The numbers that should make every business owner pay attention
ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users in January 2023 — the fastest product to that milestone in history. By late 2024, it had surpassed 200 million. Perplexity grew from essentially zero to 10 million daily active users in 18 months. Google's own data shows that a growing percentage of users — particularly 18–34 year olds — now start their information journey with an AI assistant rather than a search engine.
The shift is real, measurable, and accelerating. The question isn't whether AI will transform search. It already has. The question is whether your business is positioned to survive and thrive in the new landscape.
How search behaviour is actually changing
The change isn't just about which tool people use — it's about how they use it. Traditional search is transactional: enter a query, scan a list of links, click, evaluate. AI search is conversational: ask a question in natural language, receive a synthesised answer, follow up if needed.
This matters enormously for businesses because the decision happens inside the AI's answer — not on your website. When someone asks "what's the best accounting software for a freelance designer?" and ChatGPT lists three options with pros and cons for each, the user often decides right there. The click to the website comes after, if at all.
This is the "zero-click" problem taken to its logical extreme. Featured snippets gave users an answer without clicking. AI assistants give users a recommendation without leaving the app.
The three search behaviours emerging in parallel
1. Exploratory AI queries (where GEO matters most)
Questions like "what should I use for X", "explain Y", "compare A and B" are going almost entirely to AI assistants. Users don't want a list of 10 links — they want a direct, synthesised answer. This is where AI visibility (GEO) is now the primary battleground.
2. Navigational searches (where traditional SEO still wins)
When someone types "Nike running shoes" or "Rankly.AI login", they have a destination in mind. They'll use Google. Traditional SEO remains critical here — this category hasn't been disrupted yet and probably won't be for years.
3. Commercial research (the battleground)
High-intent purchasing research — "best CRM for a 10-person team", "affordable accountant near me", "top marketing agencies in London" — is actively migrating to AI assistants. This is the highest-value search category, and it's shifting fastest.
What Google is doing in response
Google isn't standing still. AI Overviews (the AI-generated summaries at the top of search results) now appear for more than 80% of searches in many categories. The irony is that optimising for Google's AI Overviews requires the same GEO fundamentals: entity clarity, structured data, authoritative content, strong reviews.
In other words: the technical foundation for GEO optimises you for Google's AI features and third-party AI assistants simultaneously. It's one investment with multiple payoffs.
The competitive window is closing
Here's the uncomfortable truth: most businesses haven't started optimising for AI search yet. Average GEO scores across the 10,000+ sites we've analysed sit at 42 out of 100 — well below what's needed for consistent AI recommendation.
This creates a significant opportunity. The businesses that invest in GEO now — while competitors are still focused exclusively on classic SEO — will build a commanding AI visibility advantage that compounds over time. Brand mentions in AI training data are sticky: once you're known as the authority in your category, it takes considerable effort for competitors to displace you.
What you should do today
Start by measuring your current position. Run a free Rankly.AI analysis to understand your GEO score across all six dimensions. Then prioritise the improvements with the highest score impact for your specific situation.
The future of search is not coming — it's here. Your visibility in that future is being determined right now, by decisions you make in the next six months.