How Agencies Are Adapting Digital Marketing for AI-Driven Search 

While AI-based search isn’t a new development, its progression over the last 12-18 months has been tremendous. 

If you feel as if the rules of SEO are rapidly shifting beneath your feet, that is exactly what is happening. 

The way people interact with search behavior is no longer evolving gradually; it is now fundamentally changing. 

As before, people will continue to seek answers, however, they expect these answers to be provided quicker than ever before, with minimal barriers to entry, and increasingly without having to navigate a series of multiple pages to find the information needed. 

It is here that AI-based search technologies come into play. These technologies provide a summary, comparison, and answers directly within the search interface (across platforms such as ChatGPT, Bing, and Google‘s AI-based features). 

In terms of the fundamental shift for agencies, this is quite straightforward: 

While AI-based search is not destroying SEO, it is changing the definition of “visibility” in SEO. 

This blog provides an overview of what is changing, what is being misunderstood, and how agencies can evolve their strategies without losing the successful elements that have existed prior. 

What is AI-Driven Search 

AI-based search occurs when a user submits a query to an AI-driven search engine, which responds with a single, compiled response (answer), as opposed to directing the user down a lengthy trail of relevant links (“10 blue links”). 

That is it. 

Unlike “10 blue links” and a process of conducting research, the user experience is more akin to a conversation: ask, respond, provide additional information or clarification, and then make a decision. 

This is important because it affects what actions the user takes next. 

At times users will continue to click after receiving an answer; at times they won’t. However, in both cases, the decision-making is occurring sooner in the search process and the influence of the search results are occurring within the response itself. 

AI-Driven Search vs Traditional Search 

Traditional search was built to browse. AI-driven search was built to resolve. 

From the beginning, the process of searching has followed these steps: 

• Search with a keyword. 

• Scan the list of results. 

• Click on several links. 

• Compare what you read. 

• Decide which one best fits your needs. 

Since then, the process has changed and now follows these steps: 

• Type in your question. 

• Get your answer. 

• Act. 

It is not as if people have quit doing their research; they are just getting more research done in less time. 

This is why agencies that only measure where you rank (rankings) and how much traffic you get (traffic), will begin to think that there is a “decline” in your performance, while your brand influence is increasing in the background. 

The Role of AI in the New Search Journey 

AI search will be most effective in finding and using the same information repeatedly as long as AI search can have enough confidence in that reused information. 

Confidence in AI search comes from several types of signals: clarity, structure, credibility, consistency, third party validation, etc. In short, AI search tools don’t just look for existing content; AI search tools look for content with which they are confident. 

A simple example of this concept: 

User performs a search: “How do I optimize my local SEO for a service based business?” 

Old World – User finds three articles, skims them, decides on course of action. 

AI World – User receives a concise summary of their search request. The summary may contain steps, recommendations and perhaps even “first things to do.” 

Your content becomes part of the summary if it is clear and credible. Your content does not become part of the summary if it is vague, general or inconsistent. 

Therefore, the future of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not “create more content.” Rather, the future of SEO is creating more valuable content that both humans and AI can quickly understand. 

Why Traditional SEO Metrics Aren’t Enough Anymore 

Most brands continue to measure success by: 

• Keyword Rankings 

• Organic Traffic 

• Backlinks 

• Engagement/Bounce Rate 

These are all still important, however do not provide an accurate picture of what is currently going on with how users interact with a website or a specific brand. 

Because they do not reflect whether: 

• Your brand is being mentioned in an AI-generated answer. 

• Whether your content is influencing users at an early stage of their decision-making process. 

• Whether your expertise is being utilized without the user having to click on your website. 

• Whether you have increased your presence across multiple discovery platforms (i.e. Google, Facebook, etc.) 

The AI-driven Search engine model rewards Influence over Visits. 

Therefore, Agencies need a Measurement Model that aligns with this new reality. 

What Agencies Are Missing 

TREATING A.I SEARCH AS “A SEPARATE STRATEGY” 

Many groups think that A.I Search is independent of Google, so therefore develop their own entire strategic approach. 

But many A.I systems will be pulling from the same “ecosystem”: reputable websites; well structured webpages; credible sources; and clear answers. 

So the opportunity is not to begin again. 

It’s to improve the fundamental aspects – and make those more easily readable by A.I. 

CHASING VOLUME OVER CLARITY 

An additional error is thinking the solution is “create more content faster.” 

But, creating more content without substance and evidence only generates clutter. 

Unless you are providing real depth, clear definitions, explicit answers, evidence or proof, trusted validation, etc… A.I tools cannot differentiate between what is “helpful” and what is “fluff.” 

Authority content wins, regardless of how much content there is. 

How Agencies Can Adapt (Without Overcomplicating It) 

1. The focus should be clarity in writing – not trying to be clever 

AI systems prefer content they know they can confidently understand. 

So you want to say what it is, what it does, and why it matters — clearly. 

Content with unclear statements or “vague claims” won’t be trusted — or reused 

2. Organize your content in a format that would make others easily able to quote you 

There’s one simple thing most agencies need to do: use structure. 

Do this by using: 

• Headlines that mimic actual questions 

• Short and clear answers underneath each headline 

• Summary/“Key Takeaway” sections 

• Clear answers in FAQs 

• Schema when possible 

Structured content makes it easy to pull out and include in AI-generated content. 

 3. Include credibility indicators that are difficult for spammers to fabricate 

Trust indicators are an extremely important factor in how AI search engines rank content. 

Examples include: 

• Reviews 

• Testimonials 

• Case Studies that show actual numbers 

• Mentions from reputable sources 

• References to academic citations or other research 

• Clearly stated Authorship and Expertise 

If a page is “optimized” but lacks credible evidence to support its claims – it has no competitive edge. 

 4. Educate your clients as to what “visibility” includes today 

Some clients will still push to have traffic as their only key performance indicator (KPI). 

It doesn’t hurt to remind them of the past — because we’ve all been taught that way too. 

What the agency needs to help educate their clients on is a new definition of success that focuses on: 

• Being referenced 

• Being seen as trustworthy 

• Being the answer 

Attracting traffic with higher intent (even though overall traffic may decrease) 

Traffic quality is becoming the true winner. 

Measuring Success in an AI Search Landscape 

Agencies do not have to give up on the use of traditional metrics. 

Agencies have to broaden their view. 

This new layer has several components: 

• Authority Signals (mentions, validation, reviews) 

• “Answer Visibility” (Can you find your content in a search engine’s results when users enter a key question?) 

• Influence Indicators (Are leads arriving with more knowledge about what they want? Are leads arriving in a better state of readiness to take action?) 

• Conversion Quality (Higher Intent; Shorter Decision Cycle) 

There are times that a website will see little or no increase in traffic — but an improvement in conversion rate. 

That is not failure. 

That is adaptation. 

Bridging Traditional SEO and AI Visibility for Maximum Impact 

Traditional SEO still builds the foundation: technical health, structure, discoverability, and authority. 

AI search amplifies that foundation when your content is clear, credible, and quote-ready. 

The best agencies are not choosing one or the other. 

They’re building both. 

Start small. Pick a handful of high-impact pages, rewrite them for clarity, structure them for answers, and strengthen the credibility signals around them. 

Then expand. 

If support is needed to audit your current content and restructure it for AI-driven search visibility, feel free to reach out.