- 1. AI Overviews Are Eating Traditional Click-Through Rates
- 2. AI Search Optimization Is No Longer Optional
- 3. Local SEO Competition Is Intensifying in Kathmandu
- 4. Core Web Vitals Still Separate Winners from Losers
- 5. E-E-A-T Signals Matter More for YMYL Topics
- What This Means for Your Business
Search hasn't just evolved in the past two years — it's been reshaped entirely. Between AI Overviews, zero-click results, and shifting user behavior, the SEO playbook that worked in 2022 is largely obsolete. Here's what we're seeing work for our clients across Nepal right now.
1. AI Overviews Are Eating Traditional Click-Through Rates
Google's AI-generated answer summaries now appear above traditional results for a growing share of informational queries. This means fewer clicks even when you rank well — unless your content is structured to be the source AI Overviews cite.
2. AI Search Optimization Is No Longer Optional
Being cited inside ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity answers is becoming a meaningful traffic and credibility channel in its own right. This requires clear, well-structured, factual content — the same fundamentals that make traditional SEO work, applied to a new surface.
3. Local SEO Competition Is Intensifying in Kathmandu
As more Nepali businesses invest in digital marketing, local map pack competition has increased significantly in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Google Business Profile optimization and consistent local citations matter more than ever.
4. Core Web Vitals Still Separate Winners from Losers
Page experience signals continue to influence rankings, particularly on mobile — where the majority of Nepali search traffic originates. Slow-loading sites are quietly losing rankings to faster competitors.
5. E-E-A-T Signals Matter More for YMYL Topics
For healthcare, finance, and legal content especially, demonstrating real experience and expertise — author bios, credentials, and citations — has a measurable impact on rankings and trust.
What This Means for Your Business
The businesses winning in search right now aren't chasing every algorithm update — they're building genuinely useful, well-structured content and fast, technically sound websites. That fundamentals-first approach is exactly what compounds over time.