The way people search is changing – fast. Traditional keyword-based searches, once the cornerstone of digital discovery, are increasingly giving way to AI-driven conversational chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. These tools increasingly sidestep traditional SERPs, offering rich, conversational responses that reduce, or sometimes even eliminate, the need to click through blue links at all. . This shift challenges the control brands have over how – or even if – they appear in online search. AI algorithms dictate what information appears and how it’s presented. To remain discoverable, businesses must rethink their strategies and adapt to this new paradigm of AI-first discovery.
AI and the new rules of discovery
AI’s new role in search is not just a technological evolution – it reflects changing consumer behaviour. Consumers increasingly expect more immediate, personalised answers. The simulation of human-like conversations generated through AI chatbots has raised the bar for what consumers consider to be a good answer. As a result, up to 25% web traffic could disappear by 2026 due to AI, according to Gartner.
This change is fuelling the rise of the “zero-click” search, whereby consumers can extract information they need directly without clicking a single link. Add to that the growing influence of social discovery – via channels such as Instagram, TikTok, and online reviews – and it is clear that search is no longer linear or predictable.
Brands can no longer rely solely on SEO tactics to secure visibility. Instead, they must embrace a wider, AI-influenced discovery ecosystem – one where presence is distributed and decisions happen fast.
The visibility gap: Why most brands are flying blind
Brands are slowly but surely waking up to the uncomfortable reality that they have no real visibility into how they’re being represented across modern discovery platforms. Traditional SEO tools, built for a Google-first world, were never designed to track brand presence or performance in an AI-powered, socially influenced ecosystem.
This creates a growing visibility gap. Brands can’t improve what they can’t see – and they can’t fix what they can’t measure. Without clear insights into AI-search visibility or third-party brand sentiment, companies risk falling behind more adaptive competitors, and losing visibility altogether.
One growing concern for brands is the risk of misrepresentation. A business may be inaccurately described – or entirely overlooked – by AI tools that surface outdated, incorrect, or incomplete information. And when these tools serve as the first, or only, point of contact in a customer journey, even small amounts of inaccurate information can have outsized consequences.
It’s no longer enough to be present; brands must now evolve from tracking “rankings” to understanding “relevance”. It’s up to them to influence how – and where – they appear in a world that’s increasingly shaped by AI.
How brands can appear and win in AI search
Many best practices of SEO remain valid, but winning visibility today demands looking beyond traditional tactics. The key lies in adopting a strategy that prioritises structured, trustworthy, and connected data. Brands should:
· Organise business data through a Knowledge Graph
· Apply structured data and Schema markup, to improve AI interpretability
· Ensure consistency across every digital surface – from listings to local pages to reviews to actively manage third-party credibility that AI models favour
These foundations help AI platforms understand, trust, and surface brand information accurately, and means search tools are more likely to feature brands accurately.
Data hygiene isn’t enough. To stay competitive, brands must also measure how they truly appear across AI-driven search – from generative responses to local recommendations and third-party content. Modern emerging tools now make it possible to monitor brand sentiment and visibility, benchmark against competitors, and surface actionable opportunities across AI platforms.
But even perfect insights are useless without action. Brands need the infrastructure to correct, update, and optimise their digital footprint in real time, not just monitor it. In AI-search, speed and precision aren’t luxuries – they’re competitive advantages. The brands that can move quickly from insight to execution will be the ones customers find and trust first.
Going beyond SEO fundamentals to stay visible
The fundamentals of SEO haven’t changed, and they still matter – but they no longer guarantee visibility. AI is rewriting the playbook and rewarding structured, consistent, and trustworthy information.
AI search technology is only becoming more deeply embedded into everyday life, brands need to shift from managing isolated channels to building a unified, always-on presence. That means monitoring performance across search, social, and AI assistants, and being ready to course-correct in real-time.
Falling behind in AI visibility impacts all stages of the customer journey. Without true and accurate representation online, brands risk being overlooked. Customers may never know brands exist, or worse, choose a competitor they see first.
Winning in the age of AI search isn’t about chasing algorithms – it’s about showing up wherever a customer asks a question. Whether that’s on Google, in ChatGPT, through a voice assistant, or on TikTok, the brands that will win are those feeding every surface with structured, trustworthy, and consistent information. Brands that recognise this shift – and optimise for it – won’t just keep up; they’ll be the ones customers discover first, trust most, and remember – no matter where the search begins.
