The future of search
[How has AI search grown?]
AI search has already taken over from the traditional Google search results. Google search peaked at 92% (Statista) just a few years back, it dominated so much that even the Oxford English Dictionary listed the term ‘Google it’ back in 2006. However AI Search brings a completely different way of finding information and getting answers in a more powerful way than before and has arguably already taken over from Google Search.
“If your website is not built to perform in both, you are already losing out on potential leads.”
How has AI search grown?
A new way of searching the internet
Something has shifted for research, advice, and comparison queries. People are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google’s own AI Mode instead of typing keywords and clicking through five tabs. They want a direct answer, not a list of links.
The reason AI search is dominating
People want results which directly benefit them, not results which rely on putting keywords into the search bar. AI provides this freedom as you are able to converse with it as if it were human, asking additional questions which have tailored answers without even having to scroll.
How will it affect traditional search in the future
Traditional search is being overtaken by AI search. Google has always been the dominating force when it comes to internet searches, with 37% of consumers now starting searches with AI tools instead of Google (search engine land), a decline is inevitable, AI search is a technological evolution that is much more efficient. Google themselves implemented their model Gemini, the most likely outcome of the adaptation of search will be a complete search overhaul for AI.
How can I adapt to suit AI search?
What does AI search for?
In terms of your website this will mean you need to be ensuring your content and layouts are suitable for AI to be able to recommend it, this process is called GEO and has similarities to SEO with its own set of rules/requirements.
What is traditional search better for now?
What’s holding AI search back?
AI search is extremely powerful and efficient, however like anything it doesn’t come without its flaws . One of the current problems with AI search currently is the fact it suffers from hallucinations, so for some deep research tasks it could lead to being a hindrance as opposed to traditional search which will only give you the response for the exact terms you searched for, therefore meaning traditional searching will still have its place on the internet providing a fact checking manual choice to prevent misinformation being spread.
Can you still benefit from traditional search?
A student who is working on a research task for their university degree may feel more inclined to use google rather than ChatGPT, as it reduces the risk that the information which they are handling is incorrect, even if it does take longer to pull information than an AI search.
How you can utilise this switch
What can be done to adapt
The biggest way anyone could capitalise on the change for the future is to ensure you and your website have GEO on lockdown, putting your website top on both Google and AI search engines will cover all bases when it comes to potential leads.
How we can help
To be a reputable website, you will now need to think about GEO ensuring that your website is the top search every time, with our offered services, we ensure your business will be a success when it comes to search visibility.
FAQs
Should I be worried about AI reducing my website traffic?
It is worth paying attention to. Google’s AI Overviews mean some queries get answered without a click to any website. In depth content is more likely to be cited in those summaries, which still drives brand awareness and some direct visits. The real risk is for sites with thin, generic content that adds nothing AI cannot already answer on its own.
Will AI completely replace Google search?
Google is integrating AI into its own product, AI tools like ChatGPT are changing where searches start, particularly for research and advice queries.
Does my Google ranking affect AI citations?
AI tools do not follow Google rankings exactly, but the signals that improve your Google visibility also increase your chances of AI citations. There is no efficient way to do one without doing the other, so if both are managed efficiently it will boost your chances of gaining leads.