Preparing Your Brand in the AI Era: How Businesses Can Prepare Stakeholders
The one thing that remains constant in search is the constant major changes that are pushed through. But, one of the biggest changes – a clickless web – is already happening. A period of big upheaval is on its way.
This is all thanks to the impact of Generative AI and we’re starting to see this rolled out as ‘AI Overviews’ in Google. As more people use Chatbots for search, the shift toward GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is growing more pertinent. SEO is no longer business as usual, and we’re starting to see a major shift in how users use search engines based on this new technology.
To quote Google themselves “Traffic Patterns May Fluctuate: Long-held traffic patterns are likely to fluctuate, creating new opportunities for all sites. Past success on search may not guarantee future success.” (Google’s Search Central Event in New York City, April 2025)
In this article, we’ll be discussing the effect of Generative AI in search and what this means for your brand, as well as how to stay ahead of disruption and what to anticipate and share with stakeholders.
How is search changing with Gen-AI?
You may have already noticed how people search, and the results of these searches are radically changing. Google’s Head of Search Elizabth Reid has stated that ‘Besides seeing people ask more questions, they ask longer questions“. Users are then being presented with Generative AI results from their queries, whether in Chatbots or at the top of SERPS. The way users interact with these results, and what the next stage of the conversion funnel looks like, are also changing. But as we’ll discuss, this all depends on the nature of the query.
These changes are leading to concerns about zero clicks and, therefore, a reduction in organic traffic. However, one of the exciting things about these changes is the potential to get higher-quality inbound traffic. This is because Gen-AI query responses, like AI overviews, do a lot of heavy research lifting for the user. These responses use higher trust markers based on algorithms that collate a wide range of data. And depending on the query, these can use chain-of-reasoning programming to deliver answers. As Google calls it query fan-out technique. From the user’s perspective, they’re getting trustworthy, reasoned and useful responses that are specific to their query, which requires far less time and effort.
Why are these changes happening?
We assume that, with the rise of Generative AI technology, Google is rolling out strategies to keep users on Google and maintain its income from advertisers. Chatbots are new competitors, so the increase in AI results in SERPs is aimed at reducing cross-visitation. There is evidence of a small shake-up going on. Recent research indicates that a small but growing number of users are using AI in conjunction with traditional search. However, there’s no research has yet shown that AI search is replacing traditional search, at least for transactional queries. It’s understandable why Google are bullish and wants to be ahead of the curve with this new technology and in particular provide reassurances to Wall Street they have a future.
What does the future of search look like?
We’re currently in a period that’s a precursor to AI-mode. Google is testing whether users like this new chatbot style and experimenting with AI-overviews at the top of SERPS. If it all goes well (Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai has recently announced it is), it’ll become part of Google’s core product. We have seen this happen before; maps, images and news all started as tabs before being incorporated into core SERPS. Google will likely expand AI-powered search features and switch to full AI mode in the US later this year (2025), potentially leading to ‘clickless’ results.
This is a significant change, and it will lead to a massive shift in current SEO approaches. How we, as businesses, need to approach this shift in search is critical. We’re just not going to see the results we’re used to seeing if we don’t adapt. There’s a real risk of getting left behind.
How can brands prepare for AI mode?
Brands will need to take a multi-pronged approach to prepare for the rollout of AI mode. Whilst there’s no way of knowing exactly what the fallout will be, we can make some predictions and plan ahead. Here’s what to take into consideration.
Day-to-day preparation
There are a couple of things that businesses can start doing now to prepare for these upcoming changes. With the impending arrival of AI mode, businesses need to anticipate fluctuations in organic traffic. We’ll go into educating and preparing stakeholders for this later. On a day-to-day basis, it’s time to start thinking about the types of queries you’re currently getting organic traffic for, and look into how AI may impact these queries. Is it likely that query fanning is going to be used in response to these queries? If so, how can your business start preparing for this?
Another consideration to factor in is how to have your brand featured within AI-overview mentions. You’ll be able to increase your click-through rate in these if there is a URL. Do note that as this is still a relatively new technology, some URLS are being hallucinated in current responses. However, the technology is constantly being refined and offers significant potential for inbound traffic to brands.
What types of traditional search queries are most likely to be impacted by Google’s ‘AI Mode’?
Business-at-large considerations
While there are departmental preparations you can start now, success in GEO requires a cultural shift across the entire business. And this is something to get on early.
The business as a whole needs to understand that the KPIs and metrics for GEO might be different. Google has given no indication that it’ll release tools to monitor AI overviews, so be prepared to review different metrics that suit your business. Think things like impressions and visibility over keywords and rankings.
As previously mentioned, businesses-at-large need to prepare for potential traffic disruptions as AI search features expand. AI overviews are currently leading to a drop in CTR for organic results. Some Google executives are warning of fluctuations in long-held traffic patterns. Brands can plan for this by increasing their budget for paid ads to mitigate the initial teething period, as well as starting GEO activities as soon as possible. Like SEO, GEO is a long game. Brand reputation management is likely to see a surge in value, especially when it comes to reviews and UGC, so we recommend getting on this early to have a head start.
It’s also important to warn the C-suite of this upcoming change and get buy-in for GEO activities. Educate on this big change. Reiterate that a holistic approach to marketing is more important than ever. It’s vital not to have a big dependency on a particular channel, and remember to diversify content. This is especially vital when it comes to having your brand featured in mentions across the web (to increase the statistical significance).
Takeaways
With the onset of AI-mode, businesses need to prepare now for a major shift in how they approach search visibility. Not only does this need to address new approaches to marketing activities, but also factor in fluctuations in organic traffic as AI mode is rolled out.
For this interim period, we recommend not relying on a single channel for all your inbound traffic and budgeting for a potential increase in paid ads unless you’re actively investing in GEO. It’s also critical to prepare and educate your stakeholders about these upcoming changes and what needs to be done to meet the new KPIS.
If you’re looking for help as you and your team navigate these changes, please feel free to reach out to us.
Simon Schnieders
In addition to heading up Blue Array as its Founder, Simon also finds time to pass on his business expertise as an angel investor and advisor at ClickMechanic.com, an advisor at Safebuy.org.uk and as a mentor at 500 Startups, Wayra and TechHub.