Category: Generative Engine Optimisation

Every few years, someone proclaims the death of SEO. In 2025, with AI agents embedded in every browser, document and workspace, the question has resurfaced.

So, is SEO dead?

Short answer: no. But it is evolving.

Today, buyers aren’t just using Google. They’re turning to AI co-pilots like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and others to summarise vendors, compare options, draft RFPs, or answer specific questions about your product category.

These tools are now part of the buying unit. And so we believe that changes how B2B marketers need to think about search.

Google still matters, but it’s no longer alone at the table

Let’s start with what hasn’t changed:

• Great content still drives engagement.
• Technical health still impacts discoverability.
• Links, internal structure, and clean architecture still matter.

But here’s what has changed:

• Google is no longer the only discovery engine.
• AI answers increasingly sit above the fold, summarising multiple sources.
• Some AI tools bypass SEO rankings entirely, surfacing vendors based on inferred trust, structure, and topical relevance.

We've now seen examples where:

• Sites ranking top 5 in Google are missing from Perplexity for some relevant prompts.
• Start ups with little traditional SEO traction and very low domain authority appear in ChatGPT answers.

SEO as a discipline hasn’t died. But SEO used to be only about Google. So the context it lives in has fundamentally shifted.

It's worth noting that in Google's second quarter 2025 financial results, they saw advertising revenue grow to $71.34 billion - up about 10.4% from $64.61 billion the year prior. So it seems despite AI changing the search results page and the role out of AI mode in the US, Google is still thriving.

From search engine to co-pilot

B2B buyers are now assisted by AI co pilots embedded in tools they use every day. Microsoft Copilot, Notion AI, ChatGPT, Gemini in Google Workspace - these tools aren't just for search tasks. They’re used to:

• Ask early-stage research questions
• Compare vendors by feature or reputation
• Draft outreach emails to suppliers
• Summarise websites, analyst reports or customer reviews

They are acting like virtual team members.

In some cases, they are the first touchpoint with your brand. That means they’re not just influencing buying decisions - they are shaping the journey itself.

But in other cases, they may not drive a discovery moment but just play a supporting role instead. It's not about having to pick between 'SEO' and 'GEO' as if they are completely different unrelated things, but it is important to acknowledge some of the differences and stay on top of a brand's visibility.

Sometimes it's just about accuracy

Even if you don't believe AI search tools are driving discovery moments and tons of new traffic, why would you not want to know how your brand is being talked about, and if the LLM's understanding is accurate?

In the last few months we've seen some interesting examples of errors that needed correcting inside AI tools:

• We asked Perplexity to compare 3 software brands, and our client was incorrectly referenced as not being SOC 2 compliant when it actually is.
• We found one individual review in a Medium post from 6 years ago was being cited by ChatGPT to talk about another client, even though the review was out of date and related to a previous version of their product.
• One of our clients has a brand name similar to another company in an unrelated industry, and ChatGPT was incorrectly confusing them.

In all of these cases, we took steps to make critical corrections that were then reflected inside the respective AI tools.

It's about balance

It's not about having to pick between SEO or GEO - they are not independent from one another.

But we do believe every B2B software brand should now be considering their SEO and AI search presence side by side. Search is shifting, the Google search results page is changing and in some cases action is needed to really optimise a brand inside AI tools. A search strategy defined in 2025 should consider the full picture.

Backlinks have long been one of the most prized assets in the SEO world - the holy grail of domain authority and playing a big role in rankings. Link building was the a key lever to pull when you wanted to climb Google's search results pages.

But AI search and the world of generative engine optimisation has changed things. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews don’t display rankings. They synthesise responses. They don’t just look at keywords and backlinks - they assess information quality, structure, and context.

So where does that leave backlinks in this new world of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and optimising visibility inside LLMs?

Let’s unpack it.

Backlinks as a trust signal: still relevant, but not decisive

Backlinks are still part of the ecosystem. LLMs like GPT-4 and Claude have been trained on data scraped from the web - and therefore backlinks help shape how that content gets discovered and understood.

Citations still matter too. Tools like Google AI Overviews and Perplexity often reference URLs. High-authority domains tend to appear more frequently in those citations. And yes – strong backlink profiles are still a proxy for trust.

But that trust alone doesn’t guarantee inclusion in AI answers.

You could have a page with thousands of backlinks and still not be cited in a single generative response. Because it’s not just about popularity - it’s about usefulness, and AI models have an ability to align content with user intent more effectively and with less reliance on backlinks as a signal.

You might also like: What's the difference between SEO & GEO?

The data: backlinks aren't strongly correlated with AI visibility

A recent study by Seer Interactive looked at which brands are being cited most frequently in AI-generated answers - and what factors contributed to that visibility.

Their finding? There’s little to no correlation between backlink volume and brand mentions in AI answers.

In fact, some brands with modest backlink profiles were regularly referenced. Why? Because they appeared in trusted third-party content – review sites, Reddit threads, comparison pages, and practical how to guides.

These are the sources LLMs like to pull from. Not just “official” pages or blog posts with a high domain rating, but helpful content with context.

Read the full study

In the GEO world, not all links are equal

Let’s be clear: not all backlinks matter anymore.

What matters now for B2B software brands:

• Natural citations in trusted sources (G2, Gartner, community blogs)
• Brand mentions in third party roundups or comparison content from credible sources
• Mentions in user generated content (Reddit)
• Inclusion in technical documentation or analyst content

GEO is about earning inclusion - it's about citation authority, not chasing a Domain Authority score. And sometimes that can be done without needing to worry too much about backlinks.

What matters more than backlinks for GEO?

To earn influence in AI-generated answers, focus on:

• Content clarity - direct answers, scannable formats, structured layouts
• Semantic richness - fully addressing the user intent behind likely prompts
• Source credibility - getting referenced by sources LLMs already trust
• Contextual mentions - being part of wider industry discussions, reviews, and thought leadership
• Entity strength - ensuring your brand and product names are well-associated with key concepts across the web

So… do backlinks still matter?

Yes - but not in the way most SEO agencies still think.

They’re a trust amplifier, not a visibility driver.

They can support your overall domain credibility, but they won’t guarantee inclusion in AI answers. That comes from strategic deep audience intelligence, prompt alignment and content structure.

In the GEO world, backlinks are a piece of the puzzle - not the whole picture.

What we do differently at FirstMotion

At FirstMotion, we don’t chase backlinks. We chase buyer influence.

We use our proprietary ContextualJourney™ platform to map buyer prompts using lots of AI and data enrichment, all built exclusively around B2B software buyer journeys. And we use tools like Peec AI to understand where AI tools are sourcing their answers, and help our clients earn visibility at every stage of the B2B buyer journey.

B2B buyer behaviour is shifting fast - and it’s being led by generative AI.

From ChatGPT to Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, buyers are turning to AI tools to research, compare, and shortlist B2B software. This isn’t a future trend. It’s already happening.

For B2B SaaS brands, this means the traditional playbook of SEO and PPC is no longer enough. If you want to influence the journey, you need to show up inside the tools your buyers are using to guide their research or get help with making decisions.

That’s where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in.

So, what should you actually expect to see in term of results if you invest in an AI search strategy? Let’s break it down.

1. Engage buyers earlier in the journey

Buyers aren’t starting with Google anymore. They’re starting with a prompt in an AI tool like ChatGPT.

Instead of searching “best procurement software,” they’re asking:

“What are the top-rated procurement software platforms for large manufacturing companies that integrate with Microsoft and are SOC 2 compliant?”

That’s a big shift. GEO helps you identify and show up in these prompts so you can engage buyers at the point of curiosity or before they even know they need a solution - and certainly before they even know your brand name.

2. Improve visibility inside AI agents

Most companies still obsess over keyword rankings. But as search shifts, what really matters now is whether you appear inside AI generated answers.

GEO is how you increase your brand’s probability of being:

• Cited in a ChatGPT answer
• Referenced in a Perplexity source list
• Included in a Google AI Overview
• Summarised by Claude or another LLM

The companies that are already visible didn’t get there by accident. There might be some overlap with the SEO work they have already been doing, or they might be working actively on AI search.

3. Understand why your competitors are showing up

Generative engine optimisation gives you clarity on why certain competitors keep appearing in AI tools - and how to reverse-engineer their visibility.

By analysing prompts, citations, and model behaviour, you can understand:

• What types of content are being cited
• Which third party sources are trusted (e.g. G2, Reddit, Gartner)
• How you stack up by persona and prompt cluster

With this intel, you can shape your own AI search and content strategy with confidence.

4. Increase pipeline velocity

AI enabled B2B buyers are moving faster because the information they need is

They’re using LLMs to:

• Explore solutions
• Generate vendor checklists
• Compare features side by side
• Draft RFPs
• Analyse customer reviews
• Create evaluation scorecards

By aligning your content to those interactions, you’re reducing friction and helping buyers move from research to action. This means fewer surprises in sales conversations and faster consensus across the buying group.

5. Reduce dependency on SEO and PPC

GEO doesn’t replace SEO or PPC - but it makes your growth more durable. In many cases we believe B2B buyers are using AI alongside Google searches. But we're almost certain that AI assistants are playing some role at some point in the buying journey.

By building visibility inside the answers themselves, you:

• Future proof against declining click through rates
• Lower paid search costs by capturing interest earlier
• Stop chasing keyword rankings that no longer drive ROI

The Search Results Page is changing fast. AI Mode is on the way. It's unclear how paid ads are going to play a role in the future of search or inside AI tools.

6. Shift from random acts of content to strategic orchestration

Most content strategies still look like scatterguns.

GEO forces discipline. It helps you:

• Map prompts by buyer persona and journey stage
• Create content with defined strategic roles
• Coordinate content production across marketing, sales and product

This is how you stop creating content for the sake of it, and start creating it in a way which aligns it with real buyer intent.

7. Improve alignment across your go-to-market teams

When you go deep into understanding what buyers might be asking AI tools at each buyer journey stage, you can:

• Help sales anticipate and respond to questions
• Inform product of common feature gaps or confusions
• Coordinate marketing messaging across channels

We see AI search supporting the length of the B2B buyer journey - it isn’t just a visibility play. It’s can be a glue between functions.

8. Deliver measurable insights to leadership

If you want executive buy in for GEO, it starts with data. If traffic from Google in decline and you don't have a plan - now is the time.

We use tools like Peec AI to help companies:

• Track brand visibility in AI answers
• Benchmark inclusion against competitors
• Monitor prompt-level performance
• Prove influence across the funnel

But even just using Google Search Console might give you some early insights into shifting B2B search behaviour. Generative engine optimisation can give marketing teams the evidence they need to lead in the boardroom.

9. Build an AI-first marketing function

GEO is a forcing function for modernisation.

It pushes teams to:

• Rethink how they create and measure content
• Embrace AI-powered research, planning, and publishing
• Collaborate across silos using shared audience intelligence

The result? A future-fit marketing function that can keep pace with how buyers actually behave and is fully AI enabled.

Many SaaS brands are already seeing the “crocodile” in their Search Console – impressions going up, clicks going down.

That’s often the result of AI Overviews giving users the information they need without clicking through to a website.

A GEO strategy helps you respond, adapt, and regain influence. And while attribution is imperfect today, it’s getting clearer fast. Google, OpenAI, and others will continue improving visibility analytics.

But if you wait for perfect data, your competitors will have already taken the lead.

At FirstMotion, we help enterprise B2B SaaS companies build GEO strategies that:

• Increase AI search visibility
• Map prompts & content strategy to buyer stages
• Connect content to commercial outcomes

If you're ready to get started, we’re ready to help.

The way buyers search is changing fast. And if you're a B2B marketing leader still relying solely on traditional SEO, you might already be falling behind.

Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews are rewriting how B2B buyers discover, explore, and evaluate software. That means your marketing strategy – and budget – needs to adapt.

But how do you make the case for investing in something as new as Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)? How do you balance investment alongside 'traditional SEO', especially when the data is still catching up?

This post gives you a structured way to build that business case and make AI search/GEO a priority in your marketing roadmap.

1. Start by reframing the risk

Working on GEO/AI SEO isn’t about taking a bet on a new channel.

It’s about responding to a structural change in buyer behaviour.

Millions of users are already turning to AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity instead of Google. Gartner predicts that by 2026, traditional search volume could drop by 25%.

Team's need to ask what’s the bigger risk?

• Investing early and learning fast?
• Or staying static while buyers migrate to a channel you’re invisible in?

2. Use lots of data

We're seeing this shift already reflected in real world data, and data is powerful when it comes to building your AI search investment case:

• Studies from Ahrefs, Semrush, TollBit, Similarweb, and others show clicks from Google are dropping
• AI generated answers are taking up more space in the SERPs
• Zero-click behaviour is rising

Meanwhile, tools like Peec AI are beginning to give us real visibility into how often brands appear in ChatGPT and Perplexity answers.

If you're looking for some statistics on the growth of AI post, see our post here. We also run the largest collated live and updated database of AI search research and studies here.

3. Zoom out and anchor it in buyer journey impact

AI assistants aren’t just top of funnel tools and 'visibility'. Visibility is a fluffy metric unlikely to get sign off from a CFO.

AI assistants are becoming B2B buyer enablement co-pilots across the entire buyer journey.

Buyers might be:

• Asking ChatGPT which vendors to shortlist
• Getting instant summaries from Perplexity about product pros and cons
• Using Claude to draft evaluation frameworks and RFPs

This is happening across every stage:

• Problem identification: “Why are our sales cycles getting longer in enterprise SaaS?”
• Solution exploration: “What platforms can automate B2B intent data capture?”
• Requirements building: “What should we ask vendors in a demo of an ABM platform?”
• Supplier evaluation: “Compare 6sense vs Demandbase for large deal ABM.”

The business case starts by showing that AI search isn’t a new channel – it’s now where much of the B2B buyer journey takes place.

Even if buyers are still using Google - there's a good chance that somewhere in the buyer journey, a persona is going to use an AI assistant at some point to guide them, validate their thinking, help with a task or assist with evaluation.

4. Highlight how traditional SEO is becoming less reliable

SEO traffic reports might still look healthy - but dig deeper, and you’ll often find:

• Rankings are holding, but traffic is falling
• Impressions are rising, but clicks are flat

Why? Because AI Overviews and AI assistants are are giving users the information they need without them ever needing to click through to a website.

AI search is cannibalising traditional SEO results. And unless you're adapting, your returns are diminishing. If you already have signs of this happening in your search console account or SEO data, it's critical to include it in your business case.

Keep an eye out for the so called crocodile effect!

5. Translate GEO investment into revenue outcomes

Don’t position GEO as a visibility project. Position it as a revenue growth lever.

Explain how investing in GEO can might be able to help with:

• Influence buyers earlier in the journey
• Build preference before the demo request
• Increase brand recall when it comes to RFPs
• Reduce drop-off by answering objections preemptively
• Speed up the sales cycle

At FirstMotion, we position GEO not just as AI SEO - but as buyer enablement in the AI era.

It might be that you already have some traffic being referred from ChatGPT that you can see in analytics, and you may even be getting conversions - make sure you include any data you have in your business case.

6. Link it to your broader marketing strategy

A generative engine optimisation strategy doesn’t sit in a silo. It aligns with your existing initiatives and so it's important to tie AI search into the wider marketing mix in your business case:

• Content marketing: Repurpose assets into prompt relevant formats
• Demand generation: Meet buyers earlier and influence downstream
• ABM: Shape personalised AI journeys for your high value accounts
• Attribution: Track influence across the 'dark funnel' using tools like Peec and proxy metrics
• PPC: reduce the reliance on paid performance channels, lower CAC longer term
• SEO: future proof your search strategy, reducing reliance on declining SEO clicks

This is about evolving your full funnel strategy, not replacing anything.

7. How to spot if AI search is already impacting your traffic

You don’t need new tools to spot the early signs. Start with Google Search Console.

Look for:

• Clicks falling while rankings hold steady: AI Overviews could be taking the traffic
• Impressions up, clicks down: The ‘crocodile mouth’ of AI disruption
• Brand searches rising with fewer landing page clicks: Users saw your brand in AI and came later
• Higher bounce rates: They got their answer before they got to you

If you’re seeing any of these, it’s time to act. For more on this, see our post here.

8. Build your business case around readiness, not perfection

Your exec team may want to see numbers. That’s fair.

But your job is to help them see what’s coming, not just what’s measurable today.

Frame the case around:

• Competitive advantage - be early, be visible, be cited
• Buyer access - influence more of the journey
• Strategic readiness - test and learn before it’s urgent
• Revenue impact - align to pipeline, not just rankings
• AI future proofing - be prepared as AI evolves

AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews are reshaping how B2B software buyers discover and evaluate solutions. Traditional SEO agencies aren’t always built for this new reality. You need a partner that understands Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) - and more importantly, understands B2B SaaS, complex buying journeys, and how AI assistants now influence decisions long before anyone reaches your website.

Here’s what to look for when choosing a GEO agency with strong B2B SaaS & Software credentials.

You can download our GEO/AI SEO agency evaluation scorecard here: Download [doc]

1. Proven results in generative visibility and a focus on revenue outcomes

Any agency can show you keyword rankings and traffic graphs. That’s not enough anymore.

Look for a partner that can show evidence of visibility in AI generated answers from ChatGPT and Perplexity to Google AI Overviews. Ask to see how they track prompts, citations, and competitor coverage using tools like Peec AI. Ask to understand their methodology, and how they are approaching the process of improving AI search performance.

2. A focus on revenue outcomes

But visibility isn’t the end goal. You want an agency that connects AI presence to real commercial outcomes: buyer influence earlier in the journey, more qualified leads and stronger pipeline.

AI search is still evolving and attribution sometimes difficult, but you need an agency with the right mindset and that speaks your language.

At FirstMotion, we believe AI search is changing the entire length of the B2B buyer journey - not just initial discovery. It's our goal to prove that AI search can be a revenue driver for B2B software brands, not just a visibility measure.

3. A deep understanding of how LLMs actually work

Generative Engine Optimisation is not just SEO with new keywords. You need a partner that understands:

• How LLMs cite and reference content
• The importance of structured data and clean formatting
• The sources models trust (e.g. G2, Reddit, Gartner, community forums)
• How prompts vary by buyer role and journey stage

GEO is about earning influence, not just publishing content. AI search is more technical than ever, and so an agency partner should have proven technology credentials.

LLMs are new and the world changing fast - so you can't expect a partner to always have answers. This is no different to SEO and algorithm changes. But you should expect them to always be learning, testing, sharing their insights, and have a clear B2B focused methodology for approaching the AI SEO landscape.

4. Fluency in B2B SaaS buyer behaviour

Generic content doesn’t win in AI search. The best GEO strategies are built around audience intelligence.

That means:

• Mapping the decision-making unit, not just personas
• Understanding long sales cycles and complex buying processes
• Aligning prompts to buyer roles, not just funnel stages

Your agency should speak your language – ACVs, RFPs, compliance risks, enablement content, analyst briefings. Not just keywords and blog posts.

At FirstMotion, we're unique in having our own ContextualJourney™ AI search audience intelligence platform to help us deeply understand buyer behaviour as we shape AI SEO strategies and map/align prompts.

5. Strategic alignment with your marketing goals

AI search doesn’t sit in isolation. It feeds into brand, content, demand generation, ABM and revenue marketing.

The right agency won’t just deliver tasks. They’ll act as an extension of your team, helping you:

• Prioritise the right prompts based on intent
• Build content that supports both AI and human journeys
• Make smart bets based on research and data
• Translate visibility into buyer influence and pipeline

If they don't understand your goals as a B2B marketer, they can’t help you meet them.

6. Built for experimentation and rapid change

The AI search space is evolving every week. You need a partner who’s:

• Testing LLM behaviour in real-time
• Tracking changes to AI visibility across a large number of prompts
• Monitoring shifts in prompt phrasing and source influence

At FirstMotion, we treat GEO like a living system, not a set-and-forget checklist. We maintain the largest up to date database of GEO/AI SEO research studies as well as carrying out our own visibility index reports.

7. Modern, AI-first delivery model (not the old agency playbook)

Most SEO agencies are built on bloated account teams, manual reporting, and recycled strategies.

FirstMotion is different. With our founder having previously built and sold a SEO agency in the pre-AI era, we're building FirstMotion differently, firmly believing that the traditional agency model is dead.

We’re AI first, lean by design, and powered by our proprietary ContextualJourney™ platform. That means:

• No layers of account managers slowing you down
• Leaner, faster delivery
• A focus on consultancy and client empowerment
• Real time insight, automation, and buyer contextual strategies

Our goal is to combine consultancy grade thinking with technology grade speed.

8. Transparent tracking and reporting

You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Your agency should:

• Show you which prompts you’re visible for
• Break down your inclusion in different LLMs
• Track changes in citation sources and formats
• Benchmark you against competitors
• Iterate quickly

We use tools like Peec AI and integrate with your broader analytics stack to give full funnel visibility.

9. Proven track record by a B2B SEO leader

FirstMotion was founded by Alex Price, who previously built and sold one of the UK’s leading B2B SEO agencies. His agency led enterprise SEO strategies for brands like:

• Amazon
• Inmarsat
• SparkCognition
• Nexthink
• Amplitude
• Vertex
• Qt
• SuperAwesome
• Codat
• NetDocuments
• Sitecore
• Peak AI

FirstMotion's B2B software credentials run deep.

10. Ability to help with 'traditional SEO'

We're in a shift at the moment - Google is still the most used search engine, but AI usage and traffic is increasing, and expected to continue to do so.

So it might be important for you to have an agency or consultancy partner that can help with your 'traditional SEO' strategy too. A good AI focused search agency should have its roots in SEO, and therefore be able to assist with both - keeping your agency roster simple, reducing the number of partners you have to manage and making sure SEO and GEO are aligned - which makes a lot of sense given how they overlap in many areas.

Conclusion: AI SEO is a strategic capability

Choosing the right GEO agency or consultancy is one of the most important decisions a B2B SaaS brand will make over the next 12 months. It’s the difference between showing up in the next wave of AI-native buying journeys.

You can download our GEO/AI SEO agency evaluation scorecard here: Download [doc]

At FirstMotion, we help B2B software companies turn buyer understanding into prompt strategy, prompt strategy into AI visibility, and AI visibility into pipeline.

In the old world of B2B marketing, your website was the main event. Buyers Googled their way to your homepage, clicked through carefully structured landing pages, filled out forms, and got nurtured through the funnel.

But that playbook is collapsing.

It seems we're heading for the zero click (or at least the 'very few click') era - a world where perhaps lots of the buyer journey takes place without a single visit to your site. Where AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews act as the primary research layer. Where answers are synthesised and surfaced directly in the AI tools your buyers are already using.

So if your website isn’t the starting point anymore, what is it?

Maybe it's your final impression.

Your website is no longer the beginning – it’s the handshake

By the time someone reaches your homepage, they may already have:

• Asked ChatGPT for a shortlist of solutions
• Read reviews on G2 or Capterra
• Compared features in Perplexity
• Evaluated you through Reddit or LinkedIn threads
• Checked analyst commentary in Gartner or Forrester

All or lots of this information may have been served up to them without ever having left the chat with their AI assistant of choice. It gets them everything they need and delivers it to them in one centralised location where they can continue to interrogate it, clarify things, ask for more follow information etc. It's clear that this is a much improved research experience for the buyer when comparted to the old world of opening lots of sites, adding them to a spreadsheet, manually taking notes and so on.

In other words: they’ve done their homework without you. Now they’re looking for a final confirmation. A spark of confidence. A moment of clarity. An emotional hook.

Your site now serves two audiences: humans & machines

In the AI-powered B2B software buyer journey, your website has a split role:

• For AI assistants: provide clear, structured, citable content. That means:
  • Semantic markup (schema, FAQs, definitions)
  • Declarative answers (not marketing fluff)
  • Author pages, citations, source clarity
  • Explicit product details, integrations, and positioning
• For humans: deliver a differentiated, memorable experience. That means:
  • Clear navigation and messaging hierarchy
  • Standout brand impact, creative and UX design
  • Memorable experience
  • Visual trust signals (logos, quotes, stats, awards)
  • Emotional resonance and storytelling

If you only focus on one audience, you’ll lose the other. You need both.

Creativity is no longer optional - it’s your edge

When every category starts to feel the same in AI answers, your brand becomes the differentiator.

If a buyer lands on your site after already seeing summaries of your competitors, your job is to break the pattern.

• Surprise them with bold messaging
• Use interaction, motion, and emotion
• Tell stories, not just specs
• Make it memorable enough to stick

This isn’t fluff - it’s conversion science for a new age of research and reference.

So what now? A creative renaissance for B2B websites?

As AI search continues to grow and a greater amount of the B2B buyer journey takes place without a website visit, perhaps it's time to refocus your website as mainly serving the last mile of the buyer journey.

But this shift isn’t something to fear. It’s an opportunity.

If the AI assistant handles the facts, your website can finally focus on what AI can’t do: make people feel something.

At FirstMotion, we think this could be the beginning of a creative renaissance in B2B SaaS website design. A chance to break free from the rinse-and-repeat grid of safe, samey websites. A powerful chance to stand out.

When the functional job of 'providing information' (whatever that might mean) is already handled by ChatGPT or Perplexity, your site can go beyond clarity. It can be bold. Emotional. Artful. A true expression of your brand’s personality, not just its product.

This doesn’t mean sacrificing usability - it means pairing substance with soul. Being clear and courageous. If buyers already have the facts, your job is to leave an impression they’ll remember.

The AI age doesn’t kill creativity. It demands it.

Your website’s moment isn’t gone - it might just come later in the journey. And when it comes, it had better hit hard.

The B2B software buyer journey has changed. And not just a little bit. Thanks to AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews, it’s being fundamentally rewritten.

For years, marketers optimised for traditional search engines by aligning content with keywords. But AI search doesn’t behave like Google. There are no search result pages with ten blue links, no fixed rankings, and no linear journey.

And that changes everything. Welcome to the new world of AI native B2B SaaS & software buyer journeys.

The emergence of AI search in B2B research

AI tools are being used across the B2B buying journey as buyer enablement co-pilots, answer engines, and recommendation engines.

• Users are bypassing Google to ask ChatGPT directly for recommendations
• Google’s own AI Overviews are pushing traditional organic listings further down the page
• Models are citing trusted sources, not necessarily the brands themselves

In short, there are now entire buying journeys happening that brands have much reduced visibility of. This is the new B2B dark funnel.

At FirstMotion, we see AI tools as being inside the B2B decision making unit. They are part of the buying unit, providing guidance, counsel, advice and active assistance as B2B buyers navigate their buying journey.

How AI assistants shift behaviour at each journey stage

AI might not be always be changing what buyers search buyers search for, but it's certainly changing how they search.

Problem identification
Buyers are turning to AI assistants to articulate challenges, validate pain points, or explore peer experiences:

• “As a CISO at a mid-sized fintech company expanding into the EU, what are the common third-party risk challenges I should be aware of going into 2025?”
• “How do in-house legal teams at high-growth SaaS companies typically manage visibility and control over contract renewals across departments without relying on shared drives or email threads?”

Solution exploration
Buyers use LLMs to map the landscape of solutions based on their specific context:

• “What tools are used by growth-stage cybersecurity companies to automate ongoing SaaS vendor risk assessments while maintaining ISO 27001 compliance?”
• “Compare Ironclad, LinkSquares, ContractPodAi, and SpotDraft specifically for legal teams in B2B SaaS companies with 200–500 employees that need Google Workspace and Salesforce integrations.”

Requirements building
LLMs help buyers define the scope and specifics of what they actually need:

• “What features should a legal team prioritise in CLM software if we’re aiming to automate fallback clauses, track negotiation workflows, and ensure version control across sales and procurement?”
• “We’re preparing an RFP for an enterprise DAM platform – what technical requirements, integration capabilities, and user access controls should we specify for a distributed marketing team operating across three global regions?”

Supplier evaluation
Buyers are now getting multi-dimensional comparisons based on their role, goals and constraints:

• “As the VP of Legal in a late-stage tech company preparing for IPO, which CLM platform is rated highest for rapid deployment, scalability, and audit readiness – LinkSquares, Ironclad, or ContractWorks?”
• “What do in-house counsel teams in 500+ employee SaaS companies typically say in reviews about the quality of implementation support and ease of adoption when comparing Ironclad to SpotDraft?”

It's important to notice that these prompts are longer, more contextual, and more reflective of real decision making than 'SEO keywords' ever were.

Read more: What AI prompts should B2B software brands optimise for?

AI tools aren't just providing information

AI assistants like ChatGPT are no longer just search engines in disguise. They’re not simply surfacing content or summarising articles - they’re actively doing the work sometimes.

In B2B marketing, this shift is subtle but profound.

Buyers aren’t just asking for lists of tools or pros and cons anymore. They’re using AI to create the artefacts that drive purchase decisions:

• Researching how other similar businesses might be solving similar problems
• Creating business cases for investing in a new solution
• Drafting full RFPs tailored to internal requirements
• Building vendor comparison frameworks with weighted criteria
• Generating scoring models for evaluating product demos
• Creating checklists for compliance or technical due diligence
• Drafting internal summaries for board or budget approval

This means the assistant isn’t just part of the research phase - it’s shaping the actual decision making process.

If your content, product positioning, and proof points aren’t being picked up, understood, and incorporated by these tools, you’re not just missing traffic - you’re missing influence at the most critical moment.

B2B marketers now need to think beyond visibility. You need to ask:
“Is my brand showing up in the outputs buyers are taking into meetings?”

That’s a very different game. And winning it starts with understanding buyer behaviour and ensuring your information is findable, credible, and structurally usable by AI.

Why audience intelligence is more important than ever

Because buyers are using AI assistants like humans - in plain English, in long form, with detail - your prompt strategy is only as strong as your understanding of the buyer.

At FirstMotion, we use our ContextualJourney™ technology platform to:

• Map real companies and their buying units
• Identify individual personas and their needs, pain points, triggers etc
• Enrich the ICP & persona data with AI & various sources such as review data, analyst research
• Align likely prompts across each buyer journey stage
• Generate prompts that may be used across each stage of the buyer journey

Prompt strategy without buyer context is guesswork. We don’t do guesswork.

Implications for B2B content strategy

This shift in buyer behaviour, and the role AI tools are playing across the full length of the B2B buyer journey, demands a new B2B SEO/content strategy approach:

• Answer full questions, not just keywords
• Provide structured, scannable content that LLMs can parse
• Focus on semantic depth over SEO fluff
• Align all content with ICP, persona & buyer stage
• Think about usable assets that can assist the buyer journey - checklists, templates, spreadsheets etc

If ChatGPT is building your buyer’s shortlist, your content needs to shape the answer.

Why visibility tracking is now critical

With AI search, you can’t just rely on Google Analytics to tell you what’s happening.

We use tools like Peec AI to:

• Monitor how often your brand appears in AI answers
• Track changes in inclusion over time
• Compare against competitors
• Spot which prompts are driving the most visibility
• Understand the sources of influence and content that LLMs reference

Generative engine optimisation isn’t about a specific ranking position - it’s about the probability of being visible - and that's a big shift in mindset for lots of B2B marketers.

What B2B SaaS marketers need to do

To keep up with the shifting buyer journey, B2B software marketers should:

• Map their ICPs, personas, and journey stages
• Identify and map prompts at each stage
• Audit prompt visibility using specialist tools
• Create content aligned with buyer needs and language
• Optimise for influence, not just presence
• Monitor and iterate continuously

The AI search revolution isn’t coming. It’s already here.

B2B buyers are researching, evaluating, and shortlisting using AI assistants as their one source of truth and buyer enablement co-pilot - from 'first prompt' through to 'closed won'. If your strategy doesn’t adapt, your brand risks becoming invisible.

At FirstMotion, we help enterprise B2B SaaS & software brands navigate the shift from SEO to the new world of AI native B2B buyer journeys. Check out our recent post if you need help building your business case to invest in AI search.

Account based marketing (ABM) and generative engine optimisation (GEO) might feel like two different worlds - one rooted in outbound orchestration, the other in AI-powered inbound discovery. But maybe they are more alike than they seem.

Both are grounded in one principle: relevance to the right buyer, at the right moment.

As AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude begin shaping B2B buying journeys earlier than ever, it’s time to rethink how ABM and GEO can work together - not in parallel, but in concert.

ABM and GEO share the same DNA

ABM is about going deep, not broad. You tailor your messaging, content, and channels to a defined set of target accounts - and within them, the key decision-makers and influencers.

Our enterprise B2B approach to AI search works the same way. But instead of targeting people with ads and outreach, you’re targeting the prompts those people are putting into AI assistants.

Done right, GEO becomes the passive twin of ABM - shaping buyer perceptions before your first outbound email is ever opened.

Your key accounts are using AI – you just can’t see it

Let’s say you’re targeting legal teams at mid sized SaaS companies as part of an ABM campaign for your CLM software.

You might run ads. You might push content. You might trigger outbound SDR sequences.

But what if the buyer journey started a week earlier - in a conversation with ChatGPT?

“What CLM tools are best for mid-sized SaaS companies with lean legal teams and basic Salesforce integration needs?”

If your brand shows up in the answer, you may already be winning the perception battle.

If it doesn’t, you’ve already lost ground and you’ll never see it in your attribution data.

This is the new B2B dark funnel - and it’s where GEO lives.

From account lists to prompt matrices

At FirstMotion, we don’t just help clients run GEO campaigns - we help them consider how AI search is playing a role across the length of the B2B buyer journey. If a client has a ABM program underway, we use that data to help shape our AI SEO strategy.

Here’s how:

1. Start with your ABM ICPs - who are you targeting, what industries, what job roles?
2. Map their buyer personas - especially for high-value decision-makers and influencers.
3. Define their journey stages - we typically use:
   • Problem identification
   • Solution exploration
   • Requirements building
   • Supplier evaluation
4. Create prompt matrices – what questions might those buyers ask at each stage?

This prompt matrix becomes the connective tissue between ABM and GEO.

Luckily, at FirstMotion we have ContextualJourney™ - our own AI SEO audience intelligence platform that helps us to enrich company information, understand buyer pain points, goals and triggers, and to therefore build a unique understanding of what prompts B2B buyers might be using across their purchase journey.

Track AI prompt visibility as an ABM signal

Using AI visibility tools like Peec AI, we can track:

• Is your brand being mentioned in AI answers for prompts aligned to your ABM accounts?
• Are competitors being surfaced instead?
• What sources are the AI tools citing?

Whilst we don't know exactly what prompts ABM accounts are using, we think there is value in considering the generative search intent layer that inevitably is sitting over your ABM strategy.

GEO improves ABM targeting and messaging

The insights from prompt mining and source analysis aren’t just for SEO or content teams.

They can directly improve:

• Sales messaging - align with buyer language and objections uncovered in prompts
• Ad copy - reflect the specific pain points buyers are asking AI about
• Landing pages - structure content in ways LLMs can parse and reference
• Content strategy- fill in prompt gaps and citation opportunities

If you're running ABM for your enterprise B2B brand and you're not yet thinking about how AI search is influencing your buyers, we think it's time to start.

We’re not saying GEO replaces ABM - we’re saying it makes sense to consider how the two can align, given your buyers inside your ABM accounts are turning to AI tools for advice and decision support.

The rules of B2B SaaS SEO have changed thanks to AI - forever.

If you’re still thinking in terms of SEO keywords, you’re already behind. In a world of ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews, enterprise buyers are asking long, contextual questions. And the only way to show up in generative answers is to understand those prompts - and the buyers behind them - better than anyone else.

This post breaks down how we approach prompt mapping at FirstMotion, why audience intelligence is the foundation of every AI search strategy, and how our ContextualJourney™ technology platform supports this work.

It starts with knowing your buyer - properly

Most marketers say they understand their ICP. But generative engine optimisation requires much more than a one pager on personas. You need to understand:

• The full buying unit - legal, finance, IT, procurement, ops
• The decision-making dynamics - blockers, influencers, champions
• Their internal language - not just industry buzzwords, but how they describe their own pain
• Their triggers - compliance risk, M&A, cost pressures, platform consolidation
• Their journey stages - and how questions evolve as they move from initial problem to final evaluation

Without this, you’re not mapping prompts - you’re just guessing. And whilst there is a lot of talk about 'fan out' when it comes to understanding search behaviour, we don't think this is enough.

Keywords vs prompts: what changes in a GEO world

Keywords are transactional. Prompts are contextual.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

That difference matters. Because LLMs are not ranking links – they’re synthesising answers. They’re choosing sources based on relevance, clarity, and structure. The more precisely your content matches the buyer’s context, the higher the probability it gets included.

There are no rankings in GEO – only probabilities.

Use data to shape your prompt map

You can’t rely on intuition alone. We use:

• Intent data from platforms like Bombora to detect signals
• Review mining from G2, TrustRadius, Reddit and Quora to extract buyer language
• Persona enrichment using tools like Clearbit and Apollo to understand role-specific needs
• Conversation mining from sales calls or Gong recordings (when available)
• Market research such as surveys, industry reports, market insights etc

This gives us real buyer behaviour, not just assumptions.

At FirstMotion, we're unique in having our ContextualJourney™ platform to bring all of this together - mapping ICPs, personas, buyer triggers and stages, and using that data to generate prompt hypotheses - all tailored to enterprise B2B software & SaaS buying.

The B2B Prompt Matrix

We use a simple but powerful model: the Prompt Matrix.

It aligns prompts across:

• Each persona in the buying unit
• Buyer journey stage

Here’s an example for a General Counsel persona evaluating CLM software. There are our standard 4 enterprise buyer journey stages, but we customise these from client to client.

Notice the prompts are not generic. They’re loaded with role specific context, operational challenges, and decision making intent.

Why prompt mapping is the foundation of GEO

Everything else in an AI search optimisation strategy flows from this.

• Visibility monitoring (e.g. using Peec AI) only matters if you’re tracking prompts that align to your buyer
• Influence intelligence depends on knowing which prompts to analyse for citations
• Content strategy should be built around prompt clusters — not just SEO topics

If you’re not understanding your audience and mapping prompts, you’re not optimising. You’re just hoping.

Precision beats volume in B2B

In enterprise B2B, buyers don’t search like consumers. They ask detailed, situation specific questions. And increasingly, they’re asking them in AI tools as they support the full length of AI native B2B buying journeys.

Generative engine optimisation success doesn’t come from chasing generic traffic, it comes from anticipating the exact prompts your most valuable buyers are entering into AI assistants across their journey.

That’s why we build everything on top of deep audience intelligence. It’s the only way to move from content marketing and keyword targeting to true buyer enablement in the age of AI.

This article was updated on 18th March 2026

Welcome to our live and regularly updated database of GEO & AI SEO research - where we track, collate and share all of the latest original data led studies and insights from GEO experts into the evolving and fast moving field of GEO/AI SEO (AIO/LLMO/AEO).

If you have research you'd like to submit to be added below, please share it with us here. Note that we don't share opinion pieces, blog posts or how-tos - we only share original, data led research.

Updated: GEO & AI Search Research, Studies & Insights (Chronological Order)

Last Updated: 18th March 2026

Does Ranking Higher on Google Mean You’ll Get Cited in AI Overviews?

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 21/07/2025

Ranking higher on Google increases your chances of being cited in Google’s AI Overviews, but it’s not guaranteed. Ahrefs found a strong correlation - about 50% of #1 ranking pages are cited, but many AI cited sources don’t rank in the top 10 at all. Other factors like content freshness, specificity, and alignment with AI prompts also influence citations. SEO fundamentals still matter, but optimising for AI visibility requires a broader strategy. Since Google Search Console doesn’t show AI citations, tools like Ahrefs' Brand Radar are essential. Success now depends on balancing traditional SEO with AI focused content and monitoring tools.

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AI Overviews Cite AI-Generated Content More Than Human Writing

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 14/07/2025

Ahrefs analysed 38,425 URLs cited in Google’s AI Overviews and found that 48.1% contained detectable AI-generated content, while only 26.8% were primarily human written. A further 25.1% were mixed or undetermined. This suggests Google’s AI Overviews are significantly more likely to cite AI generated pages than human authored ones.

Additional findings:

• Pages written with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini were overrepresented in citations.
• Content created by human writers using tools like Grammarly or Jasper had lower citation rates.
• AI generated content was most frequently cited in categories like tech, health, and how-to queries.
• Sites with high domain authority were still more likely to be cited overall, regardless of content origin.

Ahrefs concludes that content origin (AI vs human) now plays a role in AI visibility, but not in the way many expect. AI written content, when aligned with searcher intent and structurally clear, is thriving in Google's AI outputs.

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AI Overview Analysis & Study of 118M Searches: July 2025

Author: Conductor
Publish Date: 10/07/2025

Conductor’s July 2025 AI Overview study analysed 118 million real search keywords to track how Google’s AI-generated overviews (AIOs) are transforming search results. The report found that 18% of all tracked keywords now trigger an AI Overview - a 29% increase since May and a 112% jump since April. Desktop devices account for 61% of AIOs, with mobile presence stabilizing at 37.5%. Industries most impacted include IT Services (38% of keywords trigger AIOs), Healthcare Equipment & Supplies (36%), Life Sciences Tools & Services (36%), Education Services (35%), and Biotechnology (34%). The largest growth was seen in Healthcare Equipment & Supplies (+24 points since April). Most AIO-triggered searches are informational or conversational. The U.S. leads globally, but international AIO presence is expanding rapidly. The study emphasises the need for brands to optimize content for AI-driven search, as AIOs increasingly dominate visibility across sectors.

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700+ Google Search Console Results Showing Better Rankings But Lower CTRs

Author: Lily Ray / Amsive
Publish Date: 10/07/2025

Lily Ray, Vice President, SEO Strategy & Research at Amsive, shares data showing her analysis of a number of Google Seach Console accounts (over 700) from the last 3 months (May - July 2025), year over year. In the screenshot she shares, she shows a large number of sites which have seen an increase in rankings on Google SERPs, but a decrease in CTR as a result of AI search and overviews.

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Does Being Mentioned on Highly Linked Pages Influence AI Mentions?

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 08/07/2025

Patrick Stox explores whether mentions on well-linked pages (high referring‑domain count) correlate with AI assistant visibility. Analysing ~76.7 million Google AI Overviews, 957 k ChatGPT prompts, and 953 k Perplexity prompts for June 2025, he calculated Spearman correlations between brand mentions and visibility. Results: Google AI Overviews showed a strong correlation (ρ = 0.70), Perplexity a moderate one (0.40), while ChatGPT had a very weak link (0.12). The study suggests that being cited on popular, highly credible sites boosts visibility in Google’s AI feature, whereas other AI systems are less influenced. The author cautions that correlation doesn’t equal causation and indicates that larger-scale studies will follow.

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Google Seems More Biased Towards Big Brands Than ChatGPT and Perplexity

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 07/07/2025

Continuing the theme of brand visibility, this study examines whether the volume of branded web mentions predicts AI visibility. Again using data from Brand Radar across Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and ChatGPT, it found a strong correlation between mentions and Google’s AI visibility (ρ = 0.65), but much weaker signals for Perplexity (0.30) and ChatGPT (0.15). The implication is that Google’s AI Overviews favour established brands, likely to combat misinformation, while the other systems show less bias. It reinforces Google's longstanding preference for brand trustworthiness as a signal in its AI output.

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AI Mode vs Google Search: The Referral Gap

Author: Garrett Sussman / iPullRank
Publish Date: 04/07/2025

Garrett Sussman shares early insights on Google’s AI Mode using Similarweb data from 100,000 searches (May 20 – June 19). The findings reveal a major drop in clickthrough behaviour: only 5% of AI Mode searches lead to an external site click, compared to 25% in traditional Google Search. However, the number of clicks per session is nearly identical (6.0 for Google, 5.9 for AI Mode), suggesting users who do click may still engage meaningfully. Sussman cautions that friction (extra steps in AI Mode UI) and novelty (users still learning how to use the feature) may be skewing behaviour. He emphasises that this is early-stage data and not yet indicative of long-term patterns, but warns that if AI Mode becomes the default within 6–12 months, the industry must start preparing now.

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Does Being Mentioned on High Traffic Pages Influence AI Mentions?

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 03/07/2025

In this study, "web visibility" is defined as the total organic traffic to pages mentioning a brand. Analysing the same AI data set as prior articles, researchers assessed correlations between web visibility and AI mentions. Findings revealed a moderate correlation for Google AI Overviews (ρ = 0.55), weak correlation for Perplexity (ρ = 0.35), and very weak correlation for ChatGPT (ρ = 0.20). This suggests that brands featured on high-traffic pages increase the likelihood of being cited by Google’s AI summarisation tools, underscoring the value of content visibility and distribution for brand recognition in AI search landscapes.

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AI Traffic Has Increased 9.7x in the Past Year

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 26/06/2025

Ahrefs updates its March 2024 study with data from 81,947 sites, revealing that average AI-driven search traffic has surged roughly 10‑fold while traditional search traffic dropped by ~21%. AI referrals now account for about 0.25% of total site traffic on average - still small, but rapidly growing. Interestingly, AI is now Ahrefs’ highest‑converting channel, delivering over 10% conversion rate. While metrics lump AI and regular search together in analytics tools, the study confirms a major shift: AI-overview features and modes are increasingly influencing traffic distribution. The drop in traditional clicks is tied to zero‑click AI summaries, and there's a call to revisit analytics to better distinguish referral sources and track AI traffic more accurately.

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AI Search Currently Drives Less Than 1% of Traffic To Most Sites

Author: G-Squared Interactive
Publish Date: 25/06/2025

Glenn Gabe analyses AI search traffic using Similarweb clickstream data, comparing it to traditional Google organic traffic. He finds that AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT (with SearchGPT) are still driving far less traffic than Google, but their growth is notable - especially for high-ranking, authoritative content. In some cases, Perplexity drives thousands of monthly visits. Key takeaways: Perplexity is more likely to drive direct clicks than ChatGPT (which often references but doesn’t link), and visibility in AI answers doesn’t always translate to traffic. Gabe stresses the importance of branded search terms, featured content, and domain authority to increase AI visibility. While traffic volumes are currently small, trends suggest growing AI influence - and marketers should begin optimising now.

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AI Search Intent Study: What 50M+ ChatGPT Prompts Reveal

Author: Profound
Publish Date: 25/06/2025

Analysing over 50 million ChatGPT prompts, Profound found a sharp drop in informational intents—from around 52% to just 32%. In contrast, transactional and navigation intents have grown, signalling that users now expect ChatGPT to help with tasks—not just deliver information. This “intent shift” challenges traditional SEO strategies, which have emphasised informative content. Profound suggests content creators now need to focus on practical utility—tools, templates, checklists—that fit this new behaviour pattern.

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AI Visitors Visit Fewer Pages and Bounce More Often Than Traditional Search Visitors

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 24/06/2025

Drawing from the same 81,947‑site dataset, this analysis compares AI-source visits (via ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.) with traditional search traffic. Findings show AI users visit fewer pages (4 vs 5.2 for search) and engage less per session (session duration divided by pages visited = 2.27 for AI vs 2.79 for search). They also bounce more frequently, indicating shallower browsing. The study suggests these visitors are likely seeking targeted answers rather than exploring a site broadly—highlighting a shift in user behaviour that site owners should acknowledge when assessing traffic quality from conversational AI referrals.

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The New Normal

Author: Kevin Indig
Publish Date: 17/06/2025

Kevin Indig explores how AI is reshaping search metrics and strategies, with interesting predictive data on when ChatGPT might overtake Google Search based on modelling various growth rates. He advocates a 360° approach: adjusting to AI-driven query behaviour, evolving measurement frameworks, and closely monitoring emerging KPIs. The memo emphasises preparing for AI Mode’s eventual mainstream rollout and the need to redefine success metrics - away from clicks toward user satisfaction and task completion.

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Does AI Search Traffic Convert Better Than Traditional Search? For Ahrefs, Yes: 0.5% of Visitors Drove 12.1% of Signups

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 16/06/2025

Ahrefs reports that AI search visitors convert 23× better than traditional search visitors: 12.1% of Ahrefs signups stem from AI traffic, despite it only representing about 0.5% of visits. AI-sourced users go through 50% more pages and have lower bounce rates, but spend less overall time onsite. These signals point to higher purchase or signup intent—AI users seem to come more ready to act. The authors caution, though, this trend may not scale linearly as AI becomes more common, and analytics attribution remains imprecise.

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80% of Our AI Search Traffic Goes to Our Homepage, Product Pages, and Free Tools

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 16/06/2025

This analysis of Ahrefs Web Analytics (30‑day timeframe) reveals 80% of AI-sourced visits land on high-intent pages: free tools (36.5%), product pages (23.1%), and the homepage (20.4%). This contrasts with domain advice focused on informational content—AI assistants disproportionately direct users toward conversion-focused or branded pages. A small percentage (~3.6%) even lead to non-existent “hallucinated” pages, mainly from ChatGPT. While “best-of” content and guides still attract AI traffic, brands should optimise high-intent pages for AI visibility. The study also encourages monitoring misdirected AI traffic and setting up redirects for hallucinated URLs.

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86% of Top Mentioned Sources Are Not Shared Across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 12/06/2025

Ahrefs Brand Radar analysed ~76.7M Google AI Overviews, 957k ChatGPT prompts, and 953k Perplexity prompts for June 2025. It found striking divergence in citation sources: only 7 out of the top 50 domains were common to all three platforms—just 14%. Preferences differ by assistant: Google AI leans heavily on authoritative and user-generated sites (Wikipedia, YouTube, Reddit), ChatGPT cites publishers and news outlets, and Perplexity draws from regional and niche sources. This highlights platform-specific algorithmic biases and emphasizes that SEO optimisation should tailor for multiple AI ecosystems, not just Google.

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AI Scraping Is On The Rise. TollBit State of the Bots - Q1 2025

Author: Tollbit
Publish Date: 11/06/2025

TollBit’s updated Q1 2025 report (following on from its Q4 2024 report) shows AI assistant traffic rose 39.8% quarter-over-quarter, now making up 4.7% of total traffic across 2,752 publisher sites. ChatGPT led with 55.3% of identifiable assistant visits, followed by Perplexity (22.7%) and Claude (6.9%). News and health sites continue to see the highest AI-driven engagement. The report also highlights a sharp increase in “shadow AI traffic” - bots with hidden or no user-agent strings - accounting for 62% of all assistant traffic, up from 49% in Q4 2024. This growth signals increasing AI content scraping without attribution or monetisation. TollBit again urges publishers to recognise AI as a traffic source requiring visibility, governance, and monetisation strategies.

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The 10 Most Mentioned Domains for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews Across 78.6M Searches

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 11/06/2025

Ahrefs used its Brand Radar dataset (~76.7 M Google AI Oversees, 957 k ChatGPT, 953 k Perplexity prompts) to identify the top 10 domains most frequently cited by AI assistants. Wikipedia leads overall—16.3% in ChatGPT, 12.5% in Perplexity, and 8.4% in Google AI Oversees—while YouTube ranks high in Perplexity (16.1%) and Oversees (9.5%) but is absent in ChatGPT. Google favours user-generated content (Reddit, Quora) in Oversees (7.4% and 3.6%), whereas ChatGPT emphasises news outlets like Reuters, AP, and AS.com. Impression/potential reach analysis, weighted by search volume, shows institutional and medical sources like Mayo Clinic also hold considerable visibility in Oversees. The findings underline how each AI assistant follows a distinct content citation bias.

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We Studied the Impact of AI Search on SEO Traffic. Here’s What We Learned.

Author: Semrush
Publish Date: 09/06/2025

Semrush examined over 500 SEO and digital marketing query topics to project how AI search will affect traffic and revenue. Their model indicates that by early 2028, AI-sourced visits could surpass traditional search visits for such topics—potentially sooner if Google’s AI Mode becomes the default. This trend suggests AI search's rapid ascension—with significant implications for industry traffic patterns and optimisation strategies.

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Semrush AI Overviews Study: What 2025 SEO Data Tells Us About Google’s Search Shift

Author: Semrush
Publish Date: 05/05/2025

Semrush analysed over 10 million keywords (January–March 2025) to assess the growing prevalence of AI Overviews in SERPs. The share of queries triggering AI Overviews doubled from 6.49% in January to 13.14% in March. These features predominantly appear on informational queries (88.1%), and navigational triggers also doubled. Sector-wise, topics like science (+22.3%), health (+20.3%), people & society (+18.8%), and law & government (+15.2%) saw the highest increases. Surprisingly, zero-click rates for the same keywords decreased slightly after AI Overviews were introduced—suggesting users may still click through after reading a summary. The key takeaway: AI Overviews are reshaping search—marketers must optimise for them to maintain visibility.

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AI Overviews Reduce Clicks by 34.5%

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 17/04/2025

Analysing 300K informational keywords, this Ahrefs study compared CTRs from March 2024 (pre-AI Overviews) and March 2025. Position‑one CTR dropped from 5.6% to 3.1% for those without AI Overviews, while AI Overview-triggering keywords saw CTR fall even more dramatically—from 7.3% to 2.6%. This amounts to an estimated 34.5% CTR reduction attributed directly to AI Overviews. The mechanism resembles Featured Snippets, providing answers directly in the SERP and decreasing traditional link clicks. Despite Google's assertion that links within Overviews get more traction, Ahrefs notes that current tools cannot differentiate these click types. The study warns that as AI summaries become more routine, passive "zero-click" searches will likely increase, further impacting organic traffic.

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Google AI Overviews: New CTR Study Reveals How to Navigate Negative SERP Impact

Author: Amsive
Publish Date: 16/04/2025

This study analysed 700K keywords across five industries and found that the introduction of Google’s AI-generated Overviews has significantly disrupted clickthrough rates. On average, CTR dropped by 15.5%, with non-branded (–19.98%) and lower-ranked keywords (–27.04%) hit hardest. Overlapping Featured Snippets combined with AI Overviews led to an even steeper CTR decline of 37%. Interestingly, branded queries that did trigger an AI Overview saw a CTR increase of 18.7%, suggesting brand credibility can offset visibility loss. The research recommends adapting SEO strategy: aim for top positions but also focus on securing Featured Snippets, optimise for high-intent non-branded queries, and double down on branded content. The takeaway is to recalibrate your SEO playbook for an AI-dominated SERP environment.

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Does Brand Awareness Impact LLM Visibility?

Author: Seer Interactive
Publish Date: 16/04/2025

Seer Interactive analysed correlations between brand mention volume (MSV) and LLM visibility. Overall correlation was modest (ρ ≈ 0.18), second only to Domain Rank (ρ ≈ 0.25). In high-trust verticals like finance, brand awareness appears to meaningfully improve LLM mentions. The conclusion: awareness contributes to LLM visibility, but only in tandem with strong domain authority, backlinks, and credible content. For industries reliant on trust, awareness-building campaigns—PR, expert engagement, publisher mentions—are recommended to boost AI visibility.

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Marketing’s New Middleman: AI Agents

Author: Bain
Publish Date: 14/04/2025

Bain & Company argues that AI agents are fast becoming influential intermediaries between brands and buyers, shifting how consumers and businesses make decisions. These agents don’t just provide information - they make or narrow down choices. This has major implications for marketers, particularly in B2B and high-consideration consumer sectors. Key data and insights include: 28% of consumers have already used generative AI to assist in purchasing decisions. Among these, 70% say it improved decision quality and 63% say it saved time. Bain predicts AI agents will soon dominate early discovery and evaluation stages of the buyer journey.

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AI Scraping Is On The Rise. TollBit State of the Bots - Q4 2024

Author: Tollbit
Publish Date: 24/02/2025

TollBit’s Q4 2024 report analyses 295 million visits across 2,420 publisher sites to track how LLMs and bots interact with web content. The headline finding: traffic from AI assistants and bots increased by 17.2% quarter-over-quarter, now accounting for 3.4% of total traffic. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude led the charge, with ChatGPT visits up 20.7%. News publishers and health sites saw the highest share of AI traffic, with Perplexity disproportionately favouring health content. The report also notes a rise in unidentified bot traffic (up 30.4%), suggesting growing use of non-transparent agents. TollBit emphasises that most of this AI traffic is unmonetised—publishers receive no revenue despite their content powering AI outputs. To address this, TollBit promotes its tooling to help publishers identify AI agents, measure content usage, and control access. The report urges media companies to begin treating AI traffic like a commercial channel and to prepare monetisation strategies accordingly.

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87% of SearchGPT Citations Match Bing’s Top Results

Author: Seer Interactive
Publish Date: 06/02/2025

Seer Interactive found that in SearchGPT (ChatGPT with live search), 87% of citations align with Bing’s top 20 organic results, with many from the first page. In contrast, only around 56% match Google’s top results. This suggests that Bing’s SERP landscape heavily influences ChatGPT’s web citations. The study advises SEO to diversify efforts—tracking Bing alongside Google—and consider partnerships with external trusted publishers.

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Google Triggers 100% More AI Overviews for Longer Queries, New Report from BrightEdge Finds

Author: Brightedge
Publish Date: 30/01/2025

From September to December 2024, the proportion of long-tail queries (eight or more words) triggering AI Overviews doubled, showing Google’s increasing confidence in answering complex questions with AI. Approximately 25% of those longer queries now generate an AI Overview. BrightEdge highlights Google’s ability to handle nuance at scale, and implies SEO strategies must now cater to longer, more conversational queries.

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Marketing Leaders Want to Meet AI Search Head-On: New Survey Results

Author: Botify
Publish Date: 28/01/2025

Botify’s January 2025 survey found marketing leaders recognise the urgency of integrating AI search strategies. Organisations are prioritising structured data, metadata automation, AI-ready indexing, and cross-platform tracking (Google, Bing, ChatGPT). Key initiatives include SmartIndex (real-time AI-friendly indexing), SmartContent (AI-enriched content generation), and SmartLink (automated internal linking), showcasing a strategic shift to support visibility across both traditional and AI search.

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STUDY: What Drives Brand Mentions in AI Answers?

Author: Seer Interactive
Publish Date: 07/01/2025

Seer analysed 10,000 LLM-generated brand-recommendation prompts (mainly finance and SaaS). Page‑1 Google rankings had the strongest correlation with brand mentions (~0.65), followed by Bing (~0.5–0.6). Surprisingly, backlinks and multimedia content had little impact. After filtering out aggregators and forums, correlation strengthened, reinforcing the importance of rankings and PR/partnership strategies. The study suggests that while SERP prominence matters, brands should also invest in PR and partnerships to boost LLM mention likelihood.

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New Report From .Trends & Statista Reveals How AI Search is Changing the Web

Author: Semrush
Publish Date: 02/12/2024

This report provided early market insights, highlighting that as of July 2024, ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini dominate AI search traffic—capturing around 78% between them, with Perplexity and Bing composing the rest. It also noted approximately 13 million US adults had already adopted generative AI as their primary search tool, with projections reaching 90 million by 2027. It confirms AI search isn’t niche—it’s becoming mainstream, demanding adaptation from marketers and content creators.

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We Studied 200,000 AI Overviews: Here's What We Learned

Author: Semrush
Publish Date: 30/10/2024

Focusing on the structure of Google AI Overviews, Semrush analysed how many top‑10 organic URLs appear in AI Overviews. They found low overlap: over 80% of mobile AI Overviews include three or fewer top‑10 results and only 46% of desktop and 34% of mobile Overviews included the #1 organic result. Ads rarely overlap with AI‑shown URLs. This suggests AI Overviews use different selection criteria, meaning high organic rank doesn't ensure an AI citation. Brands have a chance to feature in Overviews even if they aren’t top in classic SEO—communicate expertise clearly to be surfaced by these AI summaries.

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AI Overviews Study: Inside Google's New Search Reality

Author: Botify / DemandSphere
Publish Date: 01/10/2024

Botify’s Q4 2024 report, based on 120 000 SERPs, shows AI Overviews appearing in up to 47% of searches and occupying 75.7% of mobile viewport space when paired with Featured Snippets. Most AI Overview citations come from top‑12 organic rankings, with strong semantic alignment between page content and AI summaries. The study calls for optimising for ranking and content similarity to increase AI Overview placement.

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New Research From BrightEdge Finds Google's AI Overviews Are Getting Smarter

Author: Brightedge
Publish Date: 19/09/2024

BrightEdge’s research reveals Google’s AI Overviews are evolving: they now lean heavily on specialised expert sources, comparative shopping content, and visual modules like carousels. This signals more discerning source selection and richer formats. Additionally, Google’s SearchGPT referral growth is outpacing competitors—underlining that businesses need to target both search ranking and source authority to capture AI visibility.

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AI Overviews: Impact on Google CTR

Author: Seer Interactive
Publish Date: 04/11/2025

Organic CTR for queries with AI Overviews dropped 61% (from 1.76% to 0.61%). Paid CTR dropped 68% (from 19.7% to 6.34%). Even queries without AI Overviews saw organic CTR fall 41%, suggesting broader behavioural change beyond AI Overview presence alone. Brands cited in AI Overviews earned 35% higher organic CTR and 91% higher paid CTR than non-cited brands.

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What Really Drives ChatGPT Citations

Author: SE Ranking
Publish Date: 12/2025

Referring domains are the single strongest predictor of ChatGPT citation. Around 2,500 referring domains correlate with 1.6 to 1.8 citations. Sites with more than 350,000 referring domains average 8.4 citations. Domains active on Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, and Yelp earn 3x more citations than those without profiles. Pages with First Contentful Paint under 0.4 seconds average 6.7 citations versus 2.1 for slower pages. Content updated within the past three months averages 6 citations versus 3.6 for untouched content. LLMs.txt files showed negligible impact.

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AI Overviews and AI Mode Citation Overlap

Author: Ahrefs
Publish Date: 02/2026)

AI Overviews and Google AI Mode cite different sources: only 13.7% of citations overlap between the two features. YouTube mentions and branded web mentions are the top factors correlating with AI brand visibility across ChatGPT, AI Mode, and AI Overviews. AI Overview content changes 70% of the time for the same query, and when it generates a new answer 45.5% of citations are replaced.

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How Users Interact with Google AI Overviews

Author: Pew Research Center
Publish Date: 07/2025

Click-through rate drops from 15% to 8% when an AI Overview is present. Only 1% of searches lead to users clicking a link within an AI Overview. Users end their search session 26% more often when an AI answer appears, compared to 16% for results pages without AI Overviews.

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Zero-Click Search and Google Traffic Growth

Author: Pew Research Center
Publish Date: 07/2025

Click-through rate drops from 15% to 8% when an AI Overview is present. Only 1% of searches lead to users clicking a link within an AI Overview. Users end their search session 26% more often when an AI answer appears, compared to 16% for results pages without AI Overviews.

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Most Cited Domains in AI (3-Month Study)

Author: SemRush
Publish Date: 10/11/2025

ChatGPT cited Reddit in nearly 60% of responses in early August before collapsing to around 10% by mid-September 2025, coinciding with a Google search parameter change. AI Mode consistently cited LinkedIn in nearly 15% of its responses. Forbes doubled its ChatGPT citation rate after September 2025. LLM visitors convert 4.4x better than organic search visitors (also from Semrush July 2025 research, 90% of ChatGPT cited pages rank at position 21 or lower in traditional search).

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We think so - and we think FirstMotion are GEO experts. But for different reasons than you may think.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is brand new territory. We're at the very beginning of understanding how tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews surface, cite, and synthesise information.

The GEO landscape is shifting fast

The pace of change in AI search is unlike anything we've seen before in digital marketing. One week, Perplexity quietly launches a new model. The next, ChatGPT gets real-time browsing powered by Bing. Then Perplexity launches its own browser, and OpenAI announces the same. Meanwhile, Google’s AI Overviews are causing traffic chaos for brands who are seeing organic clicks steeply in decline. There are lots of statistics showing just how much AI search is changing things.

Even if someone was a 'GEO expert' yesterday, a model update tomorrow could instantly make their assumptions irrelevant. But that's not dissimilar to how it's always been with SEO too.

So expertise in GEO doesn’t come from knowing everything. Being a GEO expert agency comes from knowing how to learn fast when everything changes.

SEO was never certain either

This isn’t a new challenge.

In the world of 'traditional' SEO, one day you’re ranking #1. The next, an algorithm update wipes causes lots of disruption.

We’ve always known that SEO success came from experimentation, ethical optimisation, and trying to stay ahead of the curve. GEO is no different.

In fact, we would argue 'SEO expert' has always been misleading. It was never about mastering the rules, it was about mastering the process of adapting to them.

GEO is harder to measure - for now

In some respects we’re flying blind when it comes to GEO.

There’s no Search Console for LLMs. No robust attribution tracking. No clear visibility into how people found you via ChatGPT or Perplexity, especially when your brand gets mentioned without a link.

That’s why analytics tools like Peec AI are so valuable (and why we’ve partnered with them at FirstMotion). But even they’re tracking probabilities of being visible, not specific rankings. This is a new kind of visibility and we need new tools, new frameworks, and new ways of thinking to make sense of it.

Will OpenAI release better analytics for LLM driven search? Almost like a Google Search Console equivalent for AI? Our bet would be yes. But until then, we need to stay evidence based and methodical.

Here's our recent post on why the B2B dark funnel is darker than ever because of AI right now.

GEO isn't a skillset - it’s a cross-disciplinary strategy

The truth is, no single person can own GEO.

It cuts across product marketing, demand generation, content strategy, PR, analyst relations, SEO, social media and data.

• You need deep audience intelligence to map prompts across the buyer journey.
• You need semantic content structuring to make your material citable.
• You need offsite influence on trusted sources like G2, Reddit, and Gartner.
• You need visibility tracking that can’t be found in your CMS or GA4.

GEO isn’t a vertical. It’s a layer across your entire go-to-market strategy. That's why at FirstMotion we focus on the AI native B2B buyer journey, not just AI search being a visibility measure.

FirstMotion: GEO & AI SEO expert agency

We position ourselves as a specialist, leading and expert generative engine optimisation & AI search gency, because of how deeply we're researching in the space and how methodical our approach is.

We promise every client that comes on a journey with us that:

• Every recommendation is backed by research, not guesswork.
• Every framework is tested across real buyer journeys and ICPs.
• Every insight we share is part of our commitment to learning in public.

We’ve built our Contextual Journey™ platform because we believe GEO strategy must start with enriched audience and buyer intelligence. Not prompt guessing.

If you want to keep up to date with all the latest GEO research, studies and data driven insights, check out our GEO research database.

Read more: how to pick a B2B SaaS focused GEO / AI search agency

If you’ve noticed your organic traffic dropping recently – even though your SEO performance looks fine – you’re not alone. In fact, we’re seeing this across multiple B2B software brands right now.

The scary part? Traditional SEO metrics might tell you everything’s improving. You’re climbing rankings. Visibility is up. But clicks are falling off a cliff.

So what’s going on?

Google AI overviews are cannibalising your clicks

Google’s AI Overviews are now occupying serious real estate at the top of many search result pages - and appearing for more and more searches. They summarise answers to user queries before anyone even gets to the blue links. Which means:

• Even if you rank #1, you’re further down the page under the AI Overview
• The answer is already there, users don’t need to click
• Your content is fuelling the overview, but you’re not getting the visit

In short: in certain cases you may be being used but not rewarded.

Look at this data if you really want to see the impact:

Users are moving to AI assistants for search

In lots of cases, users are increasingly skipping Google altogether.

Read our stats on the rise of AI search over Google here.

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude - these tools are fast becoming the default research assistants for B2B buyers. They’re asking prompts, not typing keywords. They’re getting citations and brand names straight from the LLM’s mouth – no links, no visits, no traceable click path. AI tools are changing the B2B buyer journey, acting as buyer enablement co-pilots across the journey.

How to diagnose what if AI Overviews is causing the traffic drop

Here’s how to investigate whether AI search is to blame for your organic traffic fall.

Step 1: Head to Google Search Console

In GSC, go to the Performance section.

Google recently confirmed that AI Overviews data is now included in total impressions and clicks – but it’s not filterable (yet).

So here’s what to look for:

• If visibility (impressions) is flat or increasing…
• But clicks are falling…
• That’s a strong signal that Google’s AI Overviews are satisfying the query before users reach your site.

A classic symptom: rising visibility, plummeting click through rate.

Step 2: Analyse Specific Queries

Focus on your key commercial and high converting queries.

Look for:

• No change in ranking position (it may still say '1', but the entire SERP has shifted down because of AI overviews)
• Decline in clicks with no ranking drop
• Higher impressions but flat engagement

These are red flags that the SERP layout has changed – and you’ve been pushed out by AI.

Step 3: Watch for Brand Mentions with No Attribution

LLMs like ChatGPT often mention brand names without including a link.

This creates 'dark' branded search behaviour: users hear about you in AI responses, then Google your brand later or go direct.

To check this:

• Look in GSC for rising branded queries even as generic queries decline
• Compare your brand name traffic against your SEO targeted pages

If branded searches are up but overall organic traffic is down, the LLM dark funnel could be at work.

Step 4: Audit Your AI Visibility

Take your most important keywords or content themes, and translate them into prompts that buyers might use mapped onto stages of their buyer journey.

Then:

• Use a tool like Peec AI to check if your content is being cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews
• Compare your visibility to key competitors
• Note which content shows up in AI answers vs what performs in Google

This is where the gap becomes obvious.

Summary: your AI search visibility checklist

If you can answer yes to three or more of the below, it’s time to take GEO seriously:

• Organic traffic down, but rankings or impressions stable
• Drop in CTR across top queries
• Google Search Console shows higher impressions, fewer clicks
• Spike in branded searches despite drop in generic traffic
• You don’t appear in AI answers for key prompts