The way people search and buy online is changing. That’s why the team at In Marketing We Trust have released a new white paper, The Future of Search. It’s packed with fresh data and insights on how to stay visible and relevant as AI and social reshape the search journey.
This is a must-read guide for marketers needing to better understand the current and future search journey of their buyers. Written by the expert data and AI team at In Marketing We Trust, it provides key insights into the future of search and how consumers are using new platforms to shop for products and services.
Search is shifting towards new means of discovery
The Way People Search Is Evolving
Gen Z and Millennials aren’t starting on Google. They’re using social and AI tools to discover products faster, and they expect personalised, instant answers.
AI Is Redefining the Buyer Journey
ChatGPT alone sees 700 million weekly active users, and AI-driven search behaviour is shortening the path to purchase. But Google’s still part of the picture, with most AI users circling back to traditional search for validation.
What This Means for Marketers
Expect fewer queries, more intent-driven searches, and tougher competition for visibility. To win, brands will need to combine classic SEO, AI-driven content, and social-first discovery strategies.
AI Tools vs Google
Almost half of the top AI tools traffic continues to Google.com. Most AI users continue their search journeys in a traditional search engine.
Google’s search isn’t going anywhere, but the way people use it is. Expect fewer queries, more commercial intent, and higher competition for clicks.
Shoppers look to AI tools for product comparisons and recommendations
For shoppers, AI tools are preferred for product comparisons and recommendations. However, for general searches and initial product research, consumers prefer traditional search (Google).
Personal product and service recommendations will become the norm for these searchers. Standard keyword research and structure will evolve. And it will become increasingly difficult to evaluate the true ranking or visibility of content for a specific set of keywords, making it more difficult to size opportunity and share of voice.
How to win in the age of AI and Social Search
AI search is still an evolving game with very limited data. AI search is growing, and Google is making AI the default answer for certain queries. Personal and informational-based queries
will be most affected. Yet, content marketing investment is still required to power classic SEO, social search, and AI citations.
Get In Marketing We Trust’s free white paper on The Future of Search to find out more about how the search and consumer journey is changing and how you can unlock new possibilities to grow your brand.
In Marketing We Trust is a data-driven digital agency focused on intelligent discovery in the age of AI. It believes intelligent discovery drives audience connection and growth, combining analytics, advanced search, generative AI, and social insight to help ambitious brands understand audiences, get found online, and turn attention into measurable results.
