When AI and Search Collide: How Brands Can Adapt to the Shifting Landscape
While AI has been at work for years fueling Search, the hype surrounding ChatGPT spurred Google to accelerate efforts to transform the experience, making it more personalized and efficient than ever. It also upended consumer expectations for what’s possible when AI is integrated into their daily lives and pursuit of information.
These factors are now shaping the future of Search in an AI-Aware world.
Behind-The-Scenes Tech Takes Center Stage
AI and machine learning have operated mostly in the background, delivering content tailored to the individual. Now, consumers have become aware of what Google, and marketers, know about them and are comfortable having personal, familiar, two-way dialogues. In this context, they search with a specific question in mind, seeking an answer that’s direct, and to the point. They want to harness technology to their benefit, empowering them with more precise responses – all of this without the need to navigate elsewhere.
Put automation at the core of your efforts: Both in the Generative AI search experience and the mechanisms that exist at our fingertips today. There are powerful platforms to support efficient content creation for discoverability. And Google’s AI powered ads clearly outline the future of paid search management that brands must embrace – or fall behind.
The Results Page Becomes a Brand Experience Canvas
The goal in Search used to be about getting to a website – the future is thinking about the different platforms where consumers are interacting to fuel a connected experience. Zero-click searches, resulting in no clicks to a website, already account for over 60%1 of all queries. What we previously thought of as the website experience is now diffused across myriad digital touchpoints, fueling the new search architecture.
Many brands are seeing declines in traffic as Google does a better job delivering information within results; and if the page does entice a click, it’s just as likely to drive to a social destination. For brands that delver eCommerce, this represents a shift and new imperative. Optimization now means ensuring products are showcasedas prominently and beautifully as if they were on one’s own website or in store.
Optimize for all formats: webpages, social posts, local business profiles, marketplaces, videos, etc. The website itself now must be evaluated as one of “networked experiences” with all other destinations feeding search results. A coordinated family approach to owned platforms has never been more critical.
Search Is No Longer Just a Last-Mile Channel
The new age of Search is one that is a companion along the funnel or becomes the funnel within itself.
In media planning, like how last click measurement is still over-utilized, we often bucket search into low funnel conversion. However, consumers point to search as a critical resource for awareness, discovery, and comparison. This is known, and yet plans still often reflect this dated mindset.
Search behavior also comprises more than what first comes to mind as a “search engine” - Platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube are now preferred starting points of discovery for Gen Z according eMarketer. The age of Social Search has arrived.
The Multi-touch search journey as a strategy: A future-forward approach not only enables seamless conversion but is primed to deliver personalized content experiences and provide engagement methods across platforms. Consider how existing and future search behavior can deliver on KPIs throughout the funnel.
By adapting to the shifting search landscape, brands can create networked search experiences that resonate with consumers and drive success.