For the first time in 20 years, Google’s dominance as the primary way people find information online is being meaningfully challenged. AI assistants are handling a growing share of queries that would previously have gone to a search engine — and the implications for digital marketing are significant and still unfolding.
What’s Actually Changing in Search Behaviour
The types of queries shifting to AI assistants first: complex informational questions requiring synthesis (“explain how X works and compare it to Y”), research tasks that benefit from conversational follow-up, writing and content generation assistance, and code-related questions. Transactional queries (buy X, find a plumber near me, flights to Melbourne) remain largely in Google’s domain for now.
The shift is real but incremental. Studies suggest 10–15% of informational searches have moved to AI tools among tech-forward demographics, with much lower adoption in general consumer populations. The trajectory points toward acceleration as AI assistants become faster, more accurate, and more integrated into operating systems and browsers.
LLM Visibility: The New SEO Frontier
“LLM optimisation” or “AEO” (Answer Engine Optimisation) is emerging as a distinct discipline. When someone asks Claude or ChatGPT to recommend a CRM, an agency, or a service provider, which brands appear? Currently, these recommendations draw heavily from: brands with strong web presence and link authority (the traditional SEO signals still matter), Wikipedia and authoritative reference pages, review sites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot, and industry publications and respected content sources.
The practical implication: the brands that have invested in genuine authority, earned media, and positive reviews are naturally better positioned in AI responses. There’s no quick shortcut — LLM visibility is downstream of genuine reputation.
What Google’s Response Means for Marketers
Google is not ceding this market. AI Overviews, Gemini integration, and the continued evolution of the search results page represent Google’s attempt to deliver AI-assisted answers within its own ecosystem. The result is a search results page that is increasingly an answer engine itself, with traditional blue links increasingly competing against Google’s own AI-generated responses.
For marketers, this means: invest in being the cited source (not just the ranked result) in AI-generated answers, build content that demonstrates genuine expertise that AI systems learn from, and invest in brand awareness so that when AI systems surface options in your category, your brand is the one users recognise and request.
The 5-Year Outlook
The most durable position over the next five years: brands with genuine authority and reputation, strong owned audiences (email, community, direct relationships), and content that demonstrates real expertise rather than SEO-optimised summaries. The technology is changing; the fundamentals of building a trusted brand are not.
