AI Search 101: What Marketers Need to Know

If you’ve been optimizing content for years, you know the rules are always changing. But 2024 marked a major shift that marketers can’t ignore.

AI Search is here, and it’s not just a new tab on Google. Tools like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are fundamentally changing how people search, find, and trust content.

Why It Matters

Over 60% of searches now result in zero clicks, according to Search Engine Land. That means users are getting their answers before they ever visit a website, directly from AI-generated summaries.

And AI isn’t pulling full pages. It’s pulling passages — clear, structured chunks of content that directly answer a user’s question.

So even if you’re ranking #1, you may not be visible.

How to Start Showing Up

To get cited by AI tools, your content needs to meet a new standard:

  • Answer-first structure with clear, concise takeaways

  • Topical depth to build authority

  • Schema markup to clarify context

  • Readable chunks that AI can easily reuse

It’s not about gaming the algorithm. It’s about being genuinely useful and understandable.

📥 Want the full breakdown?
Download our AI Search 101 Playbook — a simple, tactical guide to help your team audit your presence and start optimizing today.

Still have questions? Reach out or follow us on LinkedIn.

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The Real History of Search: What Every Marketer Should Learn From User Behavior