We’re often asked by clients: “Does it still make sense to invest in top-of-funnel (TOFU) content when it’s generating fewer and fewer clicks?”
The short answer is simple, yes.
But the explanation is a bit more complex.
The reality: fewer clicks, different behaviour
The evidence for fewer clicks is clearest on Google. In Pew Research Center’s analysis of the browsing data of 900 US adults in March 2025, users who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional search result on 8% of visits, against 15% when no summary appeared. They clicked a link inside the summary on just 1% of visits.
That study covers Google only. For ChatGPT and other assistants there is no comparable public data, but the way people use them points the same way.
In classic search, users get a list of results, browse several sources and make their own decision. With AI assistants the process is conversational: options are filtered and presented in the context of the prompt, and the shortlist may be settled before the user visits a website.
Our reading: people open fewer tabs because the assistant does part of the comparison for them.
So knowing this, the question becomes: What should my content strategy look like now? Should I still invest in TOFU content, or shift focus to BOFU (bottom-of-funnel) content that converts?
Let’s break it down to help you find the right balance between visibility, authority, and conversion in the age of AI-driven search.
Top-of-Funnel: Seeding the LLM Ecosystem
Goal: Build visibility and citation potential within AI systems.
Our view: even if TOFU content drives fewer clicks, it still matters, because it is how your brand becomes associated with the topics you want to be known for, on your own site and across the web. Language models learn from text that connects entities and topics; how much any single page influences a model is not something anyone can measure directly.
If your brand never appears around informational questions like “what is”, “how to” or “best X for Y”, it is less likely to come up when people ask them.
Why we think it still matters:
- Assistants that search the web, and Google’s AI Overviews, need pages to draw on and cite; informational queries are where those answers appear most.
- Clear, well-structured explanations are easier for anyone, person or system, to quote accurately.
- TOFU pages can influence which brands are mentioned and cited, even when users don’t click. Track it rather than assume it.
How to optimise:
- Refresh evergreen content with clear definitions, FAQs, and expert perspectives.
- Use lists, tables and structured data so each section is easy to parse.
- Strengthen internal linking to guide topical authority toward your commercial pages.
- Keep pages up to date and crawlable, so assistants that search the web can find and use them.
Think of this as building recognition. It is a strategic bet rather than a proven mechanism, which is why tracking whether it works matters.
Mid- and Bottom-of-Funnel: AI-Ready Conversion Layer
Goal: Convert AI-informed visitors into customers.
As AI discovery grows, many users will reach your site later in the buying journey. They already know what they want, they just need reassurance, proof, or the easiest path to purchase.
Why it’s becoming critical:
- AI assistants compress the journey: users arrive pre-educated and expect fast validation.
- AI shopping features draw on product information, so clear, complete product pages give them more to work with.
- New e-commerce features such as ChatGPT Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) rely on structured product data.
How to optimise:
- Add structured data to product pages (Product, Offer, Review) and keep it in line with what the page shows.
- Rewrite those product descriptions for better context (Who is this for? When is it useful?)
- Emphasise trust signals, pricing, availability, delivery speed, and return policies.
- Improve clarity and scannability; visitors who arrive after asking an assistant often want quick confirmation.
- Use AI prompt tracking tools (like InvuAI) to monitor where your product pages appear in AI answers (and where they don’t) and if you are not sure what prompts to track, read our guide on AI-prompt tracking strategy.
Think of this as converting the awareness AI answers create.
Finding the Right Balance
The right mix depends on your current visibility stage.
| Brand Stage | TOFU Priority | MOFU/BOFU Priority | Key KPI |
| Low AI visibility | Very High | Medium | Mentions / Citations in AI |
| Moderate visibility | High | High | AI Referral CTR / Engagement |
| Strong category authority | Medium | Very High | Conversion & Assisted Revenue |
In short:
- If you’re not yet visible in AI answers, prioritise TOFU to seed your presence.
- If you’re already present but not converting, strengthen MOFU/BOFU content.
- Over time, shift resources from awareness seeding to conversion optimisation.
Content Action Plan for the AI-Driven Search Era
Short term (next 6 to 12 months)
Continue investing in TOFU. It’s your entry ticket into AI-search presence. At the same time, identify the TOFU pages with the most semantic weight and connect them with optimised commercial pages through internal linking.
Medium term (2026 onwards)
Our expectation: AI shopping interfaces (like ChatGPT Shopping and Google’s AI Mode) will lean on structured, product-rich, conversion-ready pages, so BOFU investment should pay back here. Test it with your own tracking.
Always
Track prompt-level relevance. Knowing which prompts surface your brand and which don’t is the new equivalent of keyword tracking. Visibility without influence doesn’t move the needle.
Final Takeaway
Clicks may be shrinking, but relevance is expanding.
Our bet: the brands that do well in AI-driven search will be those that:
- Teach the models who they are (TOFU), and
- Provide AI-ready, trust-driven destinations (BOFU) when users act.
It’s not about choosing one or the other, rather about aligning both layers so that when AI does the filtering, your brand remains the final answer.
Want to see where your brand stands?
If you’d like to understand how often your brand (or competitors) appears in AI-generated answers (and which prompts you’re missing) try InvuAI. You can test prompts, track your brand’s presence across ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, and uncover the exact gaps that matter for your content strategy.