By Simon Watson, Operations Director, Republic of Media
“Googling” used to be the default starting point for most online journeys and a gateway for users to your brand. You’d type a query, scan the search engine results page, and click through to site where you think your query will be answered. Simple and relatively predictable. But that game is changing, quickly.
Search is diversifying, and the pace of change is difficult to keep up with. AI platforms and search within social channels are stealing attention from Google’s once-unshakable monopoly. It may be slow, but it’s happening, and I don’t believe there’s ever been a more exciting and opportune time to work in search.
The AI discovery era
AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are moving into prime territory once owned by search engines – answering queries, making recommendations, and even planning trips or shopping lists in conversational form. This has been reported as an “existential challenge to publishers”.
A recent global report stated that Google “appears to be proactively reducing the volume of traffic that its search properties send to third-party websites”. Despite sounding like a caffeine and sugar free version of a market leading fizzy pop, ‘Google Zero’ is an ecosystem whereby users are kept on the search engine results page for longer and essentially given “the answer” without needing to click.
For users, it’s convenient and more conversational. For publishers and brands who rely on referral traffic, it’s disruptive. For marketers, the old SEO playbook is about as relevant as Asking Jeeves, and in many cases Google is no longer a gateway – it’s become the destination.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, this is where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in as a crucial component of brands and publisher’s search and content strategies. If your brand wants to be surfaced as part of an AI’s answer, you’ll need to think beyond traditional keyword targeting and evolve your SEO strategy to optimise for a gen AI era. I won’t pretend this is my lane so if you’re yet to start this journey, see ‘How to integrate GEO with SEO’ on Search Engine Land.
The paid media shake-up
Rapid changes and opportunities exist beyond organic and your paid search strategies should be evolving at pace too. Google is experimenting with ads embedded directly into AI-generated answers, which may favour brands with adaptable creative that can integrate seamlessly into conversational formats.
Search strategies should now be much broader as TikTok Search Ads, Reddit Ads, and influencer collaborations play a bigger role. Yes, these are more entertainment-led platforms and executions, but search isn’t always functional so treat TikTok as a discovery engine where users want to be immersed in rich and credible content by trusted influencers. Being visible wherever your audience starts their journey is the key.
Will Voice Search mature?
I’ve been critical in the past about voice assistants not keeping up with the pace of change and that I’m yet to come across a well-executed brand execution. But opportunities beyond setting a kitchen timer on your Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant shouldn’t be far away.
And when they catch up, they will be powerful marketing platforms for personalised recommendations, curated lists, and brand suggestions. Optimising for voice means thinking in natural language and question-based formats, making sure your brand has clear, structured data that assistants can confidently cite.a
Looking ahead
The future of search isn’t about a single search bar or SERPs – it’s about being discoverable in an ecosystem of AI-driven assistants, social search feeds, and in-platform recommendation engines.
Modern search journeys are different from generation to generation and person to person. It’s messy, spans multiple platforms, and it’s hard to measure. In a new AI world, marketers need to reinvent evaluation of search beyond clicks, CTR and CPA. Visibility and share of voice in AI-generated answers, engagement signals in non-traditional channels, and other higher-funnel actions are the new competitive metrics.
Google may still be the heavyweight champion for now, but its ring is getting crowded. Brands that want to win need to rethink search not as a single discipline, but as a multi-platform, AI-aware visibility strategy.
