If you are not quite sure what to make of all the changes in search this year, you are not alone. AI has rewritten the rules faster than most people can follow. Here is a summary to bring you up to speed on what happened in 2025, and what to expect in 2026.

What Happened in 2025

Search moved from links to AI-generated answers

What happened:

• Google’s AI Mode, powered by Gemini, started giving users instant, AI-written answers instead of lists of web pages.
• People now see a summary before they see a link.

Why this matters:
Visibility is no longer about where a page ranks. It is about what AI decides to say about a person or organisation.

ChatGPT became a mainstream alternative to Google

What happened:

• ChatGPT grew to around 800 million weekly users, according to reported figures.
• People increasingly ask it questions instead of searching Google.

Why this matters:
Public perception is now shaped by AI tools as much as by traditional search. For many people, AI is the new front door of discovery.

Most users do not click through from AI answers

What happened:

• Early studies suggest that a large share of users do not click anything after reading an AI answer.
• When they do click, a significant proportion of traffic appears to flow to shopping sites, particularly for commercial queries.

Why this matters:
Lower website traffic no longer signals lower interest. It often means AI is answering questions before people ever reach the source.

Mentions matter more than pageviews

What happened:

• AI pulls from media, profiles, corporate bios and other sources to form its understanding of a person or organisation.
• Consistency now matters more than raw traffic numbers.

Why this matters:
AI amplifies whatever it finds. If the information is inconsistent, those inconsistencies can quickly appear in AI-generated summaries. Accuracy has never mattered more.

Google’s search results are becoming a conversation

What happened:

• Google AI Mode allows follow-up questions inside the results.
• Search feels more like a dialogue than a list of options.

Why this matters:
People are no longer seeing a single snippet about someone. They are having a conversation shaped by what AI believes to be true.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Website traffic from search will continue to fall
Expect fewer visits through traditional search, not because interest is waning, but because AI is resolving more queries directly.

Ads will appear inside AI answers
Sponsored content is beginning to appear inside AI answers. It will become part of the new search environment.

AI platforms will keep growing
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Mode and Microsoft Copilot are becoming the default way people find information.

Traditional page ranking will matter far less
The concept of ‘position 1’ is losing impact. AI-generated answers now shape what users see first.

Digital presence and factual accuracy will be essential
AI relies on whatever information is available online. If something is wrong, AI will repeat it at scale. Business leaders need to get ahead of this by ensuring their information is accurate and consistent.

Where The Marque Adds Value in an AI-Driven Search Environment

Here’s what matters most for individuals:

Your Marque Profile should sit at the centre of a cohesive digital strategy

Your profile works alongside your corporate biography and your other public platforms. When content is controlled and consistent across pages that are clearly connected through links, it creates a unified narrative that people and AI can follow.

The credibility of your online information matters

AI places more weight on verified, high-quality and professionally presented information such as The Marque. We help ensure the information associated with you meets these standards, so AI recognises you accurately and presents you as a credible individual.

Misinformation spreads faster in an AI world

When AI answers are wrong, they are amplified. We help you ensure your online presence does not leave room for error.

You should be in control of your digital identity

Search is changing quickly. Your online information should not be shaped by algorithms or guesswork. It should be shaped by you.