For twenty-five years, Google dominated how we find information online. Type a query, get a list of links, click through to find your answer.
That model is breaking apart.
Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity are fundamentally changing how people search for and consume information.
How AI Search Works Differently
LLMs don't rank pages—they synthesise answers. They've been trained on vast amounts of text and can generate responses by predicting what words should come next.
The key differences:
- Synthesis vs. curation: Google curates existing content; AI creates new responses from training data
- Direct answers vs. links: Users get answers without clicking through to your site
- Conversational vs. keyword: Natural language queries rather than keyword fragments
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of optimising your content to be cited, referenced, and used by AI systems when generating responses.
GEO strategies include:
- Structured data: Schema markup that helps AI understand your content's meaning
- Clear, authoritative content: Well-researched, factual information that AI can confidently cite
- Entity establishment: Building your brand as a recognised entity
- Citation worthiness: Creating original research and insights others reference
The Timeline of Change
This transition is accelerating:
- Now: AI search is supplementary; most users still Google
- 2025-2026: AI becomes primary search for many query types
- 2027+: AI-first search is the norm for a majority of users
The businesses that thrive will be those that create genuinely valuable, authoritative content and structure information for both humans and AI.