#ai-driven-search

#ai-driven-search

Scott Darrohn, fishbat Media, LLC co-founder, is a national keynote speaker and GEO-SEO guru shaping the future of digital growth. Search is changing quicker than ever before. Nowadays, with tools like Google's AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, users are no longer just scrolling through search results; they're directly engaging with AI-generated answers. Generative engine optimization (GEO) can help your brand flourish in this new paradigm by boosting your chances of being mentioned in those AI answers when users ask questions.

For years, big publishers treated Google as a distribution utility: publish a lot, cover everything and let domain authority do the rest. The December core update - rolled out Dec. 11-29 - is another sign that bargain is breaking. In multiple readouts, volatility hit news hard, and the sites that appear to be holding up best are those that behave less like general-interest news hubs and more like "the best answer" engines.

In January 2026, Wikipedia will turn 25 years old, a reminder that one of the internet's most‑visited sites began as an experiment many experts assumed would fail. It grew from a simple idea to more than 65 million articles in over 300 languages not by ignoring criticism, but by listening: adding quality controls, building policies, and keeping humans at the center of oversight and content creation.

Three weeks ago, I tested something that completely changed how I think about organic traffic. I opened ChatGPT and asked a simple question: "What's the best course on building SaaS with WordPress?" The answer that appeared stopped me cold. My course showed up as the first result, recommended directly by the AI with specific reasons why it was valuable. I hadn't paid for advertising. I hadn't done any special promotion.

There has been - to use the parlance of the kids - a vibe shift in the AI industry. All the way up from scrappy AI startups to the boy king, Sam Altman, there's been a distinct change in the tone and content of conversations surrounding what generative AI will actually be used for. In the early days, luminaries (Altman in particular) loved to speak in abstracts and far-reaching, fantastical terms.

OpenAI said Tuesday it is introducing its own web browser, Atlas, putting the ChatGPT maker in direct competition with Google as more internet users rely on artificial intelligence to answer their questions. Making itself a gateway to online searches could allow OpenAI, the world's most valuable startup, to pull in more internet traffic and the revenue made from digital advertising.

Michael Kuzminov is the CEO of HypeFactory, a global AI-powered influencer marketing agency. Marketing is undergoing a profound transformation, with artificial intelligence at the forefront of this process. Traditional search and advertising methods still matter, but brands can no longer depend solely on organic rankings or conventional campaigns to maintain their presence. AI-powered search engines and digital assistants have completely changed the way consumers interact with brands. To ensure they remain visible, marketing specialists must fully understand and embrace the rise of AI search.

Google objects to this characterization. A spokesperson calls it a "cherry-picked" line from the filing that has been misconstrued. Google's position is that the entire passage is referring to open-web advertising rather than the open web itself. "Investments in non-open web display advertising like connected TV and retail media are growing at the expense of those in open web display advertising," says Google.

Bullock downgraded the stock after reviewing web traffic trends by channel. He noted that SEO-driven visits fell 23.5% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, with the decline worsening to 25.3% in July, likely due to Google's broader rollout of AI Overviews. Since less than 30% of signups come from Google, he built a framework using Similarweb data to gauge growth impact.

Search is changing fast - and so is how people discover content online. AI-driven tools like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional website traffic, pushing businesses to rethink how they design and optimize their digital presence. I saw this shift up close during a recent website redesign and brand refresh. In the past, redesigning a site meant focusing on user experience, brand storytelling, tailored content and SEO. This time, another factor came into play: large language model optimization (LLMO).