We’ve seen early signs of what’s to come. In Q1 2025, searches that included AI overviews led to fewer clicks, suggesting users are getting their answers directly from Google and not clicking through to websites. AI overviews grew quickly, from just 6% of searches in January 2025 to 13% in March.
At Farm Journal’s 2025 Breakthrough event we outlined three key strategies, or “bets,” for how to succeed in this fast-changing digital environment. The data below illustrates behavioral changes in how audiences are searching and consuming content in this new playing field.
Unsurprisingly, Google has integrated new ad formats into AI Mode. Throughout AI-generated answers, sponsored links now appear with a “Sponsored” label, stoking fears that search will follow social media’s shift toward a “pay-to-play” environment.
What kind of searches will be most affected?
AI will likely have the biggest impact on informational searches. This could disrupt a decade of content marketing strategies that rely on evergreen content to power buyer journeys. If AI Mode delivers answers directly, users might never reach your site, reducing first-party data collection for brands that lack a strong direct relationship with their audience. HubSpot users and SEO experts might already be panicking. The least affected category? Navigational searches (e.g., branded queries).
At Farm Journal, we’ve been preparing for this shift since ChatGPT launched two years ago. We focused our strategy on “owning our audience” and reducing our reliance on informational search traffic. That meant optimizing for attention metrics including percentage of article completed, time spent and subscriber intent.
With the IAB Tech Lab opening new attention metric standards for comment this month, it’s a good time to share how our attention-first approach has strengthened our brands and helped us reduce risk from the coming AI wave in search.
What attention has delivered on Farm Journal sites so far.
Through Q1 2025:
- Editor name searches are up 14% to 20%
- Branded search and overall traffic are up 35%
- Attention (measured via time spent, completion rates and engagement) is up 85%
And a major driver of that attention growth? Video.
Farm Journal’s Breakthrough Bet No. 1: Following the eyeballs.
The way farmers consume content is evolving fast. As social media and streaming platforms go mainstream in agriculture, meeting the audience where they are is more important than ever. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in social media, YouTube, podcasts and streaming channels that are seeing record-breaking engagement.
To stay ahead, we have:
- Launched 10 podcasts
- Used AI tools to edit and create shorts
- Recruited influential voices in ag media
- Rolled out streaming platforms: Farm Journal NOW and Farm Journal TV
Video is a powerful way to showcase your top customers, your brightest experts and your brand’s authenticity. And let’s not forget: younger generations are already turning to YouTube as their primary search engine.
NOTE: Attention hours were down in March due to our strategy to drive users to Farm Journal TV and Farm Journal NOW, resulting in the removal of full episodes from YouTube.
Farm Journal’s Breakthrough Bet No. 2: Investing in tools that measure real success.
Understanding what truly drives engagement is essential. That is why we’ve doubled down on analytics and data-driven insights. By investing in tools that go beyond surface-level metrics, we are able to track what really matters, like attention and branded search, ensuring our content resonates and drives meaningful interactions.The irony is the decision to lower the priority on traffic as a leading KPI – and to focus on attention instead – has increased traffic, boosted website registrations and increased content downloads. Returning visitors are also up 30%. This focus allows us to stay ahead of the curve and deliver content that reaches and retains our audience.
| Google Analytics 4 Engagement Time GA4 has made peculiar and confusing adjustments to measuring time spent. It only tracks engagement time for sessions that meet the following criteria: • Lasts longer than 10 seconds • Has a key event • Has two or more screen or page views But GA4 calculates average engaged time using all sessions — not just engaged ones — so even small amounts of bounce traffic can distort your results. Consider using total time spent as a more stable metric. You may also want to refine your key event settings to include only the sessions that matter most. |
Farm Journal Breakthrough Bet No. 3: Learning what holds attention and scaling it.
Attention is the new currency. Instead of creating more content, we’ve focused on amplifying what actually works. That means using dynamic video, compelling storytelling and data-driven insights to keep farmers engaged and informed.
We’re constantly fine-tuning our content to stay relevant, resonant and results driven, because in a world of AI-powered search, attention isn’t just a metric. It’s a competitive advantage. The same applies to advertising creative.
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