Opinion
Adapt or disappear: The post-search era in chatbots demands a new business strategy
In a world where consumers receive answers instead of searching for links, the place where brands establish their presence is changing. If in the past we fought for a spot on Google's first page, today we're fighting for AI recommendations. The algorithm no longer just ranks - it suggests, summarizes, and guides customer awareness.
For over two decades, search engines, led by Google, have served as the primary gateway to the digital world. Accordingly, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy has become a game-changing asset in the business strategy of every forward-thinking organization. However, new data indicates a dramatic shift in digital consumption habits, a change that managers cannot afford to ignore.
A comprehensive report by research firm OneLittleWeb for the period between April 2023 and March 2025 presents a thought-provoking situation, indicating a significant surge in traffic to AI-based chatbots. The pioneer in the field, OpenAI's ChatGPT, accounts for 86.32% of the chatbot market, with a notable increase in visits, pointing to a profound change in how information is consumed.
While search engines still maintain a significant position of power, it's important to adapt business and marketing strategies accordingly.
The transition from link-based searches to conversation-based direct answers represents a fundamental shift in how people search for and find information. This is perhaps the most significant change in digital consumer behavior since the shift to smartphones.
The Turning Point
When OpenAI opened ChatGPT to the public, it was nothing short of revolutionary. This wasn't just another tool - it was a profound paradigm shift that led to a change in basic consumer expectations. For the first time, people experienced a search engine that doesn't display dozens of links, but rather offers a personal, immediate, and intelligent conversation. Millions of users were exposed to the ability to receive complex answers, recommendations, summaries - all in simple and precise language, through a conversational interface that feels like a personal assistant. And from here, there's no going back.
According to a 2025 HubSpot study, 57% of marketers feel pressured to learn to use new AI tools or risk losing their relevance in the job market. About half of marketers (50%) already see artificial intelligence as an effective tool for content production, and 46% use it to write marketing materials.
This change dramatically impacts budget allocation - many organizations that previously allocated 60-70% of their digital budget to search engine promotion are now shifting 20-30% of the budget to AI platform optimization. In information-intensive fields such as finance, health, and technology, the return on investment in AI channels is beginning to show impressive results.
The GEO Revolution: From Traditional to Generative Optimization
In the shadow of the algorithmic revolution, a new term is emerging that marks the shift in marketing paradigm: GEO (Google Engine Optimization). Unlike traditional SEO, which focused on ranking in search results pages, GEO aims to optimize content and information for Google's generative search engines and AI platforms. A GEO strategy focuses on creating content specifically tailored to algorithms that can not only rank but also understand, summarize, and recommend.
In the GEO era, the emphasis shifts from "how to appear on Google's first page?" to "how to be the source that the generative algorithm chooses to display?" This is a fundamental change that requires rethinking how information is created, organized, and made accessible.
The technological changes necessitate a shift in business and marketing strategy and the adoption of a hybrid approach that connects the worlds of creativity, data, and technology. Optimization for artificial intelligence models requires changes in three key areas:
First, an advanced data infrastructure is needed for company websites, with the implementation of meta-data and structured data to allow AI models to understand the content accurately.
Second, a holistic content strategy beyond optimization for individual keywords, creating authoritative and comprehensive content. Today, content must serve real value - not just search engines.
Third, direct integration with chatbots through dedicated plugins that link organizational information directly to conversational engines.
The Post-Search Era
A deep understanding of how customers search for information today, and how these habits are changing, is an essential foundation for any future business marketing strategy. Technological literacy and understanding of natural language models (NLP) are no longer an "advantage" but a necessity in the new era.
We are at the threshold of an era where the algorithm not only ranks results but explains, summarizes, and recommends - a shift from "finding" to "receiving." In the new era, the battle is not just for a place in Google's results page, but for a place in the algorithmic consciousness - to be the entity that AI will recommend or quote.
The brands that will lead the algorithmic discourse are those that will stand out. Those who don't adapt simply won't appear. And this is no longer the future - it's the present.
Adi Yazdi Dannenberg is the CMO of Commit.
