Brands target AI chatbots as users switch from Google search

Ad agencies adopt new strategies to ensure clients appear in results produced by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude

Advertising groups and tech start-ups are rapidly developing new tools to help brands appear more often in AI chatbot search results, marking a new era of "search engine optimisation" (SEO) driven by AI rather than traditional web searches.

Key takeaways:

• Companies like Profound and Brandtech have launched software to monitor and boost brand visibility in AI services like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Overviews.
• Brands such as Ramp, Indeed, and Chivas Brothers are early adopters, aiming to reach users shifting to AI for information searches.
• AI-driven SEO focuses on understanding large language models (LLMs) as major influencers rather than just indexing websites.
• Tools analyze AI sentiment towards brands and rank them, helping companies adjust content to perform better in AI searches.
• Traditional search engine traffic is declining as users increasingly rely on AI-generated answers.
• Despite this shift, Google’s ad revenue still grew by nearly 10% in Q1 2025, offering some reassurance to investors.
• Agencies are offering new services to brands, as old SEO techniques become less effective.
• Understanding how different AI models prioritize content is crucial - relevance, credibility, and authority matter more than traditional keyword tactics.
• AI-powered search engines like Perplexity are exploring new ad models, like sponsored follow-up questions.
• The ultimate SEO strategy in the AI era: consistently create high-quality, relevant content.

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