The New Analytics Era: What Do Analytics Look Like Now and Into the Future

Let’s not sugar-coat it: the digital landscape is shifting. If you’ve been watching your web traffic with one eye half-closed, wondering why clicks are down, you’re not alone.
 
Many in hospitality are noticing the same trend of lower Click-Through Rates (CTR), but a noticeable uptick in referral traffic is occurring. It might look like a warning sign at first, but it’s not. It’s a powerful insight into what’s changing. More importantly, it’s a clue on how to move forward with confidence.
 
What if the drop in clicks isn’t a failure but a shift in where digital trust is being built?

SEO is still the foundation of any scalable digital strategy. Think of it as your hotel’s infrastructure—solid, invisible, but essential. It ensures your business is discoverable, understandable, and usable. It’s no longer the only thing that matters. We’re entering a new era where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is rising.
 
What is GEO? It’s the practice of optimising your content and online presence specifically to be featured, cited, or directly included within the AI-generated summaries and answers provided by tools like Google’s AI Overviews and conversational platforms like Perplexity.

While SEO focuses on ranking your website within search results to drive clicks, GEO aims to position your information as accurate and authoritative enough to be embedded directly into the AI’s response. Instead of just earning a visit, GEO ensures your content becomes part of the answer itself. This shift is critical as users increasingly rely on AI-generated summaries, often bypassing traditional search listings altogether.
 
Now, let’s dig into what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how to use this shift to your advantage.

We’re in the middle of a search revolution and AI isn’t just knocking, it’s kicking the door down. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are reshaping how information is surfaced. In many cases, users are getting answers straight from search summaries even without the click.
 
Traffic from AI tools has doubled in recent months. Yes, it’s still a sliver of the pie, but that sliver is growing and fast. If you’re not thinking about how your brand shows up in AI-powered, conversational search, you’re already a step behind. When those tools reference your hotel, that traffic is attributed to referrals, not clicks.

Google remains dominant with over 91% of global search market share. For the hospitality industry, it’s still where most “book direct” and “spa near me” queries begin.
 
But with Google’s AI Overviews, users are often served the answer before they even click through. In fact, data from Ahrefs shows a 34.5% drop in clicks to top-ranking pages when an AI Overview appears. That’s a huge shift for hotels relying on top-ranking pages for direct bookings.
 
You can rank and still get ghosted. Ouch.
 
This shift reduces organic traffic from traditional SEO but opens the door to a more distributed model of discovery. The new challenge? Make sure your brand and content are structured for AI visibility—clearly cited, schema-optimised, and context-rich—so you’re included in those summaries. Your brand is no longer confined to a single ranking—it’s part of a wider conversation.

Enter GEO—Generative Engine Optimisation. It’s not just a new acronym. It’s a mindset shift. SEO is about showing up. GEO is about becoming part of the conversation before it even begins.

Helps people talk about you

Optimises for relevance in Al summaries

Mention-driven

This is where referral traffic takes on new significance.

If you’re running a hotel, resort, spa, or F&B venue, here’s what this means for your marketing:

SEO remains essential for discoverability and credibility.

This is where people are talking about you—big shift to AI powered search and GEO is transforming visibility.

Don’t just look at clicks.

Make content that sparks dialogue, not just ranking.

Start by getting honest with your data. Not defensive—honest.
 
If click traffic is down but referrals are up, ask: Where is the trust being built now? Where are the conversations happening? Where is attention being directed—and how can we be part of that in a meaningful way?
 
Ready to stop chasing traffic and start owning your audience?
 
Book a call with our team today and we’ll walk you through smart strategies to keep your brand visible—with or without Google in the driver’s seat.
 
You bring the goals; we’ll bring the game plan.