Should B2B SaaS Companies Shift From TOFU to MOFU and BOFU Content Because of AI Search?

What has changed?

• Fewer clicks from informational searches. The Pew finding above is typical: AI summaries answer the question on the page.
• More AI Overviews on commercial searches. Semrush tracked AI Overviews across millions of keywords in 2025. The share of AI Overview queries that were informational fell from 91% in January to 57% in October. Navigational queries rose from under 1% to about 10%. Moving to commercial topics does not escape AI answers entirely.
• More zero-click searches overall. SparkToro's analysis of Similarweb data found about 68% of US Google searches ended without a click in early 2026.
• Buyers shortlist in assistants. B2B buyers increasingly ask assistants which tools to consider, so being named in those answers matters as much as ranking.

Should you shift from informational to commercial content to survive Google AI Overviews?

Shift the balance, not the whole strategy.

Increase:

• comparison and "[competitor] alternatives" pages;
• pricing and total-cost pages;
• integration pages for the tools your buyers use;
• use-case and industry pages with specific examples;
• implementation, migration and security pages that answer late-stage questions.

These pages are what assistants cite when buyers ask "which tool should we choose?". They also convert better when people do click.

Reduce:

• generic explainers on broad topics that dozens of sites cover the same way;
• articles written mainly to capture volume, with no clear link to your product or expertise.

Keep:

• informational content where you have something distinctive to say: original data, expert methods, detailed guides that others cite. This content builds the understanding and third-party mentions that make assistants recommend you later.

How should top-of-funnel SEO change when AI summaries answer informational searches?

Top-of-funnel content now has three jobs besides traffic:

1. Be the source that AI summaries cite. Pages with a clear answer, specific facts and original data are more likely to be cited, which builds recognition even without a click.
2. Teach assistants what you are expert in. Consistent, deep coverage of a problem area connects your brand to it in answers.
3. Earn external mentions. Original research and useful frameworks get referenced by others, and those references feed recommendations.

In practice:

• Publish fewer, stronger pieces, built around something others do not have: your data, your customers' patterns, your team's methods.
• Lead with the answer, then go deeper than a summary can.
• Connect each piece to the decision it leads to, with links to the relevant comparison, use-case or product pages.
• Measure differently: citations in AI answers, branded search growth and assisted conversions, not just sessions.

How do you decide the new balance?

Use your own data:

• Organic traffic by funnel stage over the last 12 months: where have clicks fallen most?
• Conversion by landing page type: which pages produce trials, demos and pipeline?
• AI visibility by question stage: where are you mentioned, and where are competitors named instead?
• Sales conversations: which questions do buyers ask before choosing?

Many B2B SaaS companies find that their informational traffic has fallen while comparison and pricing pages hold steady and convert well. That points to a shift in effort, typically moving a larger share of new content to the middle and bottom of the funnel. Keep a smaller programme of distinctive top-of-funnel work. Bucketing questions by stage is covered in how to bucket AI tracking prompts by commercial intent and buying stage.

What does good MOFU and BOFU content look like for AI answers?

Assistants cite pages that answer a decision question clearly and specifically. For B2B SaaS, that usually means:

• Comparison pages that state who each product suits, with a fair feature and price table, and the date of the comparison.
• Alternatives pages that list several real options, including competitors, rather than only your own product.
• Pricing pages with plan prices in text, what each plan includes, and typical costs for common team sizes.
• Integration pages that say exactly what syncs, in which direction, and on which plans.
• Use-case and industry pages with a named customer type, the problem, the workflow and a result.
• Security and compliance pages listing certifications and data locations, which late-stage buyers and procurement teams ask about.

Each should open with a direct answer, then give the detail a buyer needs to decide. Pages that only say "book a demo" give assistants nothing to cite.

How should the content team's plan change?

Rebalance the calendar rather than rebuilding the team. Assign owners to keep comparison, pricing and integration pages current. These go stale quickly and cause wrong answers when they do. Schedule fewer, larger research pieces for the top of the funnel. Add AI citation and mention tracking to the monthly content report, by funnel stage, alongside traffic and conversions.

What are the risks of going all-in on BOFU?

• A thin brand. Without educational content, assistants have little evidence of expertise, and the brand appears only in narrow comparison answers.
• Fewer mentions. Original research and guides are what other sites link to and cite. Comparison pages rarely are.
• Crowded BOFU pages. Every competitor is publishing "alternatives" pages. Undifferentiated ones add little.
• Missing early buyers. Buyers who start with a problem, not a product, may never meet you.

What might an illustrative rebalance look like?

Consider an illustrative project management SaaS company whose blog traffic fell by about 35% in a year, mostly from how-to articles. Its comparison and integration pages held steady and produced most demo requests. AI tracking showed it cited for some how-to questions but rarely named in "best tool for agencies" answers. Over the next two quarters, it moves most new content effort to comparison, agency use-case and integration pages. It stops publishing generic how-to articles, and keeps two pieces of original research a year on agency workloads. Six months later, it appears in more shortlist answers, and demo requests from organic and AI referrals rise. The research is cited in several trade articles.

What do people ask about shifting funnel content?

Is TOFU content dead?

Generic TOFU content written only for traffic is much weaker. Distinctive TOFU content that earns citations and mentions is still valuable.

Will BOFU content also lose clicks to AI?

Some, as AI Overviews spread to commercial searches. But BOFU pages are also what assistants cite when recommending tools, so they remain essential.

How should content success be measured now?

Combine AI citations and mentions by stage, branded search, assisted conversions and pipeline, not sessions alone.

Should we delete old TOFU articles?

Consolidate and update the useful ones, redirect weak duplicates, and keep pages that still earn citations or links.