Old habits die hard, but they do die. Recently, I was working on a lunch and learn deck and I wanted a clean, plain language explanation of attorney-client privilege. My brain was misfiring, and I kept creating long, rambling, jargon-filled definitions. Instead of turning to Google for help, I logged into ChatGPT.
Welcome to the world of generative search optimization.
According to a 2024 SEMrush/Statista study, about one in ten people in the U.S. now use a generative AI platform as their preferred search engine. That’s roughly 13 million people. By 2027, research suggests that more than 90 million people will rely on generative search.
Change has always been part of digital marketing, but generative AI is uniquely disruptive to the search experience. At LaFleur, we’re already seeing measurable traffic from these platforms across nearly every website we manage. Generative search isn’t theoretical. It’s here, and it’s influencing audience behavior in subtle but important ways.
Let’s explore what early data suggests about generative search, what strategies are showing promise, and where thoughtful brands should focus their energy heading into 2025 and beyond.
The traditional search engines are still alive and well, although Google, Bing, and Yahoo have seen modest decreases in their traffic. But we shouldn’t be asking ourselves, “Are people using Google?” They are.
Instead, a better question would be, “How are people using Google?” In late 2024, SparkToro published a comprehensive, data-driven study of Google search behavior. Here’s what they found.
| Search intent | What it is | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Informational | Consumers want to learn about a topic, such as digital marketing. | More than half (52.65%) of Google searches are informational. |
| Navigational | Consumers want to visit a specific site, like Facebook or LaFleur Marketing. | Nearly a third of searchers (32.15%) have navigational intent. |
| Commercial | Consumers are considering purchasing a product or service. This includes product comparisons. | Almost 15% of searchers have commercial intent. |
Almost half of Google searchers are looking for a specific brand, not for general information. That suggests that, for many consumers, Google isn’t the first or only place that they go to get their information; they’re also going to other platforms (like social media or generative AI platforms) to learn.
RELATED: Generative engine optimization: Evolving beyond SEO
10% of consumers currently rely on generative search, but that number is expected to grow by 9x in the next two years. Today, there are two giants in the generative search industry: ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. These two platforms claim roughly 78% of generative search traffic. Perplexity, the third most popular AI model, pulls in about 13% of AI search traffic.
However, generative search doesn’t reward a one-size-fits-all strategy. Will Reynolds and Seer Interactive have been intently researching generative AI and its effect on search. They have broken generative search platforms into three categories.
| Model | How it behaves | Best practices |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid (ChatGPT, Gemini) | Uses both its training data and real-time indexing to generate responses. Foundational questions might get training data-based answers, while queries involving current events or innovation will use the web. | Invest in both authority and brand building efforts (including earned media) AND traditional SEO. (See, traditional SEO isn’t dead!) |
| Search-first (AI Overviews and Perplexity) | Relies primarily on real-time indexing of the internet. | To show up here, you need content that is well-optimized for search. Time-sensitive titles and topics likely appeal to search-first models, so look for natural ways to include time-sensitive information in your editorial calendars. |
| Training-first (Claude and Llama) | Relies solely on its training data to generate responses. | Evergreen, authoritative content from trusted brands appeals to these models. Invest in building your brand’s authority and creating strong content that might make it into the next batch of training data. |
Reynolds does an exceptional job exploring these three models and the GEO tactics that appeal to them. I don’t want to crib his insights (anymore than I already have), and I would encourage you to read his article in its entirety.
Brands that want to survive the next few years of search evolution need to do more than “keep an eye on AI.” They need to invest intentionally. Not reactively. Not piecemeal. And certainly not by throwing “AI” into every strategy document like it’s magic.
The data is clear: generative engines are starting to shape first impressions. Traditional search remains critical. Brand authority has never mattered more. The companies that succeed will balance all three truths.
Let’s get into what that actually looks like in practice.
Brands that treat authority like an afterthought will lose. Authority is not just a nebulous “nice to have.” It increasingly determines whether you show up in generative search results and traditional ones.
Strengthening your brand’s authority means:
You don’t get authority by saying you have it. You get it by acting like you deserve it, and letting others verify it. Remember, you’re aiming for more than brand discovery (being found). You’re building brand preference (being chosen). You want to be the trusted answer machines and humans prefer.
Generative search engines aren’t a monolith. As we outlined above, some platforms (like ChatGPT and Gemini) blend training data with live internet indexing. Others, like Perplexity, are search-first. Claude leans heavily on training data. If your content strategy isn’t tuned for these differences, you’re missing opportunities.
For hybrid models:
For search-first models:
For training-first models:
You cannot fake this. Slapping “Updated for 2025” onto a dusty blog won’t cut it.
Your content should have purposeful variety. Not one-and-done blog posts, but deliberate editorial decisions made in partnership with SMEs, analytics, and content teams. Also, make sure you monitor topic performance. What’s getting picked up quickly, and what sustains traffic over time?
RELATED: The invisible work behind effective content
Traditional SEO is not dead. It’s just not the only game in town anymore. Smart brands will maintain a disciplined, technical SEO practice and apply new GEO tactics.
Content that performs well in generative search environments is clear, structured, and easy to condense. If a machine can’t figure out what your page says, it won’t recommend it. That means:
GEO overlays another layer:
These aren’t competing priorities. They’re complementary.
Brands should:
Your best technical white paper or deeply nuanced blog post still needs to communicate at a glance what it’s about, and why someone should trust it.
Schema markup isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore. It’s a fundamental part of helping AI-driven systems understand your content at scale.
Every website should:
Good metadata, clear, keyword-aligned meta titles and descriptions, still matters too. It’s often the first signal an AI model sees about what your page represents.
This is a foundational investment. It’s tedious, but it pays compounding dividends.
Generative traffic often looks different from traditional organic traffic. It may show up with longer dwell times, lower click-through rates, or as “direct” or “referral” traffic from AI platforms.
Brands should:
This will require some manual effort. Standard analytics platforms aren’t fully ready yet. But setting baselines now will pay off as these platforms mature.
Finally, brands must align their leadership teams around what’s happening. Generative search isn’t a fad. It isn’t a “wait and see.” It’s already influencing behavior, and the shift will accelerate.
If you’re a marketing leader, you should:
Early adopters who build durable, brand-forward strategies will be in a commanding position as generative platforms become the new norm.
RELATED: Beyond SEO: Branding and omnichannel marketing
Generative search isn’t just another algorithmic update. It’s a fundamental rewiring of how people find, evaluate, and The brands that recognize this now, and act, will earn a durable advantage.
Success in the generative era isn’t about hacking the latest algorithm. It’s about building systems that humans and machines respect. To win:
At LaFleur, we help brands navigate these shifts with strategies built to last. If you’re ready to align your marketing with the future of search—to not just survive the shift, but lead through it—let’s talk.
Natalia Zhukova. (2024, December 2). New Report From .Trends & Statista Reveals How AI Search is Changing the Web. SEMrush. Retrieved from https://www.semrush.com/blog/ai-search-report/#
Rand Fishkin. (2024, December 2). New Research: We analyzed 332 million queries over 21 months to uncover never-before-published data on how people use Google. SparkToro. Retrieved from https://sparktoro.com/blog/new-research-we-analyzed-332-million-queries-over-21-months-to-uncover-never-before-published-data-on-how-people-use-google/
Wil Reynolds and Jason Stinnett. (2024, December 30). There are 3 types of AI search – do you know which to optimize for? Seer Interactive. Retrieved from https://www.seerinteractive.com/insights/theres-3-types-of-ai-search-do-you-know-which-are-you-optimizing