For decades, SEO was a proven science. Focus on keywords and backlinking, write great content, and you’ll be at the top of search engine results. In the past couple years, everything has changed, and marketing leaders are scrambling for answers. Advertising spend surpassed $1 trillion in 2024, and two thirds of that spend was tied up in traditional search models.
Search is no longer a game of keywords. It’s a battle for visibility in an era where Large Language Models (LLMs) summarize, recommend, and decide. The rules have changed, and “ranking on page one” no longer guarantees traffic or conversions.
It’s not just a search engine you have to consider to stay on top of search results. SEO isn't completely dead, but they way we used to manage SEO strategy certainly is.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), and Perplexity are reshaping how users access information. Instead of clicking through SERPs, users now get summarized answers, often stripped of source links or context. Google Safari has experienced a drop in search use for the first time in 22 years, and AI Overviews have cut clicks on informational queries by 55%.
Aside from viewability, accuracy is also of paramount concern. A recent study by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, as reported by the Columbia Journalism Review, revealed that many generative search tools failed to produce accurate outputs on content sources cited, often lacking the correct source link altogether.
For marketers, this creates a triple threat:
The bottom line? You might be invisible, despite doing everything “right.”
Fortunately, there are many tactical strategies marketers can conduct to win visibility with generative search. While we can’t change the behavior of our consumers - meaning they are going to rely on AI-generated search answers, whether we like it or not - we can get our content plugged into the AI-generated search results. Here’s how to get your content to be part of the AI-generated answers in search:
GenAI tools rely heavily on structured data schemas to understand and surface answers. If your content lacks structured data - like FAQPage, HowTo, Author, or Organization schemas - you’re likely being skipped in favor of competitors who provide better signals .
Tip: Use Speakable and BreadcrumbList schemas to increase voice assistant and conversational AI inclusion. Your schema is your new SEO.
In the same way you write content to attract a consumer, you need to write your content to attract GenAI. Consider these steps to optimize for LLM training:
One of the biggest wake-up calls from the rise of AI-driven search (like Google’s Search Generative Experience, or SGE) is the realization that we can't control how our audiences discover or consume content anymore. Algorithms shift. Visibility disappears overnight. What ranked yesterday might be buried tomorrow. That’s why now, more than ever, brands need to diversify both their inbound and outbound efforts.
Don’t rely solely on organic traffic — whether that’s SEO, social, or referral — because it can evaporate with one algorithm update. Supplement it with outbound channels that give you more control over reach, such as email campaigns, partnerships, paid search, and direct sales outreach. For B2C or e-commerce brands, this also means blending discovery-based marketing (like influencer content and paid social) with retention tactics (like SMS and loyalty flows).
The key is not to put all your eggs in one visibility basket. If you’re only counting on SEO or only investing in one channel, you’re vulnerable. The future belongs to brands that create a healthy mix; a flywheel of consistent demand generation and capture that’s resistant to platform upheaval.
Marketers looking to stay ahead need more than blog posts. They need to hear from the pioneers actually solving this problem.
That’s one of our core focuses at GAI World 2025, where these leaders will dive deep into AI-powered discoverability:
We know you want to beat the bots, and we want that for you as well. So let’s keep the conversation going on June 9th.
Rosemary Brisco is the founder of ToTheWeb and a digital marketing veteran known for helping brands stay visible in an AI-dominated search landscape.
With a sharp focus on SEO, AI integration, and LLM readiness, she’s leading the GAI Insights Learning Lab on June 9: “WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SEARCH NOW: What Are LLMs Saying About Your Brand?” - a must-attend for marketers who want to stay on top of evolving search dynamics.
We look forward to seeing you there! Register here for the June 9th Learning Lab.