Overhyped or Real? What AI Search Means for Your Brand

Search is evolving — but it’s not what the headlines make it out to be. While AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard, Bing AI, and a rapidly expanding ecosystem of assistants are influencing how consumers discover products and services, traditional search still drives the majority of clicks and conversions.

It’s easy to see claims that “over half of consumers use AI to search,” but the reality is more nuanced. AI adoption is growing, especially among early adopters and tech-savvy users, but mass consumer behavior is still dominated by Google and other conventional search engines.

That said, AI is creating a new front door to your brand. From Claude and Perplexity AI to AI-powered shopping assistants on Shopify and Amazon, consumers now have more ways than ever to find your products — sometimes without ever visiting a traditional search engine. And it’s not just consumers either — B2B buyers are increasingly using AI to research solutions before ever talking to a sales team.

Scenario: A mid-market company looking for a CRM might traditionally search “best CRM for mid-market” and click through review sites. Today, they might ask an AI assistant:

“Which CRMs integrate with HubSpot and have strong reporting for sales teams under 100 employees?” 

Brands that maintain structured product specs, comparison guides, and helpful content are more likely to be surfaced in AI-generated responses, giving them visibility earlier in the buying journey.

Here’s what this evolving landscape really means for your brand, how to separate hype from reality, and what you should do to optimize for both traditional and AI-driven search.

AI Is Redefining Product Discovery

Traditional search rewarded websites for keyword optimization. AI changes the rules. It doesn’t just match words; it interprets intent and context. Your product could appear in AI-generated responses even if a consumer never types your exact keywords.

Think of this as a shift from “search and click” to “ask and get answers.” Brands that ignore this risk missing visibility in a growing discovery layer — even if they dominate traditional SEO.

What Brands Need to Do

1. Think Beyond KeywordsAI search isn’t about exact terms — it’s about answering questions. Create intent-driven content that positions your products as solutions.

   
   

   Example: Instead of a page titled “Best Running Shoes”, write “How to choose running shoes for flat feet that prevent injuries.” AI rewards context, not just keywords.

   
   

2. Leverage Structured DataSchema markup is no longer optional. AI uses structured data to surface facts quickly. Product pages without proper markup may never appear in AI responses.

   
   

3. Optimize for Conversational QueriesPeople aren’t typing keywords like “best coffee maker under $100” as much as they’re asking AI:

   
   

   "Which coffee maker can I buy under $100 that makes espresso?” 

   Mirror natural language in your content.

   
   

4. Focus on Owned MediaYour website, blog, and knowledge hub are critical. AI pulls from authoritative, structured sources. If you don’t control content showcasing your expertise, AI might default to competitors.

   
   

5. Monitor AI-Driven InsightsTools like ChatGPT plugins, Bing Webmaster, and AI analytics dashboards reveal what consumers are asking. Use these insights to shape content, FAQs, and product positioning.

   
   

Illustrative Examples

• E-commerce: 

  • A brand could rewrite product descriptions to answer common questions, increasing the likelihood of being surfaced in AI responses.

• B2B Software: 

  • A SaaS company might optimize CRM pages to answer detailed questions like “Which CRMs integrate with HubSpot and have strong reporting for sales teams under 100 employees?” Optimized content like this can make it more likely for AI assistants to reference the brand in responses.

• Financial Services: 

  • Firms can structure guides or knowledge base articles to answer specific client questions, increasing the chances AI will reference their content as an authoritative source.

• Hospitality: 

  • Hotels could optimize pages for queries like “Best pet-friendly boutique hotels in Toronto”, increasing the likelihood of being recommended by AI chatbots alongside traditional listings.

  
  

Bottom Line

AI isn’t a replacement for search — it’s a new layer of discovery. The ecosystem is growing fast, but Google search still dominates consumer behavior. Your SEO strategy needs to capture both traditional search and AI-driven opportunities.

Start small:

• audit your content, add structured data, and make sure your messaging answers the questions people are actually asking. From there, you can scale to a full AI-first SEO strategy — protecting your brand and capturing demand before your competitors do.

Because one thing is clear:

• the future of search isn’t just typing. It’s asking. And you want your brand to be the answer.

The AI search landscape is evolving fast, and brands that wait risk being left out of the conversation — both in traditional search and in AI-driven discovery. Start by auditing your content, structuring your data, and answering the questions your customers are actually asking. The sooner you act, the sooner your brand becomes the answer people are looking for.

If you’re ready to see where your content stands and uncover the opportunities AI search is creating for your business, book a complimentary audit today — let’s make sure your brand is ready for the next wave of search.