A New Era of Search: From “Google It” to “Ask ChatGPT”

For more than two decades, “Google it” has been the default response whenever a question arose. We’ve grown accustomed to typing keywords into a search box and sifting through pages of results. But today, a quiet revolution is underway in how people seek information. An increasing number of consumers are skipping the familiar Google search page and instead posing their questions to AI chatbots like ChatGPT or other generative AI assistants. In July 2025, a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers and marketers confirmed that this shift is already happening, with ChatGPT now “widely adopted as a primary search engine alternative”. Where we once scrolled through ten blue links on Google, many now get a single, synthesized answer from an AI – and they’re getting used to this convenience.

Several factors are driving this change in buyer behavior. Speed and simplicity are paramount: over half of users in a recent Adobe study said they prefer ChatGPT because it can summarize complex topics quickly. A third of respondents noted that using an AI assistant involves fewer steps to reach an answer, compared to clicking through multiple sites on a traditional search engine. In other words, AI delivers instant, distraction-free responses in a single interface, without the ads and links that clutter many search results pages. Why wade through a dozen web pages and sponsored links when an intelligent assistant can do the reading and aggregating for you? As one marketing strategist wryly observed, “why sift through ten blue links and read them all when an AI assistant can synthesise the information into a quick answer or recommendation?”.

There’s also a growing sense of personalization and trust in AI-driven answers. ChatGPT can tailor its responses to the user’s specific query and context in a conversational manner, something a list of website links doesn’t easily provide. In the Adobe survey, 77% of users felt ChatGPT’s answers were more personalized than Google’s, especially for creative or open-ended questions. While Google remains a trusted household name, nearly 30% of people surveyed said they trust ChatGPT more than traditional search engines – a remarkable shift in sentiment in just a couple of years. Clearly, generative AI has impressed users enough to begin breaking habits formed over decades. “I always start with Google… but these days I also incorporate ChatGPT,” admitted one longtime Google user, encapsulating many people’s experience of this transition.

Illustration: The rising popularity of ChatGPT as a search tool has begun to encroach on Google’s long-held dominance, signaling a profound shift in consumer search behavior. This chart shows search interest trends over the past year, with interest in ChatGPT (yellow) climbing sharply as interest in Google (red) plateaus or dips.

How AI Search Is Reshaping the Buyer’s Journey

The shift from Google to GPT-driven search is fundamentally transforming the buyer journey, especially across e-commerce and B2B decision-making. Traditionally, shoppers and business buyers used Google for initial product discovery, research, and comparison. Now, generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google’s SGE are taking over that early stage—offering instant, curated product recommendations based on user intent and context. According to a recent Bain & Company study, 68% of users rely on AI for information gathering, while 42% use it specifically for shopping advice—roles that were once the domain of search engines.

In B2C e-commerce, this could mean a shopper asking, “What’s a good pair of trail running shoes under $100 for wide feet?” and receiving a personalized shortlist—often without ever landing on a retail website. In B2B, a procurement manager might ask, “Which warehouse management systems are best for mid-size apparel companies in Europe?” and get a list of vendors, pricing ranges, and integration options—bypassing traditional comparison websites altogether.

Critically, buyers may form strong preferences based on AI-generated responses before ever visiting a brand’s website. Google is now used later in the funnel, mostly to validate what AI has already suggested—checking reviews, verifying credentials, or confirming stock availability. That means if your brand isn’t included in the AI's initial response, you may never enter the consideration set at all. A McKinsey report revealed that 41% of Gen Z consumers already rely on AI assistants as a primary source for shopping guidance—underscoring the urgency for brands to appear in these interactions.

In the B2B sector, the trend is even more pronounced. Nearly 89% of enterprise buyers now use AI tools throughout the entire buying process—from vendor discovery to RFP planning. These AI assistants often generate shortlists of potential suppliers, pulling from structured data, reviews, press mentions, and product pages. If your company isn’t represented—or is misrepresented—within this AI-generated content, you’re likely to be filtered out before human contact ever happens. This poses new challenges for B2B lead generation, where being quoted or referenced by AI systems becomes just as important as ranking high on Google.

Ultimately, product discovery now begins in AI chats, while search engines like Google serve more as validators. For brands—whether you're selling consumer goods or enterprise software—the critical moment of digital visibility has shifted earlier in the funnel. The challenge is clear: how do you stay present when AI tools guide buyers before you even know they’re looking? Adapting your e-commerce SEO, content structure, and digital footprint to support AI product discovery is no longer optional—it’s now a strategic imperative for long-term relevance.

The One-Answer Challenge: The New Battle for Visibility

AI-driven search creates a new challenge: while it offers users quick, single-answer convenience, it raises the stakes for businesses. Unlike Google’s multiple search results, AI often delivers just one response—meaning only one brand is visible. If it’s not yours, you're effectively invisible.

This “one-answer” model also disrupts how companies track performance. AI answers may influence buyer decisions without generating clicks or visits, leaving brands unaware they were even part of the process. Traditional analytics can’t capture this hidden “dark funnel” activity, complicating marketing strategies.

Still, Google isn’t disappearing. Many users still rely on it, especially for validation or specific searches. Even AI-focused users often double-check with Google. The takeaway: don’t replace Google, but expand visibility across both search engines and AI platforms. Brands must now be present wherever discovery happens — in chatbots, voice tools, and evolving AI interfaces.

Staying Visible: Adapting Your Strategy for AI Search

How can companies ensure they remain visible and relevant as buyer behavior shifts toward AI-driven search? The answer lies in adapting the same rigor that was once devoted to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and updating it for the AI age. Some marketers have started referring to this new discipline as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – an evolution of SEO that focuses on influencing how AI models select and present information. In simple terms, GEO is about making your brand’s content “AI-friendly”: ensuring that AI assistants can easily access, understand, and trust your information so that your product or insight gets picked as part of that single answer. Traditional SEO fought for one spot among many links on a results page; GEO aims to get you quoted directly inside an AI’s answer. While the concept is new and still evolving, its importance grows each month as more users turn to AI for answers. As one industry report succinctly stated, “GEO builds on SEO best practices, but it’s becoming more important as buyer behaviors shift from clicking through search results to querying AI tools directly”.

Practically speaking, staying visible in AI search means rethinking your content and digital strategy with AI models in mind. Here are some steps companies – from e-commerce retailers to logistics firms – can take to adapt:

• Ensure your homepage, about page, and product pages clearly state who you are, what you offer, and what makes you different — in plain, accessible text. Avoid relying solely on images or PDFs; AI tools read structured, visible content. Mention your target industries or regions explicitly. Ask yourself: if ChatGPT were describing your business to a customer, would it find the right details on your site?

• Use structured content like FAQs, guides, and glossaries to answer common buyer questions. AI prefers clear formats with headings, bullet points, and summaries it can easily parse. Content with structured sections and key takeaways is more likely to be quoted in AI answers. Well-organized, data-driven content performs best in AI search.

• One emerging best practice is to ensure each important page has a clear author and a recent timestamp (e.g., “Updated September 2025”), which can increase the likelihood of the AI considering it a relevant, fresh source

• AI favors content that’s fresh, credible, and well-sourced. Highlight original data (like surveys or stats), link to trusted sources, and update your content regularly with clear authorship and dates. This boosts your authority and increases the chances of being cited by AI. Aim to be the source AI trusts and quotes.

• AI learns from across the web, not just your site. Boost visibility by using multiple channels: publish press releases, stay active on directories, Wikipedia, and review sites. The more credible mentions of your brand online, the more likely AI is to include you in answers. Be present where AI looks.

• Use technical SEO to help AI understand your site. Add schema markup for key info (e.g., products, reviews, FAQs), keep code clean, and ensure content is crawlable. Avoid hiding text in images or behind logins. Fast, structured, and accessible sites are more likely to be indexed and quoted by AI. As one service puts it, making your site “quote-ready” for AI might be the new equivalent of getting featured in a Google snippet.
  
  

By taking these steps, businesses can increase the odds that when an AI is answering questions in your domain, it will include your insights or offerings. The payoff can be significant. Early adopters of AI visibility strategies report not only more referrals from AI chat tools but also a secondary benefit: improved trust and authority with customers. When an AI assistant cites your website or mentions your brand, it’s a form of third-party endorsement. In the eyes of the user, if the algorithm chose to mention you, you must be an authority. Some marketing teams even track “AI citations” as a new success metric – how often your brand gets referenced by popular AI assistants. While it’s still early days for such metrics, the logic is sound: if you’re doing GEO right, you should see more and more questions in your field leading back to your content.

Embracing the AI Search Frontier

The shift from Google to GPT is one of the biggest changes in search history. It may feel disruptive, but it opens new doors. Success now means showing up in both traditional and AI-driven answers. Businesses must adapt by creating content that AI can understand and trust. If you’re not present in AI responses, you risk becoming invisible. The key: provide clear, valuable, and trustworthy content that works for both people and machines. In the AI era, visibility means being chosen not just seen