2024. The feature was integrated into the main Google Search and expanded to more users. By April of 2025, 60% of all search queries were being answered by AI overviews. And this number continues to rise.
Alaska Tourism Websites See Massive Traffic Losses
The rise of AI Overviews is diverting visitors away from Alaska tourism websites, leading to significant declines in traffic.
TravelAlaska.com saw a drop of over 200% in traffic (when compared to the previous year) starting in April of 2025. Normally the summer months are a time of traffic increase.
Why Alaska Tourism Website Traffic Is Dropping – It’s Not Just Fewer Tourists
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska’s summer tourism in 2025 has been a “mixed bag,” with declines ranging roughly from 5 to 20 percent depending on the sector. The paper attributes the slowdown to a mix of high travel costs, economic uncertainty, fewer overseas and Canadian visitors, and political tensions. The end result is a more modest dip than many expected rather than a major collapse.
Even assuming the worst-case scenario – a 20% decline in overall tourism – it still doesn’t explain the 150% to 200% drop in website visits we’re seeing across much of the Alaska’s tourism industry.
When it comes to a decline in website visits, the real shift isn’t in how many people are traveling – it’s in how they’re searching. AI Overviews are replacing traditional website clicks, rerouting attention away from local websites and toward AI-generated summaries.
SEO and GEO Works: How Alaska Businesses Are Winning Back Traffic from AI
When we noticed the impact of AI Overviews on our clients’ website traffic, we began working closely with them to adopt a strategy to regain visibility. By combining traditional SEO best practices with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – a new approach designed specifically to help content appear in AI-generated search results – we helped clients recover lost visibility and regain meaningful traffic. These efforts led to measurable, positive gains in traffic and engagement.
One of our tourism clients experienced a steep decline in traffic in April 2025. We quickly implemented a targeted strategy combining traditional SEO and GEO. Within a month their site saw increased search traffic, higher rankings and they even started appearing for entirely new search terms, including AI-generated queries. (Client name withheld for confidentiality due to the competitive nature of SEO in the tourism industry.)
5 Ways Alaska Tourism Companies Can Improve Visibility in AI Search
We realize not everyone has access to an SEO agency with GEO expertise, so we’ve outlined five practical things you can do now to boost your visibility in both search engines and AI Overviews.
- Answer Real Questions Clearly
Make sure your website content uses plain language to address the questions your customers are typing into search pages. Remove any “fluff” or “sales” talk. Be direct and concise when addressing information about your tours and services.
- Use Structured Data and Clear Headings
Implement schema markup and use proper headings within your content. This makes your content machine-readable, improving your chance of being featured. (Note: adding schema can be technical, so you may need help from an SEO agency for this one).
- Collect Reviews on Key Platforms
Encourage reviews on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. AI tools heavily prioritize the number of reviews you have as well as the recency of those reviews. Also, it is important to diversify where you get reviews, so be sure to have a presence on multiple platforms.
- Publish Bite-Sized Q&A Content
Break up your FAQs into short blog posts. Each post should address one specific question, increasing your chances of being pulled into an AI Overview.
- Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Make sure your listing is:
- Verified and claimed
- Updated with hours, services, and photos
- Full of fresh reviews and business categories
The Future of Search and AI
Search engines are evolving faster than ever, and the dust hasn’t even begun to settle. As AI Overviews and large language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude continue to reshape how people find and choose businesses, staying visible means staying proactive.
Whether you’re navigating these changes yourself or partnering with an SEO agency, it’s going to be important to stay informed and adaptable. This isn’t the end of websites or bookings – far from it. In many ways, it’s a new beginning – one that has the potential to level the playing field and give small companies and more agile businesses a real edge. More insights and strategies to come in future posts and videos.
If you need help adapting to these changes, Web 907 is happy to help. Just reach out and let us know more about your needs.
FAQ: AI Search and Alaska Businesses
How can Alaska businesses appear in Google’s AI Overviews?
By creating clear, structured, question-based content and earning fresh, high-quality reviews on trusted platforms.
Is traditional SEO still relevant?
Yes, but it must evolve. Today’s SEO is about being machine-readable and establishing topic-level authority.
Does AI search favor larger companies?
No. AI rewards clarity, relevance, and authority, regardless of business size. Local businesses can absolutely compete.