Traditional Google searches will die, just like Blockbuster video stores.

At least that’s what some experts are predicting.

We know experts don’t always get it right. Email marketing is still alive and kicking, for example. However, there are signs that consumer behaviour is changing:

• 13% of UK consumers, and 27% in the US, say they prefer AI tools over search engines (Source: TechRadar/Future)
• Chatbot traffic (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, etc) grew nearly 81% over the last year (Source: OneLittleWeb).

Two things are driving the change.

Firstly, some people are consciously moving to AI-driven search on platforms like ChatGPT. Secondly, others are having AI results thrust upon them by Google.

So, if the adoption of AI tools such as ChatGPT continues to rise, how will it impact the number of people visiting your website?

To answer that question, we need to understand the three different types of searches which might send someone to your site. They are:

• Brand search
• Service search
• Information search.

Let’s briefly explain each and the potential threat AI-driven search poses to them.

Brand search

The people who run brand searches on Google already know who you are. They might have been recommended to you by a friend, for example. Alternatively, they could have driven past your office or seen a social media post.

Some look you up online because they want basic information, such as your contact details, while others are comparing several firms they’re considering.

These are the most important types of Google searches because they’re run by people who want advice and believe they want it from you.

AI threat prediction: low to medium

If the prospect is looking for basic information, such as your contact details or website, they’ll probably still use a traditional Google search, which means the threat level is pretty low.

However, if they have been recommended to more than one firm, they might use ChatGPT to compare different options, which increases the threat. After all, you might think you’re great, but ChatGPT could have a different opinion!

Service searches

These searches are run by people who prefer to find a financial adviser or planner through an online search rather than a recommendation. Typical service searches are usually geographically- or niche-based. For example:

• “Financial adviser near me”
• “Financial adviser for dentists”
• “Financial planner in Nottingham.”

They’re a rung down from brand searches as they don’t yet know your business, but they’re still important for firms looking to grow.

AI threat prediction: low or high

If your business isn’t ranking well on Google for traditional search terms, then you have nothing to lose, so the threat is low.

However, suppose you are on the first page of Google for key search terms such as “financial adviser in <insert place name>”.

In that case, you potentially have a lot to lose, as our research shows there’s very little correlation between appearing in a Google search and ChatGPT recommending your business.

We looked at 10 locations in the UK, comparing the results of a traditional Google search with the recommendations given by ChatGPT. We found that:

• Only 23% of firms appearing in the “Business” section (a box featuring local businesses, below the first set of adverts on a Google search results page) were also recommended by ChatGPT
• Correlation rose – but only slightly to 27% – when we compared the firms in the organic Google search results with ChatGPT’s recommendations.

The takeaway is clear: just because you rank well on Google doesn’t mean ChatGPT will recommend you.

Information search

As the name suggests, this type of search is conducted by individuals seeking information, facts, and answers, rather than advice. For example:

• “What’s the state pension age in the UK?”
• “How much can I pay into an ISA each year?”
• “How much tax-free cash can I take from my pension?”

The intention is to find information, not seek advice, which makes this type of website traffic much less important than either brand or service searches.

AI threat prediction: high

This is the type of traffic that’s most vulnerable to AI-driven results and searches because, as we’ve already said, some people are migrating to ChatGPT, others are seeing AI-overviews at the top of Google search results.

To illustrate the issue, let’s look at the Mail Online website, which receives around 270 million visits per month. The Press Gazette reports that since Google introduced its AI Overview, the Mail Online site has seen a massive fall in its click-through rate for keywords where the site has the top result in the natural search results.

This is supported by research from Growth Memo, which shows that the number of people clicking links in search results can fall by up to 50% when an AI Overview is displayed at the top of a Google search results page.

Your website visitor numbers will (probably) fall

We have the classic “good news, bad news sandwich” here (others call it something far more crude, but we’ll refrain from doing that!).

Let’s start with some good news.

There will be bumps along the way. However, we believe over the coming months and years, we’ll see some people use AI-driven search where previously they’d have used a traditional Google search. If this happens, your website visitor numbers are likely to fall. However, it’s probably the people who are seeking information, and not immediate advice, that you’re likely to lose.

That might dent your ego, but it probably won’t harm your marketing or reduce lead levels.

The bad news is the filling in our sandwich.

If people start to use AI to compare financial advisers or planners, and you don’t appear where AI looks, you’re going to have a problem.

Furthermore, if your website gets significant traffic from service searches on Google and you don’t rank well on AI-driven searches, you could see both traffic and lead levels fall. Remember, our research shows very low correlation between appearing on Google and AI searches. To be recommended by ChatGPT and the other LLMs, you need to do more than rank well on Google.

Now, the final piece of good news: Blockbuster stores disappeared almost overnight.

That’s not going to happen with traditional Google search, so you have time to fix the problem, as there’s no evidence to suggest the migration to AI is happening quickly. It’s also generally accepted that older people tend to be among the last adopters.

So what actions do you need to take?

You’ve probably had enough of us for one week, so we’ll get really practical next Friday by taking a deep dive into the actions you can take now to increase the chances of the AI robots recommending you and your business.

And, in our July webinar (How ChatGPT is changing the way new clients find your business and why you need to act now) we’ll be joined by Lee Robertson to take things a step further.

On the webinar, you will:

• Learn the AI, LLM and marketing basics
• Understand the two ways consumers are using AI to find businesses like yours
• Discover the three simple things you can do to be found and recommended by LLMs.

Register your place today to join us on Wednesday, 23 July at 10 am.