Your buyers increasingly get their first answer from AI.

On Google, that's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Elsewhere, it's ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.

So what does this mean for you and your marketing team?

Less than the hype suggests. More than nothing.

What's changed

  • Fewer clicks on simple questions. When AI answers a basic question on the results page, fewer people click. Informational content takes the biggest hit.
  • Being cited is the new ranking. AI answers link to their sources. Being one of them is real visibility.
  • Buyers ask longer questions. Not "PPC agency." More like: "Who can help a B2B SaaS company lower its cost per lead on Google Ads?"
  • Ads are moving into AI. Google can show ads in and around AI Overviews, and ChatGPT now sells ads too. More on that in How B2B Teams Should Prepare for ChatGPT Ads.

What hasn't changed

Google has been clear: its AI features run on its core search systems. Its own guidance says optimizing for AI search is still SEO.

If your pages aren't found in regular search, they won't be cited in AI answers.

The fundamentals still win:

  • Helpful, original content written for people
  • Clean site structure and technical health
  • A reputation others reference and link to
  • Pages that fully answer the questions buyers ask

AEO and GEO, in plain English

Two new acronyms keep showing up.

  • AEO (answer engine optimization): being the page that answers the question.
  • GEO (generative engine optimization): being the source AI tools cite and recommend.

Both sit on top of SEO. Neither replaces it.

Here's what that looks like in practice. For a client this year, I asked ChatGPT a category question: "What is the best medication management solution?"

Two brands got named. When I looked at their sites, it made sense why:

  • Their technical SEO was covered.
  • They answered the topic step by step, with a simple graphic.
  • They answered the follow-up questions too, like how to choose a solution.

They made the AI's job easy. Clear, well-structured, accurate information it could cite.

Myths to ignore

  • "You need an llms.txt file." Google says you don't need special files or AI-specific markup.
  • "Chunk everything for the robots." Write for readers. Clear structure helps everyone.
  • "Publish hundreds of AI-written pages." Mass-produced, low-value content can break Google's spam policies. Volume isn't the strategy. Usefulness is.

Actionable translation

  1. Sharpen your positioning. AI tools recommend companies they can describe. Be unmistakably clear about who you serve and what you solve. Start with Positioning First.
  2. Publish what only you know. Client results, real data, strong opinions. AI can't summarize it from anywhere else.
  3. Answer real questions, in order. Get the questions buyers ask from sales calls and support tickets. Build a page to answer each one, then answer the follow-up questions they'd ask next.
  4. Build your brand beyond your site. Reviews, podcasts, mentions and a complete Google Business Profile all help.
  5. Measure differently. Watch impressions, branded searches and lead quality, not just clicks.
  6. Use AI as a tool, not a writer. Great for research and spotting follow-up questions. But AI tools are looking for new information to cite. Content regurgitated from what they already know gives them nothing new.

The full step-by-step method is in SEO, AEO and GEO: The Organic Playbook I Use With Clients.

The bottom line

AI search rewards what good marketing always has: clarity, usefulness and trust.

The race to clarity and simplicity is on.

Want to know how your business shows up in AI search? Book a strategy call.