Clare Faruggia.
With Google’s AI Mode now live in the US and product recommendations on ChatGPT coming into play, the way people discover brands is shifting. It’s not just about keywords anymore – it’s about what your brand stands for, how consistently it shows up, and what people are saying about you. Clare Farrugia explains.
As a performance specialist, I’ve spent my career deep in platforms, optimising for cheaper CPCs, higher reach and more conversions. So when it comes to the impact of AI search, you’d probably expect me to offer up some sort of technical solution. But that’s not where this is going.
No doubt you’re already aware that Google’s AI Overview landed in Australia late last year, with its AI Mode rolling out in the US as we speak. Meanwhile, ChatGPT is introducing product recommendations, currently calling on Reddit, review sites, and brand websites as sources. And product feed submissions will be opening up soon.
Zero-click searches – that’s search queries that do not result in a click through to an additional website – sitting around 60% back in 2024 in the US and Europe, are on the rise.
And studies report a two-thirds reduction in desktop click-through rates when an AI Overview is present. This means fewer users are clicking through to websites at all.
So, if you’re a brand, how do you show up and drive action when users don’t even need to leave the search results page?
You double down on brand.
Brand matters big. And consistency is king
AI rewards consistency – in messaging, tone, and how others describe your brand. Your website, socials, product pages, and press mentions all need to align.
Ask yourself: what do we want to be known for – and are we nailing that everywhere?
You need to move beyond thinking about brand communication in silos – from your owned content onsite to earned media through social proof and PR. Collective proof of brand is more important than ever.
AI pulls from everywhere – not just your site
AI search models, like ChatGPT, pull from a number of sources, including Reddit, Quora, TikTok, YouTube, blogs, review sites, and social channels. If no one’s talking about your brand on those channels, it won’t show up.
Brands must focus on earned media and PR – not just for awareness but for AI visibility.
Influencers, third-party reviews, and forums are more valuable than ever – even if there’s no direct ROI.
We need to look towards building brand reputation and brand discovery. As AI continues to put its stamp on search, businesses pulling back on brand spend will feel the hit harder.
SEO isn’t dead – but it’s no longer enough
While you are doubling down on brand, traditional SEO still matters. You can’t afford to take your foot off the gas on optimising your technical setup, core web vitals, schema markup, etc.
But optimising purely for keywords won’t cut it – AI wants natural, conversational content. You now need answer-based content that reflects real user queries. AI tools look for trustworthy, natural language responses. The kind of things you’d say to a friend.
We’re seeing a new breed of search optimisation come to life called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), with a focus on optimising not only towards public brand perception, but also for large language models.
Google’s advertising push around AI Search
With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise we’re seeing Google favour multi-channel, multi-format campaign types. As search click-through declines further, we’ll continue to see increased focus across non-search inventory.
Ads above or below AI Overview panels are already live within Australia. And Google has just officially released ads within AI Overviews in the US, allowing both text and product listings to be featured.
We expect to see impacted click-through rates in line with organic trends. This leads us to question whether CPC (cost-per-click) will continue as Google’s preferred cost model, or if we will see Google shift in line with broader digital channels towards a CPM buy.
Google’s best recommendation for ads to appear in AI Overviews is to adopt its broad-match or keywordless solutions, in combination with smart bidding.
As we lean deeper into these AI solutions, and the models iterate and change, it's never been more important to have a safe pair of hands to look out for your best interests across these platforms.
So, what should marketers do now?
Here are three things marketers can do right now:
- Have a clear point of view on what you want to be known for as a brand. Be intentional about it and build all brand communications to ladder up to that vision.
- Recognise you’re not who you think you are – you’re what the internet says about you. Invest in building a community, take part in conversations and prioritise meaningful brand building – think community engagement, ambassadors, social reviews and PR.
- Invest in your owned assets. SEO for your website now adds value beyond the search engine result page. Optimised product feeds will drive product discovery across many platforms. Strong creative across owned and paid channels will drive a larger impact than ever before.
AI-led search favours known, trusted, and loved brands. Investing in your brand today through storytelling, consistency, quality content, and community sets you up for long-term success in a world where search is no longer about ranking but earning a spot in AI's answers.
Clare Farrugia is a Performance Director at media agency Hatched.