As people increasingly turn to AI chatbots like ChatGPT for quick and conversational answers, most marketers remain “completely unprepared” for how AI will impact search.

On Tuesday (29 July), Google announced the UK rollout of its AI-powered search feature, AI Mode, following earlier launches in the US and India.

AI Mode is an alternative to the traditional list of blue links, with AI-generated conversational answers that include far fewer referrals to external websites. For now, it will be optional and will appear both as a tab and an option within the search box itself.

Google claims AI Mode is a “new, intuitive way” to handle complex, multi-part questions, with early users submitting queries two to three times longer than traditional searches.

The move puts Google in even closer competition with rival AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, which are already reshaping how people discover and digest information online.

“This is going to change everything and it’s going to change every strategy,” says director of SEO at agency JBH Andrew Holland.

“What you’re seeing is the biggest disruption in the history of search and people are overwhelmingly underplaying this, and brands are overwhelmingly underprepared.”

We are going back to the Mad Men era of copywriting.

Andrew Holland, JBH

Businesses from retailers to news publishers have long relied on web traffic driven by Google’s search results, with many also paying for paid ads. The shift to AI-generated answers with fewer direct links could disrupt that model entirely.

“It’s not an overstatement to say that this is the biggest change to paid-search advertising since its inception,” says IAB CEO Jon Mew.

As well as understanding the emerging opportunities for paid promotion within AI Mode, Mew stresses the importance of recognising how people use it and how it may reshape consumer journeys.

“Brand marketing is likely to become more important for brands to stand out in a world where AI is the ultimate content curator,” he adds.

Holland agrees that most brands have yet to adapt their digital strategies for this new search reality, explaining businesses are “under-representing their products and services in their web assets and copy”.

“We are going back to the Mad Men era of copywriting,” he says. “You need really great web copy that explains your products and services in detail, in a structured way.”

Google’s UK rollout came just days before Meta unveiled its own plans for “superintelligence” – a system CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims will “surpass human intelligence in every way”.

Meta outlines vision for ‘superintelligence’

Search continues to dominate digital ad spend in the UK, accounting for 47% of total investment. By 2028, the IAB forecasts approximately 33% of all search spend will be on AI-powered interfaces.

In the US, AI-driven search is already gaining traction. Last month, an estimated 5.6% of desktop search traffic went to large language model (LLM) tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, according to market intelligence firm Datos. That figure has more than doubled since last year June (2.48%) and quadrupled since January 2024, when it sat below 1.3%.

In the UK, AI search represents a small, but fast-growing share of traffic. Referrals from standalone tools and chatbots, including ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude, are estimated to account for between 0.2% and 1% of all search activity.

“While this is still minor compared to traditional search, the growth rate suggests early adopters are embracing AI search faster than they took up traditional search when it first launched,” says IPG Mediabrands chief activation officer, Lauren Ogundeko.

She notes that Google’s AI Mode presents a new challenge for advertisers and ads focused solely on bottom funnel intent may no longer be enough.

“With AI-driven search, key consideration and decision stages are moving into earlier, broader, conversational interactions, which involve fewer of the traditional search queries. Advertisers will need to establish their presence during these early conversations, rather than limiting themselves to when users type explicit purchase terms,” she says.

What should brands be doing?

Brands can no longer afford to focus only on mass-appeal, high-volume keywords, says Holland.

A travel insurance brand, for example, might previously have spent heavily on the term ‘travel insurance’. Now, they need to highlight every aspect of what they offer – niche features, use cases and detailed benefits.

“[Some] 20% of keywords drove 80% of business. Well now actually it’s going to be the 80% that is going to drive the vast majority of the business in that way,” he says. “So you’re inverting that.”

Director analyst at Gartner, Noam Dorros, agrees AI Mode – much like Google’s AI Overviews launched in the UK nearly a year ago – is pushing search marketing towards more conversational, authoritative and user-centric approaches.

“Marketers must focus on content quality, brand authority, and new ways to measure and capture value as the search landscape evolves,” he says.

This includes diversifying content across blogs, videos and landing pages, while continuing to follow Google’s EEAT principles: experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness.

“The source for AI results are no longer just websites – social media platforms [YouTube, Reddit, Instagram] are all getting pulled in. As such, brands must ensure consistency of messaging and content across all activated digital channels,” Dorros adds.

Why Google could become the next big demise story

Booking.com’s CEO also weighed in this week, saying AI has so far not negatively affected the company’s search performance. Around 60% of its traffic now comes direct, up from the previous year. While it’s still “too early” for the business to quantify the impact of LLMs on lead generation, both direct and Google-sourced traffic continue to grow.

Meanwhile, Ogundeko points out that brand awareness will take on a more central role in AI-driven search.

“Since AI Mode draws on a limited set of sources, brands need to focus on creating content tailored for the sorts of long-tail queries that have until now been secondary in standard search results,” she explains.

To prepare, she advises marketers to revisit and strengthen their content strategies, focus on user intent and conversational relevance, repurpose strong content across channels and rethink traditional SEO measurement frameworks, as metrics like traffic and clicks may fluctuate with changing behaviours.

Mew is also urging marketers to act now.

“Get educated on the opportunities that become available within AI search, test out what’s possible and be prepared to adapt at speed,” he advises.

“That is going to disrupt strategies and be uncomfortable at times, but it’s those that are willing to test, learn, adapt and innovate that will keep pace and define this new era of advertising.”